When you hurt your back, it affects you much more than injuring another part of your body. It makes it hard to go about your day-to-day activities, and may make even getting out of bed a challenge. While you should see your doctor to rule out a serious injury or other cause of back pain, there are some simple ways to treat back pain at home.

Treating Back Pain with Rest

The best way to treat back pain is with rest. Some people find that simply resting in a comfortable chair helps; resting your back while taking pressure off of your back is best. You can easily do this by lying on the floor and elevating your legs in a bent position with a chair. Put a pillow under your head and legs for comfort. You can also accomplish this with pillows under your knees. Get up every couple of hours and walk around to aid in circulation, and don’t rest like this for more than a couple of days (if the pain persists for more than a couple of days, you should seek medical help).

Treating Back Pain with Heat and Ice

You can eliminate some of the pain of a back injury with heat and ice. Apply cold first, then use heat. You will want to put ice on your back shortly after injuring your back for about 20 minutes at a time. Be sure to cover the ice pack with a cloth or thin towel to avoid frostbite. You can also make your own ice-pack at home – in a freezer Ziploc type bag, combine equal parts of water and rubbing alcohol and freeze. It will get cold and slushy, but not freeze all the way, which allows the pack to be wrapped around an injury. After the initial injury and pain, you can treat back pain by applying heat from a heating pad to help loosen the muscles in your back.

Treating Back Pain with Pain Relievers

There are many over-the-counter pain relieves that can help relieve back pain. A medication such as aspirin or ibuprofen will help with pain and swelling. These are considered NSAIDS (non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs) and are similar to what a doctor will prescribe for back pain. Many doctors recommend taking these drugs on a regular schedule as directed by the medication packaging. You can also take other medications such as Tylenol and Aleve for pain. As with any medication, if the pain persists after a few days, you should make an appointment with your doctor.