It's chilly outside. The cold is aggravating your low back pain. What can you do?

Here are some tips to counteract the winter blues.

Groundhog Day is here. Whether Mr. Groundhog saw his shadow or not, you can feel in your bones that there is going to be at least six more weeks of winter. What can you do?

Pull up your space heater and let’s talk.

In winter, we tend to want to stay inside. We ache, we’re cold, and we just want to huddle under our covers and do nothing until it’s warm. It’s February, it’s been cold forever, and we are starting to feel that maybe bears have the right idea. Let’s hibernate till it’s all over.

Hibernation is not a good solution. Have you ever seen a bear at the end of winter? They’re skinny and mean.

Doing nothing is not a good plan. It may feel cozy and comfortable to stay home huddled under the warmth of your blankets, but staying inactive can often make your low back pain worse.

Why?

The reason has to do with focus. When we stay in one place we tend to get both physically and mentally fixated. In other words, lack of movement may make our low back pain worse because we stiffen. Mentally we may feel pain more because we don’t have any distractions. Our sleep may suffer because we aren’t active either mentally or physically. Unlike bears, we can’t hibernate.

The solution--simple exercise.

Simple exercise can take our mind off our pain and make us feel better. If it’s sunny outside and there is no ice, go for a walk. Even if you only go as far as the end of the block and back, you’ll find the change in perspective refreshing. If the weather isn’t good, do some light stretching. The important thing is to do something.

Of course, if your low back pain has become more acute, contact your doctor before you do any exercise.

Don’t let the groundhog turn you into a bear. Make your spring come early.

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