It seems like everyone has some sort of back pain these days. It could result from the stressful events and lifestyle changes the nation has gone through, like working from home. Simply put, back pains can ruin your day.
Your spine is the pillar and foundation of your entire body, after all. It withstands significant amounts of force throughout the day. It doesn’t matter if you’re sitting, lifting, or standing. Back pain can occur during any of these simple or intense movements. So, how can you prevent these injuries and treat your back a bit more to ease the pain or hopefully prevent it entirely?
#1) Make Sure to De-Stress
Stress itself can destroy you back. We may think that it’s all mental, but the things we do when we get mentally stressed can drastically affect our bodies. We tend to lift our shoulders higher and lock them near our ears. We also forget to breathe. Crazy, right?
When we’re stressed, our breaths become shorter, and this doesn’t allow oxygen to flow through our entire body properly. Don’t just take short breaths that only expand your chest. Take deep breaths into the bottom of your stomach and expand. Finding even small ways to relax, like focusing on your breathing, can help with reducing the tension in your muscles. Once your back starts to tense up, it’s only going to get worse from there. It can lead to upper back pain from your shoulders or a tight lower back that can cause pain when moving.
#2) Find the Healthiest Way to Sit
Sitting for long periods of time can wreak havoc on your back. Not only do we tend to slouch after long periods of inactivity, but our discs in our lower spine become more loaded while sitting. This can create or aggravate your back, causing pain. When sitting at the computer for long periods of time, we tend to lean forward after a while. This puts even more strain and stress on our lumbar discs.
It’s best to have some sort of lumbar support on our lower back, even if it’s uncomfortable at first, while our spines adjust to sitting properly. Try to find an ergonomic chair that can support your lower back and keep your feet flat on the floor.
Most of all, remember to stand up! Take a break at least once an hour to stretch and walk around if you’re sitting during most of the day.
#3) Exercise, Exercise, Exercise
Exercising can help reduce stress and tension in our backs. If you’re exercising regularly, you will probably stretch before and sometimes after your routine. Maintain mobility of your spine by stretching daily and strengthening your core several times a week. Your core muscles need strengthening to support your spine and take the pressure off your lower back. Targeted exercises are the best way to work out your lower back and abdominal muscles.
#4) Sleeping Can Make Or Break A Healthy Back
If you sleep on your side, then use a thick pillow to have your neck and head positioned in the middle of your shoulders. You can even place a pillow between your legs to take the pressure off your lower spine. If your pillow sits too low or too high, then you’ll bend your neck, causing discomfort in your spine overall.
If you sleep on your back, then use a pillow that holds your neck and doesn’t prop it too high. Placing a pillow under your knees to maintain the natural curvature of your back will help as well.
#5) Diet Is Key For A Healthy Back
Your diet plays a much larger role in back pain than you may think. Foods that have rich antioxidants and anti-inflammatory agents like vegetables, fruits, whole grains, and legumes will help your back in the long run. It’s not necessarily about weight loss but keeping a reasonable weight that your back can support. Your spinal discs are made of soft tissue, and they’re not designed to handle the stress of being overweight. This can lead to faster wear and tear on the issues.
#6) Stay Hydrated!
Keeping your body hydrated will maintain soft tissue elasticity and fluidity in joints. The loss of hydration can make your spinal discs begin to shrink, and you can become more prone to painful disk conditions. A herniated disk means a disk has slipped or ruptured when there’s a loss of fluids causing discs to become brittle and slip out of place.
Southwest Chiropractor Can Help
Here at Southwest Chiropractor, we help keep your back in the best shape possible. For treatments and examinations, give us a call. We can schedule an appointment and get your back on track for a healthy lifestyle. If you have consistent back pain of any sort, then it’s best to reach out before it gets worse. We’re here to help each of our patients with extreme care to give your spine the proper support it needs.
We look forward to helping you!