A Natural Back Pain Reliever
Floating for Back Pain Relief
Before every first float appointment, we make a point to ask “what is it that brought you in today?” The answers are all over the map, but a few come up with frequency. I want to touch on floating for back pain today, as it’s one of the most common reasons we hear.
We find people asking themselves, “how can I relieve back pain naturally” or “what is the best treatment for back pain?” While there is no exact antidote for any one individual, a lot of people have found their way into the world of floating to answer one or both of those questions.
It seems floating is most often associated for its mental benefits - to manage anxiety and depression, to reduce stress, to help lower outside input and ultimately give the brain a relief from stimuli. These are all huge benefits of course! But it can be easy to overlook the physical benefits of the float tank environment. This is virtually the only time most of us will experience zero gravity, and those implications for natural back pain relief are huge.
When you get in the tank, it will take a few minutes to settle in and really relax into the water. You’ll find that it supports you completely, which allows the spine to slowly decompress. Many customers have told us that around the halfway mark, they’ll feel (and hear) that decompression happening. We also provide a neck pillow to keep the cervical spine in alignment while totally releasing your neck for further relief.
Relaxing into the float environment, you’ll feel how the water supports you, and you’ll settle in further. When floating with no sensory input, I sometimes wonder “am I in bed right now?”
I’ve also found a lot of benefit to some movement toward the end of a float. Don’t feel like laying still is the only way to do float! Gently placing your feet down on the bottom of the tank and moving your knees side-to-side helps open things up more when needed. We want to empower you to find the position that is most comfortable. People with more extreme low back or hip pain may also benefit from some additional flotation devices - please feel free to ask! It sounds funny, but a pool noodle under the knees can really make a difference.
Our float suites - which are 6.5’ wide and 7’ tall (in both Lawrenceville and Sewickley), give you plenty of space to spread your limbs and find total relaxation. They also have the option to keep some lights on (either a peaceful blue light or twinkling stars) and allow a meditative track to play throughout the entire hour. You can even leave the door open! You have total control over the experience.
In our experience, floating helps relieve back pain both immediately and with frequency of use. We’ve had customers with arthritis develop a regular float practice to keep the pain at bay. You can try it once to see how it works for you, and if it feels great, consider one of our membership options.
