Why Bed Rest Isn’t the Best Solution for Back Pain
Back pain is a common condition affecting many people worldwide. It often leads to reduced mobility, discomfort and decreased quality of life. You can have lower, middle or upper back pain, which can immobilize you and make it difficult to perform your daily duties. Most people recover from back pain after a week or two, but some cases require more intensive care and longer recovery times.
For centuries, people have turned to bed rest for back pain. However, studies have shown that staying in bed for over 48 hours likely won’t relieve back pain and may even delay your recovery.
Understanding Back Pain
Back pain is not a one-size-fits-all situation. Its intensity and frequency vary from person to person:
- Acute back pain radiates from the lower back and may reach the thighs and buttocks. The pain comes on suddenly and lasts a few days or weeks.
- Subacute back pain may occur gradually or suddenly, lasting at least 4-12 weeks.
- Chronic back pain may occur gradually or rapidly and last longer than 12 weeks. It is more persistent, may occur daily and is generally unpredictable. It complicates daily activities significantly.
Common Causes of Back Pain
The human spine has 33 vertebrae, and the location of the pain will tell you whether you have lower, middle or upper back pain. Our backs consist of ligaments, muscles, spinal discs and the spine. Any damage to these components can cause back pain. You can experience back pain for various reasons, such as:
- Lifestyle: Exerting repeated pressure on your back muscles and spine can cause back pain. Other factors that lead to middle back pain are smoking, bad posture, obesity and natural aging.
- Strain: Suddenly and awkwardly moving your back may strain and tear your muscles, ligaments and tendons, leading to back pain.
- Injury: Injuries from sports, falls and car accidents can lead to back pain.
- Herniated or ruptured disc: When discs bulge, compress or rupture, they compress the nerves, causing severe back pain.
- Degenerative disc disease: As you age, the discs between your vertebrae can get damaged or dehydrated, known as degenerative disc disease. As the disease progresses, you will likely have severe back pain.
- Osteoarthritis: Cartilage covers our joints to reduce friction. When it wears out, our joints rub together, causing back pain.
- Fractures: Fractures from an accident can cause severe back pain and need urgent medical attention.
- Radiculopathy: Radiculopathy is lower back pain caused by inflammation, compression or spinal nerve root injury. It can also cause numbness or tingling in the parts connected to the nerve.
- Sciatica: This is a form of radiculopathy in which the sciatic nerve is compressed. If you have sciatica, you will feel pain and a burning sensation in your lower back, buttocks and the back of your legs.
- Scoliosis: Scoliosis is the curvature of the spine, leading to middle back pain due to uneven weight distribution.
- Spondylolisthesis: This occurs when a slipped disc compresses the nerves exiting the spinal column.
The Myth of Bed Rest
Traditionally, doctors advised people suffering from back pain to rest in bed. Bed rest is beneficial in low doses. It gives you a break from sitting or standing, which causes severe pain. Bed rest guidelines recommend lying down for a few hours to stretch your back, but not more than a day or two. The only people who may benefit from bed rest are those with spinal fractures and those awaiting surgery.
Extended bed rest isn’t beneficial for back pain. Although your back may feel slightly better for a while, it causes more problems, such as muscle tone loss and constipation. Bed rest also increases the risk of developing blood clots in the legs and pelvis due to reduced blood flow. Additionally, inactivity can exacerbate stiffness and discomfort.
Bed rest recovery tips include as much movement and as soon as possible to enable blood flow and reduce stiffness. This movement also elevates digestive problems like constipation.
Modern Recommendations for Back Pain
Today, doctors do not usually recommend bed rest for back pain. They recommend limited exercise and activities, gradually increasing this movement as the patient builds tolerance. Physical therapy and back pain exercises are some of the bed rest alternatives for chronic back pain management.
Physical therapy strengthens back muscles to improve posture, mobility and positioning. A physical therapist also helps improve balance and reduce the risk of falls from degenerative diseases and poor posture. Another recommendation for back pain relief is over-the-counter pain relievers and, in the most severe cases, surgery.
Alternative Treatments and Therapies
Some pain management techniques for back pain relief include:
- Prescription painkillers for acute back pain
- Anti-inflammatory or numbing injection, especially for pain caused by irritation and nerve compression
- Muscle relaxants
- Acupuncture
- Neuromodulators
- Hot and cold packs
- Lifestyle changes like incorporating back pain exercises into your routine
Another bed rest alternative is chiropractic care. Chiropractors use their hands and specialized tools to manipulate the movement of your joints, muscles and spine. Chiropractic adjustments can help relieve back pain by realigning your joints to decrease pain and increase motion range. A chiropractor can also perform soft-tissue therapy to relax muscles and release tension and spasms.
Lifestyle Changes to Support Back Health
Some lifestyle changes to help alleviate back pain include:
- Maintaining a healthy weight, as excessive weight strains your back muscles and spine.
- Performing regular exercises to strengthen your muscles, like yoga, water aerobics, walking or lifting light weights.
- Taking breaks and moving around periodically if your work involves a lot of sitting.
- Correcting your posture, as poor posture exerts excess pressure on your back. Ergonomic furniture can promote good posture.
- Being careful when lifting heavy objects.
- Watching your diet, as excess sugar can lead to inflammation and pain.
When Bed Rest Might Be Necessary
In some cases, bed rest may be necessary for spinal health. If you have a spinal fracture requiring surgery, your doctor will recommend bed rest until then. Bed rest helps ease spinal movement that can cause further damage. Consulting a health care professional for personalized advice is crucial, as everyone’s case is different.
You should see a professional if you have:
- Severe pain for over 48 hours.
- Continuous back pain with numbness or weakness in one or both legs.
- Severe back pain accompanied by fevers.
- Back pain and numbness in your genital region or bowel or bladder control changes.
Contact Spine Institute of North America for Back Pain Treatment
Don’t let back pain keep you from doing the things you enjoy. At Spine Institute of North America, we understand how back pain can disrupt your life and are here to help you eliminate the pain.
Our spine specialists use the least invasive procedures to help you relieve back pain and get you back to your everyday life as soon as possible. Contact us today to schedule an appointment.
