Home remedies for low back pain

By George Nava True II

This is the third and last part of my series on SI joint pain or low back pain that affects millions of people worldwide.

Fortunately, we’ve come a long way since the days when leeches and tobacco smoke enemas were popular treatments (see previous column) for low back pain caused by sacroiliac (SI) joint dysfunction or sacroiliitis. This condition can now be treated effectively. Start with these six home remedies:

1. Be cool (or hot)

Use an ice pack for 20 minutes to reduce swelling around the SI joint and numb pain. Repeat after 30 minutes to prevent frostbite and normalize blood vessels. If you’d rather be hot, try a heating pad or hot water bottle on the back. Alternating the two is also a good idea.

2. Be posture perfect

Good posture can relieve lower back pain. Limit how often you shift your weight to one side of the body. Sit with uncrossed legs and don’t lean into one hip. Don’t sit on your wallet or smartphone.  When standing, balance your weight between both legs and feet. Avoid bending at the waist to pick up things from the floor.

Another good idea is to wear a sacroiliac belt. This will limit the movements of the SI joint to make it heal. This special lightweight brace should be worn all day for the best results.

3. Get a massage

A good massage is relaxing and can relieve sacroiliitis. See a physical therapist or a chiropractor for this. A physical therapist can also recommend stretching and strengthening exercises to improve flexibility and help relax muscles.

While seeking help, don’t believe massage therapists who make a lot of outrageous claims. In the Japanese technique called Reiki, for instance, practitioners place hands supposedly over key energy points on the body to promote healing and decrease pain. This is called palm healing or hands-on healing. By doing so, practitioners supposedly transfer a “universal energy” from their palms to patients to encourage physical healing.

It’s hard to take this seriously since most Reiki masters don’t touch patients. It’s like saying they can magically make all sorts of pain vanish like street magicians– something that has never been scientifically proven. Some practitioners combine hands-on healing with massage and relaxation techniques which is good because these can help. But don’t fall for other wild promises.

Others swear that a tennis ball can also treat sacrum pain. We doubt if this is better than a real massage. But if you can’t see a therapist, use a tennis ball to massage deep back muscles.

To do this, lie on the ground or stand at a wall with the ball behind your back. Then roll it back and forth along with your back muscles.

4. Get out of bed

Rest is good, but too much of a good thing can be bad. When sacrum pain strikes, rest in bed for a few hours on the first day or two, before you get moving again. Light walking can fight SI joint pain and help patients heal faster. If you sleep on your back, put a pillow under your knees. For side sleepers, place the pillow between the knees.

5. Make the right move(s)

Being active can help, but start slowly and do it gently. Walking, swimming, or riding a stationary bike for a few minutes daily can go a long way in relieving SI joint dysfunction.  Gradually increase exercise time to 20 or 30 minutes.  Another good exercise is Iyengar yoga that improves posture and stretches out tight muscles and joints.

Of course, some movements can make sacroiliitis worse, so avoid activities that stress the SI joint like running, golfing, step aerobics, or ice skating.  Don’t bring knees to the chest, avoid sit-ups, twisting, or bending from the waist with the knees straight.

6. Use OTC drugs for sacrum pain

Reduce swelling and SI joint pain with over-the-counter nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) like ibuprofen or naproxen.  But don’t take them for a long time since they have side effects like an upset stomach, ulcers, rashes, and high blood pressure. The FDA said ibuprofen can also increase the risk of heart attack and stroke. Consult a doctor if you need to take these drugs for more than 30 days and use them only as directed.

SI joint pain treatments

Can sacroiliac joint pain be cured? Yes, and patients today have a lot of options to choose from. If none of the above home remedies works, see a doctor for the right treatment. This will depend on the symptoms and cause of your sacrum pain. To help you, the doctor might recommend:

• Better pain relievers – Stronger medication may be needed if OTC products don’t provide relief. Read the labels and follow your doctor’s instructions carefully.
• Electrical stimulation – This uses a transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS) unit to relieve sacrum pain. The device sends small electrical currents to certain body parts. In some cases, an electrical stimulator is implanted into the sacrum.
• Joint fusion – This surgical procedure, also called arthrodesis, is done to permanently hold a joint in place and allow the bone to grow across that joint. In effect, the joint won’t bend, but this often leads to dramatic sacroiliitis pain relief.
• Joint injections – Corticosteroids and an anesthetic are injected into the SI joint to reduce inflammation and pain.
• Muscle relaxants – These drugs have a sedative effect and are used to reduce muscle spasms. One example is cyclobenzaprine.
• Radiofrequency denervation. – Also called facet rhizolysis, radiofrequency ablation, or radiofrequency neurotomy, this procedure destroys the nerve tissue that causes SI joint pain. This is often used to treat neck or back pain that originates in the facet joints. The latter are small joints that connect the bones in your spine.
• Tumor necrosis factor (TNF) inhibitors –Also known as TNF blockers, biologic therapies, or anti-TNF drugs. They help stop inflammation and treat different forms of arthritis.

For questions, write to georgenavatrue@yahoo.com.