So you’re searching for natural remedies for back pain and inflammation. How do you choose between the modalities? Do you try DIY or would a professional be more helpful? How long should you expect to wait before you experience improvement? Will the improvement last? Will it continue to improve until it’s all healed?
Anyone suffering from either back pain or inflammation and seeking natural help, is likely to be asking these questions. Here is my take on the situation and what your options are.
Back pain can come from a variety of causes. It can be an acute situation – ie, it will heal in time – or it could be a chronic condition – ie with you for life.
Probably the most common cause of back pain and inflammation is injury. Not just an injury from an accident or sports injury. It could be from bad posture causing stress to your soft tissue. In many natural therapies, that counts as an injury, although it’s a more mild form.
The injury could cause stress to the soft tissue (muscles, tendons, ligaments). Mostly that pain will be more like an ache. Injury could cause trauma to the nerves, being that the back is rich in nerves. The sensation of that pain can be burning, stinging or shooting, rather like an electric shock. Injury may also cause trauma to the bone, from hairline cracks to compound fractures. This pain would be more evident on the slightest movement.
Stress in the soft tissue can also cause them to contract. When this happens in the back, the vertebrae may be moved out of normal position. If the movement is too much, the vertebrae could impact on a nerve, causing nerve like pain, but the cause is not nerve damage.
This complexity means that the treatment of back pain really should be left to the professionals rather than trying to do it yourself. Working with a knowledgable professional provides you with guidance and support. Otherwise, you might feel you are progressing, but you’re actually going in the wrong direction for total healing.
So my first suggestion for anyone looking for natural remedies for back pain and inflammation is to seek out a professional, rather than trying your hand. It’s beyond the scope of most people.
So what about the modality? Chiropractic? Bowen? Osteopathy? Yoga? Homeopathy?
Being a homeopath myself, I have to say I’m a bit biased, but let’s look at the others first. Chiros, Bowen therapists and osteopaths are all hands-on therapies. Homeopathy and yoga are the only hands-off therapies. Obviously you need to have a local therapist for the hands-on therapies. But for homeopathy, you can consult a therapist by phone or skype. So it’s more flexible.
I used to support chiros, but I am less inclined to these days. So many of them are doing things they know nothing about. To me this indicates that their therapy is not very good, otherwise why search for new ways? I am horrified at how they use homeopathy, for example, with a very clear lack of understanding of what they are doing. Even when they just do adjustments, you often have to go back many, many times before you see results.
Perhaps traditional Bowen therapists and osteopaths are better at their job, as long as they do just that. Their recommended exercises can be useful, if rather slow to help. Yoga is great, but I suggest again, maybe rather slow for the seriously affected.
However, I believe, and this belief is supported by my clinical experience from those who have done many therapies, that by far the best approach for this condition is homeopathy. A good, knowledgable homeopath will be able to work out the best, most indicated homeopathic remedy that is individualised for your particular back pain.
You will be able to re-dose yourself according to instructions, without going back for repeated consultations. The consultations will be more like weekly or monthly depending on the severity of the condition, rather than many times a week.
The most effective, the most economical as well as the most rapid healing natural remedies for back pain and inflammation is a well thought out, individualised, professional homeopathic treatment. Don’t skimp of this. Your health is too important.