Search the web for lower back pain, and the number of articles and references Google returns is over twenty million. If one was able to cull out the cross links and repeat entries, there would still be enough articles to keep one busy reading for a long while. If you are looking for advice or help with your back pain, this post is not a reference or a source, only an observation from days gone by.
What the more general articles have in common is almost everyone at some point in their life will have back pain from one cause or another. I read that we are prone to back pain because our spine is still in a form made for walking on four legs, and we have not evolved to a spine structure more suitable for standing and moving on two legs.
Unlike hurting your finger, hand, or arm, our back comprises is a major portion of our body trunk, going from bone to skull, it is a pretty hard to ignore when it hurts. If a hand or arm becomes injured, we can compensate by having our bodies opposite part do dual duty. While it is awkward to have to use your other hand, it can be done.
When back pain happens there is no opposite body part to use. No matter the movement or action, any major motion uses our back. It is not so common these days before there was so many products available to buy, almost every household had some basic equipment that would be pulled out and used when back pain happened to someone in the family.
The venerable hot water bottle was present in almost every home because of its many uses, helping with pain relief being only one of them. The rubber bottle could be filled with hot water, or ice and water depending on the moment and what was most effective.
A second item that was dragged out from time to time for various problems was a simple wooden cane or walking stick. Canes are used to redistribute body weight from a side in pain to the healthier other side. Canes also were usable for reaching, hooking, or pushing, and were an extension of an arm in a simple manner.
The third item every home had was a basic wooden chair. The chair was never fancy, and always had more than one function. The chair did double or triple duty in the basement, garage, or anywhere in the home where seating was needed. When required a chair would also pull double duty as a bedside companion. A chair served as a place to put water, medicine, food, books, or anything else one needed who was confined to bed for any length of time.
Often when back pain is present, the range of motion in your legs becomes limited. Moving your legs in what would be a forward and backward motion when standing becomes painful or impossible when moving more than a few inches in either direction. Because leg movement is hindered, leg and overall body strength limited by pain of moving. Movements that were used to get in or out of bed may now cause pain.
When it comes to back pain and beds, chairs were played a very important role. Beds by their nature are soft and have a flexible surface by design. For someone experiencing back or other pain, the chair came in handy. The chair was used as a go between between being actually in bed and standing. One would sit on the chair, and from there would either slide onto the bed, or use the solid build of the chair to assist in helping oneself to a standing position after sliding on the chair from the bed.
Always ask your doctor for advice for your particular situation, What helps in general may not be good in you and your particular situation. These simple items that every home should have may make simple struggles with back pain more manageable. When I was a child I thought they were silly useless items to have around the house, but like any tool or item, when you need it, you need it now.
