For your back

2.

After the bath, apply a good sport massage cream in the affected area. There are many options on the market but we always use Physiorelax. Made with natural oils and free of parabens, it contains arnica and other natural ingredients, and isn’t tested on animals. It definitely works, as tested on ourselves and many of our clients. The only but is that it is a Spanish brand, so it is harder to get hold of, as they only do national deliveries through their website. You could always use this as an excuse to visit Spain! If you cannot get hold of Physiorelax, another easier to obtain cream that we like is Kneipp arnica joint and muscle intensive cream.

If your pain is very intense, a good Ibuprofen anti-inflammatory gel like Advil can help, but keep in mind its listed contraindications.

4.

Most important of all is to breathe deeply in to the belly. Our friend, chiropractor guru Gitte Tonner insists on learning how to breathe properly to help prevent lower back pain. The simple movement of the breath in the belly assists the blood circulation in the area, and blood flow means healing.

6.

We also roll our backs on our foam roller, as you will see in our Yoga Therapy set for lower back pain. You have to be careful how you use these tools. As with the trigger point massage ball, we learned how best to use the foam roller from Judith Lasater at her experiential anatomy workshop in London, an invaluable experience for which we will always be thankful.

8.

After a relaxing stretch set, keep your back warm for the rest of the day with a stick-on heat patch. We like Voltaren heatpatches, available in most pharmacies, but there are many other brands. Self-heated patches contain iron powder and activated charcoal, which produce heat in a natural way. They can be used even when pregnant but are not recommended for continuous and prolonged periods of time; just read the instructions and enjoy the soothing effect of a warm relaxed back for up to 8 hours.