Yes it’s awful. Yes it can render you useless. Yes it can ruin your day. Yes. It’s called back pain.

Most of us think that back pain relief can be easily achieved because of the medical and technological advancements that have been achieved in the past couple of decades. But the fact is that, with all the treatments and cures available today, making a decision on which pain relief method to use or follow just made life a little harder. To make it easier for you to decide, here are five easy to do back pain relief tips:

1. Do the Lazy S – Sleeping in an awkward position can cause back pain. And the best position to ensure that you’re not going to wake up with an aching back is to sleep in the Lazy S position. To do this, you should support your head and upper neck with a pillow, and put another one under your knees. When we lie straight on our beds, we tend to make the hamstring muscles pull and put pressure on our lower back. By sleeping in a Lazy S position, the knees are kept bent, putting less pressure on the hamstrings. This keeps the lower back well relaxed.

2. Keep a pillow between your knees – Some people prefer sleeping in a fetal position. If you’re the type who sleeps like your still in your mother’s womb, then remember to stick a pillow between your knees. The pillow in between serves as a stopper that limits your leg from sliding forward and rotating your hips which, in turn, puts pressure on your back.

3. Willow bark capsules – Taking willow bark capsules after each meal can serve as your back pain relief. Willow bark is a natural salicylate – the same ingredient that gives aspirin its anti-inflammatory effect. This works well on mild to moderate back pain. A bit of warning though: if you’re someone who suffers from ulcers and heartburn – do not use willow bark.

4. Learn Tai chi – Tai chi is made up of slow and fluid movements that loosen up tight muscles. It also includes a series of breathing exercises that improve blood circulation.

5. Invest in a modern water bed – If you have cash to spare, then investing in an adjustable water bed that does not make a lot of waves is a nice choice. These modern water beds give you an equalized pressure on different parts of your body which prevents forced muscle movements.

Following these five back pain relief tips, you can say good-bye to your aching back!