Back Pain
Chronic back pain plagues up to 65 million people to varying degrees. The best way to stop back pain is to be proactive about it and take preventative steps to achieving a healthy back. These eight tips may help you to quell the beastly discomfort back pain wreaks on your body, and may serve to help you achieve better overall health and wellness in the process:
Stand Up Tall
How many times have you been told by your parents, teachers, doctors, and coworkers to stand up straight? Not only will your back thank you, but you may just find your confidence level spiking! Imagine a straight line attached to the crown of your head down to the floor supporting you. and a line crossing horizontally perpendicular to that line. Your ears, shoulders, hips, and knees should all be parallel to the horizontal line, and your head should be nicely stacked on top of your neck… not pushed forward.
Sit Up Straight
With so many people working on computers today, more and more people sit at their desks slumped forward or reclining too far back to compensate. Ideally, find a good chair with lumbar support and make sure that you maintain a healthy “S” curve to your spine, not a the “C” that many people assume.
Lift With Your Legs
This old adage still holds true today. When lifting something, instead of leaning over and using your back muscles to leverage your body, keep you back straight, bend at the knees, and use your strong leg muscles to do the brunt of the work. Also, lighten the load when you can–so many of us make ourselves our own pack animals, oftentimes over-packing with multiple bags or overburdening ourselves with large purses, briefcases, and backpacks. Be prepared, but pack lightly.
Get Rest, the Right Way
You’re going to spend up to 1/3 of your life in bed, so be sure that you are sleeping correctly. Make sure you have a mattress that properly supports your back, and you may want to remove those extra pillows. Try to keep that nice straight back and neck to avoid muscle strain.
Cushion Your Feet
Whether you walk daily (a great habit to have), or you are standing around at work, or you are keeping active in other ways, you need to take care of your feet with comfortable and supportive footwear. Make sure your soles are cushioned, or include padded insoles to your shoes. When we walk, we are sending an impact through our body that can jar the spine. Padding your steps can diffuse some of that impact saving your back from unnecessary trauma.
Strengthen Your Core
Daily exercise can help to give your back the strength it needs for optimum support. Crunches, bridges, and planks are just some of the exercises that firm the tummy, shrink your love handles, and strengthen your back to help reduce the chance to experiencing back pain. As always, consult with a physician before entering into any exercise routine. For a list of some core-strengthening exercises, visit here.
Don’t Smoke
Smoking leads to so many incredibly bad outcomes, it’s always best to quit smoking or never smoke in the first place. Among the side effects of smoking are muscle fatigue and back pain. For help with quitting smoking, check out Botanic Choice’s Homeopathic Stop Smoking Formula.
Eat Right and Supplement
Ensure that you have and excellent diet full of fresh fruits and vegetables. Green leafy vegetables have a wide variety of benefits including calcium and important trace minerals and vitamins for optimum bone and muscle health. For further support, we also recommend supplementing with Calcium and Vitamin D nutritional supplements.
