Here are our Top 10 Tips to avoid Back Pain..
A proper diet is essential to good spinal and general health. Avoid processed foods and eat plenty of fresh fruit and vegetables. Too much fatty food can cause blocking of the arteries which can hinder the body's ability to deal with infection.
Make sure you drink plenty of water - around 8 glasses a day - and avoid drinking too much tea, coffee and alcohol.
Regular exercise is vital to maintain a healthy spine and heart. Exercise which raises your pulse for around 20-30 minutes each day will help keep your heart healthy and help strengthen the muscles protecting your spine and thus avoid back pain.
Before exercising, make sure that you warm up properly. It is very easy to injure your back or pull muscles if you try and do strenuous exercise from cold. A brisk walk for 5-10 minutes and some gentle stretching beforehand will help avoid problems.
After exercising, it is just as important to cool down properly and stretch the muscles you have been using. When stretching, do not bounce. Stretch each muscle and hold for 10-15 seconds. If it hurts, you're probably over-stretching!
If you're not sure if you are exercising and stretching properly, it is very important to ask your gym instructor or chiropractor to help you.
Never bend your back when lifting. Always keep your back straight and bend your legs to pick something up off the floor. When you lift, use your legs to do the work, holding the item as near to your body as possible. Never twist while carrying a heavy item - you're asking for trouble! Back pain at work is all too common. For full advice on lifting, please ask your chiropractor.
Too many of us spend excessive hours sitting these days. Whether it's at work, in front of the television or in the car, you should always avoid spending too much time sitting down. The human body is designed for movement. If you have to spend a long period sitting, get up and walk around every 30-40 minutes. As well as helping to avoid your muscles stiffening, this should also help your concentration.
If you spend your working day sitting at a desk, is your desk set up properly?
Firstly, your chair should provide the right support. Make sure your office chair is fully adjustable - that means the base must tilt and slide, the back support should be height and tilt adjustable with good lumbar support, and the chair should be height adjustable so that you can set it for the right height for your desk.
To make sure your desk and chair are set up at the right height, make sure your thighs are almost parallel with the floor but with your knees slightly lower than your hips to help maintain the curve in your lower back. Your arms should rest flat on your desk without having to raise or lower your shoulders.
Make sure the top of your computer screen is at eye level to avoid putting pressure on the back of your neck so that you have to look down. Having to look down even slightly can easily cause neck pain.
Ensure items on your desk, such as your phone, are placed so that you don't have to twist to use them.
Most car seats have limited adjustment and it is very hard to find the ideal setup. However, you can improve your seating position by tilting the base forward so that your knees are slightly lower than your hips, while your thighs are supported by the seat. The back of the seat should be upright enough to provide good lumbar support and ensure that your neck and head are not too far forward. Don't sit too far back from the steering wheel. If you have to stretch for it, you will put undue stress on your shoulders, back and neck. For more detailed advice on setting up your car seat, ask your chiropractor.
It is not necessarily true that a firm mattress is a good mattress. The important thing when choosing one is that it provides adequate support but gives in the right places, such as your hips, bottom and shoulders, allowing you to maintain the correct curves in the spine. Try lots of mattresses before buying one. If you buy a memory foam mattress, shop around as there are many bargains to be found on the internet once you've found what you need.
It's equally important to use a pillow which provides the right support for your neck. There are many types of orthopaedic pillow on the market. Try them out. The important thing is that they encourage your neck to stay straight if you lie on your side, and if you lie on your back, that they maintain the rearward curve in your neck while you sleep.
If you sleep on your front - stop it! Sleeping on your front encourages torsion (twisting) of the spine and puts great pressure on your neck muscles as well as flattening out the natural curves of your spine. If you have back or neck pain now and sleep on your front, just teaching yourself to lie on your side or your back may be enough to get rid of it!
Pain is not there just to annoy you - it is a warning sign for you to stop doing something or do things differently! Simply putting up with pain until it goes away may be building up even greater problems in the future. If you don't know what is causing your pain or don't know how to address it, seek help from a chiropractor!
If you're not sure if you're doing things properly or need advice, make an appointment to see your chiropractor straight away. It is far easier and quicker to resolve problems when they come on rather than waiting for them to go away on their own.
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