Try Progressive Muscle Relaxation To Lessen Your Back Pain

While you might be able to simply ignore dull back pain, it's possible to reach a point where this discomfort is strong enough that it begins to affect your life. Whether you have trouble sleeping or are unable to sit for extended periods of time, back pain can be hugely disruptive. Although self-care techniques aren't a perfect alternative to seeking help from a health practitioner such as a chiropractor, they can be useful until you're able to schedule an appointment. Progressive muscle relaxation is a technique that you can use to achieve some degree of relief for your back pain. Here are some things to know about it.

Find A Quiet Area

A key to doing progressive muscle relaxation is to situate yourself in an area that is conducive to relaxation. While people who are experienced with this technique may be able to relax even in boisterous environments, it's best to find a quiet area when you're a beginner. One option is to lie on your bed or on the couch; in the latter scenario, do so only if you won't be interrupted. You don't want to be partway through this exercise when your kids come home from school, for example.

Tense And Relax Your Body

Although you might be preoccupied with working on the muscles in your back that are tight and contributing to your pain, it's worthwhile to perform progressive muscle relaxation on each of your major muscle groups. Doing so provides an overall feeling of relaxation, which is valuable in helping you feel better. For example, it's common to have tight muscles as a result of stress; when you relax these muscles, you may notice a decrease in your level of stress. Start at your feet and tense the muscles, hold them, and then relax them. You may wish to repeat this process a couple times. Then, begin to move throughout your body tensing and relaxing the muscles.

Notice How You Feel

You might notice a decrease in your back pain right away, or you may not feel anything initially. Don't be discouraged. This practice can take some time to master, and even if you aren't experiencing immediate results, you're helping your body. The more relaxed you are, for example, the easier you'll find it is to sleep — and this can be helpful if your sore back often limits your sleep quality. And remember, it's always a good idea to turn to a chiropractor to address your back pain. To learn how a chiropractor can help your back pain, check out websites like http://www.dilschiropractic.com.