Did you know that 1 in every 4 Americans has back problems? If you are within this 25% group then you will know only too well just how much of a bother this can be, especially as you never really know when it is going to flare up.

I have been struggling with back pain for years, ever since I slipped a disc trying to ski, badly. The most frustrating thing for me is that there is no warning before my back goes out and it usually happens at the worst possible times. I could be loading the car up for a trip, playing with the kids on the beach or at the very cusp of starting a new job and bang, that old pain comes back.

It is for this reason that I ensure I have certain items in the house which are beneficial and vitally important, and I’d recommend that you do the same.

Brace

When your back first goes out the best thing that you can do is to put a brace on right away, it will hurt a bit but it will help you to keep the inflammation down ever so slightly and that is going to help you to get back on your feet again. I have a very simple brace and it just keeps things in place whilst I find a comfortable position to lie down.

Grabber

You may laugh but I wouldn’t be able to survive a bout of back pain without a grabber, those litter pickers that you see, they are a gift from God himself. Bending over or reaching is going to be out of the question and if you have a husband or wife like mine, their sympathy levels aren’t going to be strong enough to get you round the clock care. The grabber however is ever dependable and you can use it to pick things up, close and open drawers, doors and curtains, and it really is going to save you a lot of pain.

Hot and Cold

There are some compresses which you can get that can be hot or cold and I bought two so that I would be able to best help myself when things got bad. Having done quite a bit of research I have found that sometimes it is worth letting the inflammation occur in your back, as this will help the healing process in the long term. There is a level of inflammation which you shouldn’t allow however and that is when it is time to get the ice on. I use ice to bring the swelling down, and then I hit the lower back with the heat pad which really helps to soothe the pain and give me some flexibility back in the muscles.

The key is to take action as soon as your back goes out and in my view you should only wait until you are in agony to take tablets. If you take pain relief then you run the risk of thinking that you are better when you are not, and that can lead to further damage.