Low back pain does not need to stop you from doing the things you want to do. Optimising your physical and mental health is an important part of helping you to manage low back pain.

There is now very strong evidence that keeping active and maintaining, or gradually returning to, usual activities is helpful when you have low back pain. We now know that people with low back pain who remain active, even when in some pain, do better in the long-term.

Participating in social activities that you enjoy, maintaining healthy sleep habits and good nutrition, reducing stress, and quitting smoking are other helpful things to do to support your low back pain care.

Finding ways to put you in control of your pain can help – keep reading below for more information.

Being active is important for health and wellbeing, including when you have low back pain.

Doing regular weight-bearing activities, like going for a walk, helps your tissues repair and get stronger. It keeps your muscles strong, improves balance and coordination, and helps you feel more confident to do things you enjoy. Moving your body every day can lead to a healthier life.

Unfortunately, when we have low back pain, we often change the way we move and do fewer activities. Over time, this can make us feel worse.

Staying active is the most effective treatment for low back pain. It doesn't matter what you do, as long as you do something – so pick an activity you enjoy and gradually get moving. Start with small changes and slowly do more over time. This is called activity pacing. Remember, you don't need to be completely pain free to move - you just need to make a start. Even small movements can make a big difference.

To learn more about why movement is important and how to pace your activities, check out these resources:

Living with low back pain can be difficult. It can affect your relationships, what you do at home or work, and stop you from doing the things you enjoy. This can leave you feeling sad, depressed, anxious, or scared.

Listening to your emotions is important. Pain is more than just an unpleasant physical sensation; it also involves how you think and feel. When you are feeling upset, it can make your pain worse.

Emotional distress changes the chemicals that are released from your brain and increases the tension in your muscles. It can also impact the activities you choose to do, which can change how your muscles feel and move. It can direct your attention either towards or away from the pain, and, together with your beliefs and attitudes about pain, guides your choice of coping strategies. This all means that your mood can help, or hinder, your pain management.

Here are some things you can do to help manage your feelings about pain, which can also help with the pain itself:

  • Learn relaxation strategies.
  • Understand how pain and emotions are connected.
  • Think about how your thoughts affect the way you understand and respond to pain – experiment with ways to think and respond differently.
  • Talk about how you feel with people you trust.
  • Get back to doing daily activities and things you enjoy.

If you’re struggling with the impact that low back pain is having on your mood and life, a psychologist may help you find ways to cope differently. Talk to your General Practitioner about referral options.

For more information about emotions and pain management, visit:

If you’re feeling distressed and want some help, contact:

What and how we eat is important for managing pain.

Pain is linked with inflammation, poor gut health, and many chronic health conditions (e.g. mental ill-health, digestive issues, heart disease and diabetes).

The good news is that eating and drinking well can help you stay well, improve your mood, and reduce pain.

Here are some key nutrition tips and helpful resources:

Eat a rainbow of fruits and vegetables

  • Eating a variety of fruits and vegetables helps to reduce inflammation in our bodies.
    Start small
  • Start with small amounts and gradually add more. Every little bit helps!

Easy options

  • Try frozen or tinned fruits and vegetables. Prepare them when you feel well or have less pain. Remember, legumes (like beans and lentils) count too.

Daily check

  • How many different colours of fruits and vegetables do you eat in a day?

Have quality protein at most meals and snacks

  • Most people get enough protein from food.
  • Protein helps to build strength and keep our bodies strong.

Easy options

  • Snack on nuts, seeds, yoghurt, or cheese. Add legumes (like beans and lentils) to pasta sauces or stews. You can add boiled eggs to your meals or enjoy one as a tasty snack.

Daily check

  • Do you eat lean, quality protein every day? Some examples are lean meat, chicken, eggs, and vegetarian options (like beans and lentils).
  • Do you eat fish or seafood every week?

Eat small amounts of healthy fats every day

  • Eating a small amount of healthy fats helps reduce inflammation in our bodies.

Easy options

  • Swap cooking oil for olive oil. Try to eat a small handful of nuts or nut butter each day. Eating fish 1 to 3 times a week is great too. This includes tinned fish and fresh fish.

Daily check

  • Do you eat healthy fats every day? Some examples are avocado, olive oil, nuts, seeds, and oily fish like salmon, tuna, and sardines.

Choose wholegrain and high fibre carbohydrates

  • They give us long-lasting energy and help keep our gut healthy.

Easy options

  • Swap white bread, pasta, and rice for wholemeal or wholegrain versions. Don’t peel your fruits and vegetables; the skin is good for you! Add legumes (like beans and lentils) to your meals and snack on wholegrain crackers or unflavoured, plain popcorn.

Daily check

  • Do you mostly eat wholemeal or wholegrain foods?

Drink mostly water

  • Not drinking enough water can make pain worse.

Easy options

  • Always keep a water bottle with you. Add a squeeze of lemon or some frozen fruit for flavour. If you drink a lot of juice, soft drink, or tea and coffee, try swapping one of those each day for a glass of water.

Daily check

  • Do you mostly drink water, unsweetened tea, or sugar-free drinks?

The information above is general. There are many reasons why it can be hard to eat and drink well. It might be physically painful to shop and prepare food, or hard to find the time to do those jobs. Sometimes, meal preparation can feel overwhelming. Cost of living pressures and where you live can also limit what groceries you can buy. Food intolerances can impact how you feel within yourself and what foods you can buy or prepare.

If you want to learn more about nutrition or create a personal eating plan, talk to your General Practitioner about being referred to a dietician.

Want to learn more? You might like to check out these resources:

Sleep helps our bodies heal and restore. It makes us less sensitive to pain and helps our tissues repair and renew. Good sleep supports our memory, learning, and problem-solving skills. It also helps control our emotions, mood, and overall mental wellbeing.

Getting a good night’s sleep can be hard, especially when you have pain. You might find it difficult to get comfortable or you might feel like you can’t ‘shut down’ because you’re worried about something. Other times you might think you’ve slept well, but you still feel tired when you wake up.

Here are some simple things you can try to improve your sleep:

  • Keep a regular sleep routine: go to bed and wake up at the same time each day.
  • Do some relaxation before bed.
  • Limit drinks with caffeine and avoid smoking and alcohol.
  • Do some exercise and move your body during the day. Gentle movement can help, even if you feel some pain. However, if you struggle to get to sleep, it’s best to avoid intense exercise right before bed.
  • Keep daytime naps short.
  • Limit TV or screen time before bed (keep it under 2 hours).

If you are struggling to get a good night’s sleep, ask your General Practitioner for advice.

Want to know more? Check out these resources:

Medicines can help with low back pain, but they won’t usually make it go away completely. They can give you some short-term relief, which makes it easier to move and do daily tasks, but they aren’t usually a long-term solution.

To learn more, visit the medicines and low back pain page.

Both smoking and vaping can increase low back pain. Smoking reduces blood flow to the spine, impairing the healing of tissues and increasing inflammation. Similarly, vaping may introduce harmful substances into the body that can contribute to pain and discomfort.

Some individuals smoke and vape to try to manage or distract themselves from their pain. While certain chemicals in cigarettes and vape products may provide temporary relief, the pain often returns, and nicotine withdrawal can make it worse.

Understanding this connection is important for better pain management.

Why quitting smoking and vaping is beneficial

  • Improves blood flow to the spine.
  • Reduces inflammation and pain sensitivity.
  • Enhances the body’s ability to heal.
  • Promotes overall health and wellbeing.

Choosing to quit smoking and vaping is a vital step towards managing low back pain effectively.

Want to know more? Check out these resources: