Speak to your Doctor or Physio about treating your back pain.
If you have problems with your spinal discs, like a bulging or prolapsed disc you can do more damage than good with ‘self-help’
If you are anything like me, from years of wrestling and grappling and lifting weights with poor technique and no stretching – your neck and back are pretty stiff.
Exercises
Try using a foam roller (shown above). Do not use it directly on your spine though.
See this page for some exercises.
You can also use a lacrosse ball (above), but be really careful. Again keep away from your spine. You can damage the muscle if you place too much pressure on the lacrosse ball, so start of gently. It’s good for doing the glutes and lower back. Just lie on your back and place the ball in the bottom of you back to the right or left of your spine. Lean on the ball a little and hold for 1 minute. Again seek professional advice if in any doubt.
You can also cellotape 2 tennis balls together, and use that to roll up and down your back. I’ve not done this, so again, get a second opinion before you try this.
Diet
Pretty much every nutritionist, and every kidney-related website, says to stay away from NSAIDs such as ibuprofen long term as they can potentially cause kidney damage. I’m not necessarily saying this is true for a healthy individual, but I’d rather steer clear for now.
Consider, consuming:
Natural anti-inflammatories
– Turmeric
– Bromelain – in pineapples, or you can buy the supplement
– Omega 3/EPA from fish oil
On the flip-side (sorry for the Americanism), most nutritionists recommend reducing consumption of wheat, dairy and nightshade fruits like tomatoes and peppers. Sugar however is the biggest ‘inflammatory food’ in the Western diet – according to what I’ve read that is.
Natural Muscle Relaxants
– Camomile / Camomile tea
– Taurine – not really ‘natural’ but worth looking into if you back and neck are in spasm.
What Joe Rogan Did
For his bulging discs, he had Regenokine
He also advocates using inversion tables. Be careful though, your blood pressure will be high whilst you are inverted.
Again, just to emphasise the point – seek medical/professional advice if you have back or neck pain.
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