Many people have to wait a day or two to see a doctor about a back injury. Until the appointment, he or she may experience severe discomfort while trying to rest. A lot of people have discovered that lying flat on their back with knees bent is the position that is most comfortable if they have a ruptured disc. This position lowers the tension existing in the muscles and tendons that run from the back down through the legs.

To determine the severity of your back injury and avoid exacerbating that injury, it is best to rest for a day or two after the pain starts. If resting helps the pain to subside, the injury was probably minor. Although, if you experience the same amount or an increase in pain, then a doctor or chiropractor will need to perform an examination to see what the cause of the problem is. Having to rest over two days can avoid curing the issue and can actually make it worse since the supporting muscles can atrophy.

Try not to slouch while completing your housecleaning chores. If you are always bending over when you are vacuuming you will cause your back to hurt. When you are vacuuming, maintain good posture by standing up straight and using your legs rather than your back to move the vacuum. This can prevent any back pain.

Prior to the advent of serious back conditions, begin visiting a chiropractor, particularly if you feel that you are at risk of developing painful back issues. Regular visits to a chiropractor will offer relief for small problems so they don't become bigger issues down the road.

If you have to spend a lot of time sitting behind a desk, a great way to protect your back is by going for a short walk whenever you have a break. Stand up and stretch your body and legs regularly to help stretch your back muscles. Doing this may help you reduce back pain, injury, and compression issues.

It's best to begin with the basics when you're working to treat back pain. Getting a few days of good rest is often helpful as well. While you await your back to relax, try some anti-inflammatory medication, like naproxen, acetaminophen, or ibuprofen. You can also alleviate your back pain through the use of heat or cold packs, which soothe your back. You can even alternate between the two if you like.

There are a lot of different ways a back issue can affect you, but it doesn't mean that one is more painful than another one. Pain in the mid and lower back can ruin entire days or weeks in a casual sense. On a more serious note, it's been known to immobilize patients and put entire lives in despair. If you use the tips from this article, you can keep living your life in less pain.