Lingering Back Pain From Shoveling Snow? Three Ways To Beat It Today

The long, hard winter is finally over, and you're happy to have a break from shoveling snow. Unfortunately, your back is still sore from all of the shoveling. Sound familiar? Lingering back soreness is a sign that you may have put your spine out of alignment or strained a few muscles during your shoveling efforts. Follow these tips to ease the back pain and get back on track.

Visit a chiropractor.

Maybe you have been putting it off because you're determined that the pain will go away on its own eventually, but if you've waited more than a week or two and the pain is still there, it's time to call in the professionals. Chiropractic care has been shown to be a safe and effective means of treating acute back pain. Not only will a chiropractor manipulate your spine to correct the damage you did shoveling, but he or she will likely also recommend exercises and stretches you can do to further dissipate soreness.  Since chiropractic care is all-natural, you don't have to worry about side effects as you may if you visited a physician and were given pain relievers for your back pain. A professional like Ladner Chiropractic can tell you more about chiropractic care.

Take an Epsom salts bath.

Soaking in an Epsom salts bath is far better for your back than soaking in a plain bath. The Epsom salts are comprised of magnesium and sulfate ions. These are absorbed into your muscle tissue through the skin and help ease soreness. Epsom salts can be purchased at most drugstores (plain table salt is not a viable substitute). Just pour a few handfuls into your tub, fill it with warm water, and lie back in the water for about 12 – 15 minutes. You can repeat this treatment about 3 times per week.

Do some yoga.

One reason you may still be sore is that you've been babying your back and sitting around all day instead of being active. Some light exercise is good for recovery, since it gets the blood flowing to the tissues that need to heal. Yoga is a great exercise to choose because it also allows you to gently stretch the muscles in your back and through your body. Attend a yoga class or two at a local studio, or move along with yoga workout videos you find online. If something hurts, don't push it – concentrate on moves that are simple and relatively pain-free to perform.

Sitting around and doing nothing about it is not going to make your back pain better very quickly. Visit your chiropractor, take an Epsom salts bath, and do a little yoga. Shake off the last of the shoveling pain so you're in good shape for gardening season!