No matter the age, back pain is one of the most common reasons people go to the doctor or miss out on important engagements like work, social events, or running errands. The likelihood of someone experiencing back pain increases as the person gets older, so it’s likely your elderly parent may have suffered from some back pain in his life. While it can usually be taken care of at home with some care and rest, sometimes back pain can become chronic, especially in the elderly. If your parent has been complaining about an aching back to you or their home care provider, you might need to look into some more in-depth treatment for chronic pain.

Before you begin a treatment plan, you might want to look at some of the factors that can cause back pain, whether it’s acute or chronic pain. When you review these risks, you might find you and your aging parent can either reduce or eliminate the back pain he or she has been experiencing simply by addressing the risk issues that are causing pain.

• Age. Like many parts of the body, the back may have pain caused by years of misuse or the spine beginning to deteriorate. While it’s not inevitable that increased age equals increased back pain, your parent may need to look at how he needs to adjust his daily activities to reduce the pain.
• Weight. Excess weight can strain back muscles. Having your home care provider help create healthy meals and snacks for your parent could help him keep his weight down.
• Lack of Exercise. Like the rest of their body, those back muscles need to stay in shape. Regular, low-impact activities are best for a back that is prone to back pain. Two of the best exercises that don’t cause too much jarring are swimming and walking. Your home care provider can bring your parent to outside walking tracks (when the weather permits) or a swimming pool if he needs transportation. She can also walk with your parent providing company as well as supervision for longer walks.
• Diseases. Some diseases such as cancer or arthritis can contribute to chronic back pain. You will want to work directly with your parent’s physician regarding the best means to managing this back pain. His doctor may have medications or treatments to help your parent manage the pain.
• Improper Lifting. If your parent is using his back to lift up the laundry or garbage, he might be causing chronic pain each time he performs the chore. Spend some time with your parent reviewing the proper way to life objects – using his legs instead of his back – to prevent injuring it and causing pain. If items have become too heavy for your parent to lift anymore, now might be a good time to ask someone like a family member or your home care provider to start assisting with that task.

If your parent’s back pain does not improve within a few weeks, seek out help from his or her doctor to determine other possible causes as well as solutions.

Source: https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/back-pain/symptoms-causes/syc-20369906

If You Or An Aging Loved One Are Considering Hiring Home Care in Seminole, FL, Please Contact The Caring Staff At Assisting Hands Home Care Today! 727-748-4211.