Yes, depending on the cause of your lower back pain, a hot tub can help you get some relief. In fact, there are several types of heating that can give you temporary relief. However, if there's an underlying injury causing your pain, it will always come back.
In this post, we're going to look at the causes of low back pain. We're going to discuss how heat (like from a hot tub) can provide temporary relief, and how chiropractic care can provide permanent relief.
According to the American Physical Therapists Association, lower back pain is the primary disease that keeps adults from working or functioning normally. Even if you have an active lifestyle, it can be challenging to avoid back pain as we age.
Causes of Lower Back Pain
Several different factors can cause lower back pain. One of the most common reasons why people experience lower back pain is because they have poor posture. When you slouch and fail to engage your core muscles, your spine is at risk of experiencing pain and discomfort.
Here are a few other causes of low back pain:
- Diet: Recent studies have shown that a lot of people in the Western world do not consume enough fruits and vegetables. These healthy foods are packed with vitamins and minerals that are essential for keeping your body healthy and pain-free. In addition, being overweight can lead to lower back pain.
- Stress: If you suffer from chronic stress, your lower back may feel the effects. Stress is a normal part of life, but too much of it can have negative impacts on your health. It can lead to lower back pain because it can negatively impact your posture and cause you to use muscles you may not normally use.
- Injury: You might be suffering low back pain because of an injury, even an old injury that you've long forgotten about. Pinched nerves, disc problems, and a host of other injuries can cause chronic pain in your lower back. This is where we should note that something like a hot tub will provide temporary relief but won't solve the problem itself.
- Disease: Conditions like degenerative disc disease arise as you age. It's important to be evaluated by a chiropractor because you could be mistaking a serious disease for everyday wear and tear on your back.
Okay, now that we know what might be causing your back pain, let's talk about some ways to temporarily relieve that pain.
Hot Tubs (and Other Heat) to Help Low Back Pain
Using heat and ice to treat pain has been a popular idea for a very long time. Heat can help in the healing process by opening blood vessels, improving blood flow and loosening muscle tension. Here are a few popular ways people use heat to treat back pain:
- Hot Tub: When you soak in a hot tub, the water is heated to about 104 degrees Fahrenheit. At this temperature, the water works like a balm and penetrates your skin to relax your muscles and promote blood flow.
- Steam Rooms & Saunas: In a steam room, moist heat loosens the muscles and improves blood flow much in the same way as a hot tub. Saunas provide the same benefit but with dry heat.
- Warm Compress: This is the most convenient option for getting heat on sore muscles. Many people microwave corn bags and use this to relieve muscle pain.
Again, there's a catch. You may get temporary pain relief from applying heat. But if there's an injury or other condition that's causing your lower back pain, it won't last. You can spend hours upon hours in a hot tub and still deal with chronic pain your entire life.
That's where a chiropractor comes in.
Chiropractic Treatment for Lower Back Pain
Chiropractic is a safe and proven treatment to relieve neck and back pain. Too many people believe myths about chiropractors being unsafe or ineffective. The truth is that chiropractic is your best shot at figuring out the cause of your pain and relieving it.
Here are a few ways that a chiropractor can help you relieve your lower back pain:
- Chiropractic Adjustments: Much of your lower back pain may be caused by the misalignment of your spine. A chiropractor can gently adjust the position of your spine, gradually moving it back in line. This allows your body to heal naturally.
- Therapeutic Massage: We often use this alongside adjustments. Massage therapy relieves muscle tension and pain by targeting places where your muscles are tight.
- Stretching and exercise: A chiropractor will give you a personal treatment plan with exercises and stretching designed to target your lower back pain and give you more lasting relief.
- Lifestyle recommendations: Stress, diet, and posture often lead to back pain. A chiropractor can provide recommendations to change the way you're living and avoid pain.
Use the Hot Tub, but Get Long-Lasting Pain Relief
So there you have it. Are hot tubs good for lower back pain? Yes. However, they're not the definitive treatment you need. If you live in the Denver area, contact Greenwood Village Spine, Injury, and Chiropractic to get evaluated and start feeling better after your first visit.