Category Archives: Self Help

Ice Can Help Get Rid Of Back Pain Due To Arthritis Or Bursitis

October 4 Kathryn Merrow Leave a comment

Cold packs can reduce inflammation and help with back pain and discomfort.

“If it’s very painful, I sometimes tell patients to ice four or five times daily for about 10 to 15 minutes,” says Amy Humphrey, DPT, a physical therapist at Body Dynamics, Inc. in Arlington, Va.

A cold pack is easy to use at home. And if you don’t have one a package of frozen peas works just fine.

Here’s how to use an ice pack:

Wrap a thin towel around it so you don’t burn your skin and put it where you feel the pain. If you use the cold pack over your clothes you probably won’t need the towel.

If your cold pack doesn’t cover the whole area you can re-chill it and move it to a different part of your back.

When the area starts to feel numb you are done. Remove the cold pack from that area to prevent damage to your tissues.

Ice is a wonderful tool to help get rid of pain in your back naturally.

Lower Back Pain, Self Help

Intense Pain in Lower Back and Legs–Natural Pain Relief

January 29 Kathryn Merrow Leave a comment

Cool message I just got from a man who was complaining about intense lower back and leg pain just a few days ago:

“God Bless You Kathryn Merrow. 90% better already. I was in pain for 2 months and you solved it in one night. 2 visits to the ER, sonograms on my legs, and still the “Doctors” couldn’t solve it.
A blanket under one cushion, some flexing and a little massaging was all it took. I’m simply AMAZED. Thank You, Thank You,Thank You. I say 90% because I’m still a little sore but all is well. I can sleep again. ” – Jimmy

Look at his words. He went to the Emergency Room in desperation. They gave him some serious-sounding potential diagnoses.

The important thing to know is that I didn’t see him in person! But I listened well and he asked one good key question that gave me more insight. I explained what was happening and how to correct it. He listened and followed the suggestions I gave to him. He makes it sound easy and, basically, it was. Just had to understand what was going on to cause his pain and steps to make it better.

He asked me how long it would take until he started to feel better. I told him within several days but it was just a few.

Because bodies are logical (almost everyone has the same symptoms for similar reasons) they can heal when you just understand what’s happening and what to do to fix it.

I don’t know everything and I’m not a doctor but, as a manual therapist who specializes in pain relief from symptoms based on soft-tissue dysfunctions, I’m a pretty good “assessor.”

And, I’m available for long-distance consultations for a reasonable hourly fee.

I always want to say, “just easy monthly payments,” but sometimes one consultation is all it takes.

Natural Back Pain Relief, Self Help, Upper Back Muscle Knots

Movement Helps Back Pain Go Away and Stay Away

February 6 Kathryn Merrow 4 Comments

What kind of movement will help your back pain go away and stay away?

Well, here’s the deal. We have several hundred muscles and most of us use only the same sixty or seventy all the time. That gets us out of muscular balance.

So, mix things up! Wake up the muscles that you haven’t been using. Stretch the muscles in front. Most of us have muscles in front that are way too tight and short. That causes back pain.

Strengthen the back muscles. Most of us have weak backs and we collapse forward. Make those back muscles strong again.

If you take on a program of movement that is too far different from your usual activity, you will be sore tomorrow.

Start gradually.
Move thoughtfully.
Pay attention to what feels tight.
Look in the mirror to check your posture. (You used to have great posture when you were little!)

Even simple, subtle movement will help your back muscles start to feel better.

A weak back can develop muscle “knots” and make your life miserable.

Did you know that even walking can help strengthen and normalize your back muscles? How? Because your legs are attached to your back!

If you feel the problem is a weak back, there is a program designed to help you get rid of those knots and muscle spasms in your upper back. I’ve included lots of movements in it to help you get rid of that achy upper back, for good!

Click here to learn more: Knots In Your Back.

Causes of Back Pain, Natural Back Pain Relief, Self Help

Does Your Car Seat Cause Your Back Pain?

October 11 Kathryn Merrow 4 Comments

Does your back hurt more when you drive? Do your neck, back or even hands start to hurt when driving? Does your car seat give you a pain in the neck?

It’s not a surprise to me because I’ve sat in lots and lots of car seats and I don’t like ’em.

Some designers seem to think that car seats are for lounging. C’mon now.

Drivers are supposed to be alert and able to see the road. I’d like to be supported rather than reclined. It’s not a movie theater.

1. Lumbar support. Sometimes car seats don’t have anything to support your lower back while you are reclin…I mean, driving. If you don’t have a lumbar support you can create one easily and cheaply. Fold a hand towel into quarters or eighths or whatever thickness fits between you and your car seat. It goes behind your waist.

If you have access to a small baby pillow or a batt of fiberfill that will work, too. You might even find a nicely shaped lumbar support at the dollar store. When I found a bin of them at a dollar store I bought several. Those are some of the best dollars I have ever spent!

2. Sometimes car seats recline so much that your head is forced to jut forward. That strains upper back and neck muscles. If you can put your seat into a more upright position that will help.

If you cannot adjust the seat to be more upright, pad the back of the seat. You can pull a t-shirt over the seat and place padding behind it. The t-shirt will help the padding stay in place.

3. Lots of headrests stick out too far. All I can figure is that the designers are trying to support the heads of people who are really dysfunctional and are ignoring the folks with nice, neutral, straight posture.

It’s really annoying for someone with nice posture to sit in those cars; they cause head and neck pain and knots in your upper back in short order. What can you do if your headrest sticks out too far? Well, you could throw it out the window like one older gentleman told me. Or you could just pad up the seat back so your whole body will move forward.

And in some cars adding a lumbar pillow or support like we talked about above can move you forward just enough so the headrest won’t bug you as much.

So your back pain might not be your fault. If you hurt when you drive it could well be your seat. If your car seat isn’t comfortable for you, give yourself some props, cushions or supports. Create your own custom seat so you can drive without back pain.

Here’s another idea: Sometimes use the lumbar support and sometimes don’t. Or use differently sized back supports. Switch it up so you keep flexing your muscles and spine in different ways. That will keep things flexible.

We like flexible, relaxed backs. They don’t have pain.

Causes of Back Pain, Natural Back Pain Relief, Self Help

How Stress Causes Back Pain and How to Get Rid of Stress-Induced Pain

September 11 Kathryn Merrow Leave a comment

Do you really mean it when you say that someone gives you ‘a pain in the back’? If they cause a lot of stress for you, that could be exactly what’s happening.

We tend to use words that describe how we feel. Getting a pain in the back, the neck, the rear–those are all real feelings that can turn into real honest-to-goodness pain.

Stressful emotions can cause back pain. Here’s how:

Think of a stressful situation or person for a moment.

What happens to your body when you feel stressed? Some part gets tight. Muscles get tense.

Is it your jaw? Your upper shoulders? Or, do the muscles in your lower back tighten up?

How can you get rid of the pain in your back naturally?

Meditation can help. When you learn to meditate you become an observer. Things are not so stressful because you just let them happen without emotional involvement.
Breathing can help. Deep, even breathing settles down bodies.
Exercise helps. We were born to move! When we stop moving, stress builds up. You need active movement! Choose something you enjoy and JUST DO IT!

This may seem very simplistic. In fact, way too simple especially if you have a lot of pain. But here’s the deal:

Bodies heal all the time.

The more help you, yourself, can give your body the quicker Continue reading How Stress Causes Back Pain and How to Get Rid of Stress-Induced Pain →

Causes of Back Pain, Natural Back Pain Relief, Self Help, Upper Back Muscle Knots

What Is The Most Common Cause Of Back Pain?

August 30 Kathryn Merrow Leave a comment

What is the most common cause of back pain that you wouldn’t normally think of?

We expect to have back pain when we work our muscles too hard but what else could make your back hurt?

Here are three causes you might not have thought about:

The most common cause of back pain is under-use of muscles!

This happens when you spend too much time sitting. We were built to move–to walk, swing from trees and all the things we don’t do much anymore. We are supposed to use ALL of our muscles but we mostly use just SOME of them.

That makes muscles unhappy so they get knots and they complain. Weak muscles are easily overstretched and that is a common reason for muscle pain in your back.

Poor nutrition causes muscle pain in your back. Muscles need minerals to function well and a lot of the things we eat don’t supply all of the nutrients that used to be in (real) food. (<–click to article.) Worse yet, some of the things we eat actually deplete our bodies of necessary vitamins. Yikes!

Poor posture causes back pain, too. Poor posture is often caused by poor habits–slouching, leaning to one side, sitting with your head way forward, ‘forgetting’ to stretch. If you have the feeling that you are curling forward it’s time to stretch. Get your arms up and back, (<– click to article.) squeeze your shoulder blades to your spine, lift your chin.

You may have noticed that all of the most common causes of back pain are things that can easily be fixed. But you have to take action!

Take control of your posture and nutrition, get moving and USE your body and you can get rid of the most common causes of pain in your back. 🙂

I created a program to help people get rid of the nasty muscle knots in their upper back but it actually has solutions to all of these causes of “plain old back pain,” too.

Just click the link –> to learn more about Knots In Your Back Gone!

Causes of Back Pain, Self Help, Upper Back Pain

Muscles In The Front Of Your Body Cause Muscle Pain In The Back Of Your Body

August 23 Kathryn Merrow 2 Comments

Muscles in the front of your body can cause pain in your neck and back. It’s true!

Sometimes pain in your back is caused simply because tight muscles in the front of your body are pulling and causing strain and stress in your back muscles.

Sometimes the tight muscles in front cause trigger points. Trigger points are crabby areas of muscle that cause pain elsewhere.

By massaging, rubbing or pinching the following muscle groups you can help the muscles relax. You might also be able to knock out any trigger points that are causing your back pain. 🙂

Chest muscles can cause back pain.

This link will take you to an article with more information about stretching your chest muscles.

http://simplepainrelief.com/2012/08/19/a-good-stretch-for-neck-and-upper-back-pain/

Rib muscles can cause back pain.

The good thing about the rib muscles in the front and sides is that you can reach them yourself to rub and massage them. Pinch them if you can and lift them. Roll tender areas of muscle and skin between your fingers.

Abdominal muscles can also cause back pain.

You can also massage, pinch, lift and roll the muscles on the upper abdomen. You want to pick up muscle, not just skin. If you lean forward a bit it will be easier to pinch the muscles. This is much easier to do if you don’t carry too much weight in your abdomen.

When you find tender areas, those are the muscles and tissue to focus on. Spend more time massaging tender areas than places that don’t have discomfort.

You may discover some very, very uncomfortable tissues in the front of your body.

And if you pay attention you may also find that your back feels a bit looser and more happy after you treat and relax the muscles in the front of your body.

You could also notice the next day that you feel a little tender or bruised where you were treating. That’s a perfectly normal reaction that happens when tight tissues are manipulated.

Drinking extra water (and lots of it!) can help prevent a lot of the tenderness following ‘deep tissue massage.’

We want to have long, relaxed front muscles. By helping the muscles in the front of your body relax you will prevent muscle strain in your back.

If you’re suffering with “knots” or muscle spasms in your upper back, you may like to check out this page: Knots In Your Back. It will tell you all about a simple program I created to help people just like you (and me) get rid of our knots forever!

P.S. I don’t have knots any more. 🙂

Self Help, Upper Back Muscle Knots, Upper Back Pain

How To Keep Muscle Knots In Your Upper Back From Coming Back

August 10 Kathryn Merrow 4 Comments

Here’s a good question I received about muscle knots in your upper back:

I am a student and find my self working in forward head posture every day. My goal is to get rid of my knots and once I get rid of them I was wondering what i can do to keep them at bay? I don’t have the option of changing what I do or my future career.

Many careers involve forward head positions and working with hands stretched out in front of your body. That posture makes upper back muscles very unhappy.

The good news is those muscles can be happy again!

Once the knots are gone here’s what you can do now and forever to keep those miserable muscle spasms from coming back:

Here’s how in a nutshell:

Strengthen your back muscles. It doesn’t have to be a hard workout; it just has to help you get a stronger back.

One way to do this is to squeeze your shoulder blades toward your spine. Be sure to have your head over your body rather than “out in front” when you do this. Laying flat on your back in bed makes it easier.

Actually you need to strengthen ALL the muscles from your knees to your skull on the back side of your body.

When the muscles in back are strong, they can ‘hold their own’ against daily working postures. That avoids pain!

I created a program just to help you get rid of your upper back pain forever.

It will even teach you how to get a strong back easily–in bed!

Check it out but in the meantime…

Take lots of breaks to stretch up and back, up and back.
Lift your breastbone and the crown of your head to the sky.
Eat healthy foods to support your muscles. Well-nourished muscles function better.
Drink plenty of water. Muscles that are well-hydrated function much better.

Having a strong back helps a TON and stretching the muscles in front of your arms and chest and abdomen also helps keep the nasty muscle knots in your back from coming back.

If you want to know more about this simple, easy, self-help course that I created just to help people like you get rid of the muscle pain in their upper back, please just click here: Knots In Your Back

Natural Back Pain Relief, Self Help

Ten Secrets For Natural Back Pain Relief

August 3 Kathryn Merrow 2 Comments

Here are Ten Simple Natural Pain Relief “Secrets” for Pain In Your Back:

1. Be responsible for your own wellness. No one cares about your pain as much as you do. You might have to do your own research and make decisions to take action or change behaviors.

2. Take good care of your body: Feed it wholesome foods and avoid fake foods and additives. Highly processed food has all of the nutrition stripped away. Sure, sometimes some stuff is added back in but don’t be fooled–most of the good stuff is gone. Also, chemicals are added which bodies do NOT like. Muscles need minerals to function well so consider taking a multi-vitamin/mineral supplement.

3. Reduce your stress. Yoga, meditation, deep breathing, walking, stretching or other exercise can all help.

4. Improve your posture. In a nutshell, strengthen the muscles in the back of your body from your knees up and lengthen the muscles in the front of your body and calves.

5. Stretch in the correct directions. Usually the muscles that need stretching are in the front of your body and the ones that complain are in the back.

6. Breathe deeply. Breathing deeply moves your ribs and muscles are attached to your ribs so it helps them relax.

7. Get enough sleep. And sleep in a position that doesn’t aggravate your back.

8. Drink sufficient water. When your muscles are well-hydrated they will function better.

9. Become knowledgeable about your body and the causes of your pain and know this: Back pain symptoms lie all the time. Just because it hurts ‘there‘ doesn’t mean the problem is ‘there.’

10.Do what you need to do to become pain-free, naturally. Educate yourself and take action.

There you have it: Ten “secrets” for getting rid of your back pain naturally. 🙂

And here’s another tip:

Because you’re here, I’m betting there’s a good chance that you just might have miserable knots in your upper back muscles. If you do, and you want them gone, just click this link.

Self Help

You Can Get Rid Of The Knots In Your Upper Back Naturally

July 19 Kathryn Merrow Leave a comment

Louise contacted me because she had muscle spasms in her upper back.

Here is the response I got from Louise when I asked her if she had success getting rid of the muscle ‘knots’ in her upper back after we talked. You will discover the age of this vibrant woman in the last sentence of her message. 🙂

Yes, I am much improved and I did it myself through massage and exercise. I have found lifting the rib cage when I take my mile walk helpful.

I do a 15 minute weight program using 4 lb. weights 4 times a week. Every morning before getting out of bed I do a stretch routine I take a baby aspirin at bedtime and no more than twice a week I take one not two Aleves.

I am very careful about medication. I entertain a great deal and play golf, bridge and I am in a book club but I am finding I am having to rest more.

The doctor tells me it could be because I am 87 year old. Thanks for checking on me. Louise

Here’s what I wrote back to Louise:

Good job! I wish more people would be as proactive as you are. 🙂

Lifting the rib cage is always helpful. I do it all day long. Gravity sure does like to pull on us!

I am happy to hear you are so active. That’s what’s keeping you young.

If you are not taking a good vitamin-mineral supplement you might consider doing that. Some folks say we can get all we need from a good diet but the description of ‘good diet’ varies widely.

Louise, I am going to turn your email into an article to show people how they can take care of themselves because I love sharing good healing stories like yours. 🙂

Keep taking good care of you,

Kathryn
The Pain Relief Coach

You can discover more about what Louise did and how to get rid of your own muscle knots forever at Knots In Your Back Gone!

SIMPLE BACK PAIN RELIEF