Easy Ways to Prevent and Treat Back Pain

As anyone who's suffered it knows, it sucks to have back pain. But it doesn't have to suck for your wallet. Practice the following tips to relieve your stiff back and neck:

Take a Hot Bath with Epsom Salt.

Add 1-2 cups of epsom salt in a tub of hot water for a luxurious self-spa treat after a long day of work. Epsom salts are cheap and can be bought at any supermarket or drug store. A hot bath will help relieve stiff muscles and probably remove some of the stress that is causing you back pain in the first place.

Make Your Own Massage Tool with Two Tennis Balls and a Long Tube Sock.

Stick two tennis balls in the end of a long tube sock and tie the ends tightly. You can then sandwich the tennis balls between your back and a wall to rub them against your knots, or lie down on the floor with the tennis balls beneath you.

Sleep with More than One Pillow to Support Your Back.

To minimize future back pain, be mindful of how you sleep. You will need one pillow for your head and neck support, and depending on how you sleep, another pillow to support the bottom half of your body.

If you sleep on the side, put a regular-sized pillow or body pillow between your legs. If you sleep on your back, put a small pillow beneath the small of your back. If you sleep on your abdomen, put a small pillow under your pelvis and lower abdomen. (Check out a handy slideshow of these sleeping positions on MayoClinic.com)

Stack Books Beneath Your Laptop so that Your Neck and Head are Level When You Type.

These days, I stack three fat textbooks beneath my laptop so I'm not hunching over the laptop for eight to nine hours a day, and this forces me to maintain a proper posture.

Have Excuses to Break out of Your Sitting Pattern Every at Least 30-60 Minutes.

This is especially if you have an all-day office job in front of your computer. Drink lots of water (which you should be doing anyway) so you have to make frequent trips to the bathroom, and do some stretches while you're at it.

Go on a mini-walk during your lunch break. Practice your social skills and converse with someone who is on the other side of the room. If you work from home, take mini-breaks to take out the trash, water the houseplants, organize another room.