10 Things That Ease My Back Pain (No Drugs)

Living with chronic back pain, especially after a spinal fusion, can be a challenge to say the least. Over the years, I’ve developed techniques that alleviate some of the pain, without using drugs (painkillers). My body changes and adapts and so must these techniques, but the core can be summarized in the 10 items below:

1. Yoga. Especially Power Vinyasa/Ashtunga Yoga and especially Hot Vinyasa Yoga. It addresses both the physical and the mental aspects of chronic pain. It strengthens my body and my mind. There are poses I cannot do due to lack of flexibility in my spine (you know, two bones fused together don’t move that well), and there are poses that I should not do (these I’ve learned over time from how my body responds). I go at least once a week to a studio here in Sandpoint, Idaho called Zest.
2. An exercise ball. Instead of using an office chair all day long in my office, I use a giant exercise ball a few hours per day. It reminds me to engage my core and puts my body in a slightly different position.
3. Anti-gravity machine/Inversion table. This contraption hangs you upside down. It allows the spine to decompress. Aside from the blood rushing to my head (and reminding me of my childhood hanging upside down from the jungle gym), it’s relaxing and feels great!
4. Traction. A physical therapy outfit in Sandpoint called PneuThera uses vibrating traction tables to stretch and pull the spine. It’s not always comfortable, but you feel the difference after just one session.
5. Massage. Seems obvious, but I’ve only recently added this to my toolbox. At first it seems like an indulgence or a waste of time. You get over that quickly. Very quickly.
6. Crunches (when done correctly). A well-performed ab crunch shouldn’t hurt. Engage the core, support the neck if needed, and go only until you feel “the burn.” Not only do you strengthen your core, thus better supporting your back, but it relieves lordosis (when your lower back caves in…your butt sticks out…chest pushed forward….looks pretty good but OUCH).
7. Warmer climates. Unfortunately for me, I prefer cooler climes similar to where I was born and raised in Montana (with regular wind chills well below zero and at least a week of subzero ambient temperatures). My muscles and body, however, do not agree.
8. Touch your toes/ Rag Doll Pose. This works when you consciously release the tension in your neck. Let your back relax and gravity pull until you feel a stretch in your lower back. It’s a little like natural traction, with the added benefit of stretching your muscles.
9. Rest but not too much. When the pain gets to the point I can barely move, I rest. And while resting is important, so is staying active enough to prevent what I call “lock up.” Lie for an hour or so, then get up and move around a bit. The goal is to keep things limber and warm. Rest for too long and my back muscles seize and spasm, making things much, much worse. My personal belief is that bedrest for back pain is one of the worst things you can do. My orthopedic surgeon and his colleagues agree, as was made apparent when I was asked to get out of bed the very next day after my fusion.
10. Body Scan Meditation. I learned this from Jon Kabat-Zinn and the Mindfulness-based Stress Reduction Class. NPR gives a “crash course.”  Essentially, you learn to focus intently on specific parts of your body, and nothing else, for upwards of 45 minutes. It provides clarity and the ability to separate your “self” and your body from your pain. It’s hard to understand until you try it; so try it! Even if you don’t have pain, it helps with almost every aspect of your life (and here I’m referring more to Mindfulness Practice as a whole).

While this list doesn’t always work and never reliefs pain 100%, the items on the list compose a powerful arsenal for my battle.

Disclaimer (sorry, but it needs to be said): Every person’s injury is different. The items on this list have helped me but may not help you. And, of course, talk to your healthcare provider before trying a new physical activity.