Believe it or not, lying in bed for too long after a back injury can make the problem much worse.
Staying in bed won’t help you get better faster.
If you’re in terrible pain, lying down for a day to help ease the distress may seem like a good idea, but moderating your activities and staying active in a limited way is a more effective way to control your symptoms. Research suggests that if you can find comfortable positions and keep moving, you may not need bed rest at all.
Research shows that:
- Lying down longer than a day or two day isn’t helpful for relieving back pain.
- People can recover more quickly without any bed rest.
- The sooner you start moving, even a little bit, or return to activities such as walking, the faster you are likely to improve.
Long bed rest can lead to slower recovery.
Staying in bed for any prolonged period can make you stiff and increase pain. When you don’t move and bend, you lose muscle strength and flexibility. With bed rest, you lose about 1 percent of your muscle strength each day.
If you’re not sure what your next starts are, contact your PCP and ask for a referral to Physical Therapy ~ we’re here to help! (936) 597-5323