Wellness Tips
Tips you can do for back pain prevention:
1. Maintain Proper Posture
Good Posture is essential for good health.
Good Posture needs to be maintained whether, standing, sitting,
or sleeping.
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Standing- Bear your weight on the
balls of your feet with knees slightly bent. Your
feet should be about shoulder width apart and your arms
should hang naturally down your sides. Stand straight
with your shoulders pulled back and tuck your stomach
in. Keep your head level, not forward, backward, or to
the side- your earlobes should be in line with your shoulders. If
you have to stand for long periods of time try shifting
your weight from your toes to your heels, or one foot
to the other. Wear comfortable, low-heeled shoes when
standing or walking.
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Sitting- Keep your feet on the floor
or a footrest if they don’t reach the floor. Don’t
cross your legs, your ankles should be in front of your
knees. Maintain a small gap between the front of your
seat and the back of you knees and your knees should
be at or below hip level. Relax your shoulders and when
possible keep your forearms parallel to the ground. Make
sure to adjust the backrest of your chair to support
your back. Shift positions if you have to sit
for long periods of time.
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Sleeping- Find the right mattress
for you, though a firm mattress is recommended sometimes
a softer mattress may reduce your back pain. Sleep with
a pillow, therapeutic pillows are available for people
who have poor sleeping posture. Sleep on your back with
a pillow under your knees or on your side with a pillow
between your knees, never on your stomach.
2. Maintain a Healthy Diet and Weight
A healthy diet is important to your overall
health. Not only is it important to get the proper nutrients
to maintain an effective immune system to ensure a healthy
body it is also important to maintain a healthy weight. Extra
weight puts an additional strain on your back leading to
more avoidable pain. Abdominal Fat or “Beer Belly” is
a leading offender, putting pressure on the muscles, ligaments,
and tendons causing lower back pain because you center of
gravity shifts forward. Obesity is a leading cause of lower
back pain. Eat sensibly and try to keep within 10 lbs. of
your ideal weight. Your ideal weight should always be considered
in terms of your height, overall body size, shape, and frame.
Know your BMI (Body-Mass index), which measures your weight
in proportion to your height and is one measurement used
to determine your overall fitness.
A sensible life style includes getting the proper amount
of sleep in order to obtain optimum energy levels to get
through your day without fatigue.
Quit smoking. Smoking restricts the blood
flow to the tissues in and around your spine and to your
vertebrae and disks, which is why smokers have more spinal
pain and take longer to heal than nonsmokers. And smokers
tend to lose bone faster than nonsmokers, putting them at
a greater risk for osteoporosis, another common cause for
back pain
3. Exercise
The most important thing you can do to maintain
a healthy back is to stay active and fit. Regular exercise
helps prevent back pain by strengthening your abdominal and
back muscles, and improving your flexibility. Walking, swimming,
or bicycling top the list of low-risk activities for your
back while providing the most benefits. Participating in
any of these activities at least three times a week is a
good strategy for you if you tend to have recurrent episodes
of moderate low back pain. Always remember to warm up or
stretch before any physical activity, such as gardening,
spring cleaning, moving items and of course before exercising.
Consult with your Doctor before beginning any exercise program,
particularly if you have health issues or pain. Your chiropractor
can recommend appropriate exercises and fitness strategies
to minimize your particular pain and to maintain your individual
wellness plan.
4. Proper Lifting
Avoid twisting while lifting at all times
to avoid harming your spine. Use your legs, not your back
or upper body, to lift an item. If it is too heavy
to lift, get someone to help you and if that’s not
possible try pushing it. It helps to hold heavy items
as close to your body as possible. Do not bend over at the
waist to pick up an item, rather bend your knees and lift
with your legs or kneel on one leg with the other foot flat
on the floor as close to the item as possible to pick up
the item. Straining to reach for an item that is to high
may not only hurt your mid-back and neck it can also lead
to shoulder injury so always stand on a stool.
