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| Back Pain Tips |
All over the world no wonder back problems are the biggest
cause of time off work. Millions of people suffer
from back pain, which can range from mild to debilitating. Its also the second
most common reason for going to your primary care family doctor. Two out of
three adults have suffered serious neck or back pain by age 35, and when adding
in people over 35 and the numbers reach closer to eight in ten of all adults.
There are a variety of factors that can cause back pain including
diseases, poor nutrition, and improper lifting techniques, lack of activity,
and sad but true… laziness. Oftentimes,
back pain can be relieved with proper conservative care and lifestyle changes.
The information in this article provides you
with valuable advice on how you can improve your quality of life by understanding
the symptoms, causes and treatments of your back pain. More than anything else, the
latest research reveals how surprising to most few cases of severe back pain
are the result of a serious accident or injury, because the vast majority are
caused by the cumulative effects of lifestyle that most tend to ignore. Recurrent back pain is oftentimes triggered,
in part, by all those hours at a desk or traveling in cars for hours at a time
in rush hour traffic, or traveling by air.
It’s not unusual to have a 3-5 hour flight a couple times each week, or
a 20- hour flight when traveling internationally, and a meeting planned as soon
as you land.
"Simple everyday practices, such as hunching to read
your mobile phone, slumping over in front of your computer system-- even sleeping
in on a weekend can, in time, strain your spine and the surrounding muscles,
leaving you at risk to for back trauma."
"For the past 30- years or so people will come to me in
pain and state, “I simply reached over to pick something up and my back went'
out. But actually it's their poor habits
in the months or years long before resulting in their current dilemma. The event that seems to cause it is merely
the proverbial, “straw that broke the
camel's back."
Studies have
found that 20 to 25% of all chronic lower back pain comes not from the
spine but from the sacroiliac, or SI, joint, which bears and transfers weight
and movement from your upper body to your pelvis and legs. When the ligaments
wear out, and the SI joint becomes unstable, it can generate a similar kind of
sharp back pain –or sciatica-like pain down your leg — just as a ruptured disc
can.
So in order to stop back pain now, and enjoy
pain-free days in the future without agony or suffering –try to pay attention to
these unexpected and unwelcome gatecrashers.
1.
Prolonged Sitting
Forget
over lifting or heavy lifting, or repeated bending, lifting, and stooping –
sitting hunched over at a desk staring at a computer screen, and keyboarding all
day is one of the very worst things you can do to rack your back. Even worse, pushing away from your desk,
scooting across the floor while twisting and reaching for something.
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| Hours Long Sitting |
Research
has found how people who do desk jobs for hours on end suffer more chronic back pain complaints than those
working in manual jobs where lots of lifting is involved. When those people get hurt its acute back pain from a single exposure,
usually from over lifting.
It
only makes sense, regular use of your joints and spine strengthens them, and
inherently reduces your risk of injury. But
even a few hours of sustained inactivity everyday can begin to weaken them, and
when this occurs week-after-week, Monday through Friday it can make you more
prone and vulnerable to problems.
So how do you fix it? Get up and walk around for at least two
minutes, every hour, and improve your posture while preparing to sit down, in
preparing to stand up from a chair. In
our practice we advise patients to say to themselves, “no more plopping."
Consciously or not, when falling into a chair you turn off all the muscles and
weaken the muscles necessary to get up out of a chair. Conversely, when you
bend forward and your butt comes up first to get out of a chair you've turned
off all the muscles weakening those that are necessary to safely sit down into
a chair. Whenever possible, avoid bending forward at the waist, and aim for a
“neutral spine position,” in which everything is in line, with no undo strain of
weak and vulnerable spots.
While
sitting, remember 90° angles are best. Your
shoulders should be relaxed, feet flat on the floor, and eyes in line with the
middle of your screen.
2.
Ballet Slippers and Higher Than High Heels
Yes,
balancing in high heels for long periods of time can make your back sore, but
too much time in the wrong flat-soles can cause just as much harm also.
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| Proper Foot Support |
Most
popular styles of shoes such as ballet pumps and flip-flops aren’t much better either
since they allow your foot to slide around without much support or foot control. It’s the lack of stability that this causes putting
extra pressure on your spine.”
So how do you fix it? Ensure your shoe holds your foot firmly across
the toes, and at the heel with good arch support to keep your feet stable
protecting your back.
You
should also alternate between high heels, mid-sizes heels, and flats or running
shoes. By wearing different shoes every
day, or a couple of different pairs of shoes each day, you lessen your chance
of experiencing long-term problems caused by getting used to only one type of
shoe.
3.
Coughing and Sneezing
This
seems pretty simple and hardly even a cause… but think again. Such a harmless thing is actually a very
common cause of back pain –thanks to the sheer force and increased pressure up
against the spine.
The
speed of a sneeze or a cough can be up to 100 miles per hour, and because it’s
not considered polite to sneeze at someone, the first instinct is to quickly
cover our faces and turn away.
According
to Janet Wakley, the author of The Smart Guide to Back Care, twisting or turning so quickly is one of the
worst things we can do. Often times I am
told by patients this is the single reason for their visit, and the start of
there back pain.
When
someone spontaneously twists to the side, combined with the force used by the
chest and belly muscles to sneeze, can very quickly and easily wrench the back
muscles in just a split second. Not too
surprising, because according to The Backpower Program from the National Safety Council, A Back Problem Has Two
Parts: One, Back Pain. Two, A Weak Back Without
Pain.
So how do you fix it?
If possible, turn your whole body when
you’re about to sneeze, and slightly bend or unlock your knees so that your
back remains straight.
4. Your Favorite Bra
The
latest figures suggest how 80% of women wear a bra that’s poorly fitted, or doesn’t
fit at all, which can cause several muscular and postural problems over time.
A
bra that offers little to no support can lead to forward rounding of the
shoulders, upper back hunching, and forward head posture all leading to sore
neck and back muscles. While a bra that
gives proper support can help to all but eliminate the effects of gravity
causing that unsightly forward curve of the upper back and neck relieving back
pain.
So how do you fix it?
Get measured and fitted by a trained bra
fitter – stores such as Nordstrom, Van Maur, and Jockey offer these services,
sometimes for free.
As a happily married man with 4- daughters, take it from me, go
for styles with wider shoulder straps or a racer-style back, all offering
better support and encourages you to sit and stand upright in a neutral head
posture where your head is perfectly balanced over your shoulders, back, and
hips —allowing your shoulders to always be at rest when sitting or standing instead
of fighting to pull forward or backward to keep your balance.
5.
A BIG Fat Pot Belly
An
extra couple of pounds around your stomach and midsection will cause your
pelvis to tilt forward putting excessive force on lower most lumbar discs. Once out of alignment, your body works to
re balance itself, and the tiny joints responsible for support and other
movements begin to wear out prematurely. In cases like these we see arthritis and other
degenerative changes affecting the spine long before we should. This means that
your spine isn’t getting enough support from your abdominal and other sling muscles,
which can cause excessive strain on your lower back.
So how do you fix it?
“Don’t do sit-ups because they won’t
flatten your belly —especially if there’s
a ton of fat on top." Remember this one thing,
short contracted muscles are weak, and long loose muscles are weak. Muscles get short for four reasons: injury,
stress, muscle-bound constant use and age.
Muscles get long and loose in two ways: too much stretching, and disuse.
Healthy muscles are those, which are balanced, have proper length, and are
neither too short nor too long. Muscle length not muscle size is the most important factor for long-term muscle health and
strength.
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| 14 Million Europeans Nordic Pole Walk Daily |
6.
Emotional and Environmental Stress
Just
like anyone else, your back muscles tend to tense up when you begin to feel you’re
under pressure.
Muscles
are designed to contract and relax… but when you’re stressed, they may contract
so much they remain tight, short, and weak often times becoming locally tender,
or more. They don’t spasm like a
Charlie-Horse or cramp would, but turn into what’s called trigger pain.
Stress
also causes your hormone levels of cortisol to soar, which increases inflammation
in the body, making the problem even worse.
A wicked cycle of overworking the little adrenal gland that sits on top
of your kidneys you become more vulnerable to stress of all kinds and less able
to cope with real physical and environmental stress.
So how do you fix it? Forget laying in bed or
on the couch. The latest research shows
that gentle exercise, such as walking or yoga, and proper hydration is much
more effective at relieving stress related back pain. It also has the added
benefit of being proven to reduce stress levels.
7.
Your Mobile Device
The
head-down forward flexed position that you use to look at phones, iPads and
laptops can strain the muscles in your neck so much, that over time the resulting
changes can cause pain to extend all the way down your spine well into your
lower back or into your arms and hands.
Burning, numbness and tingling is a common sign. This is especially bad for you if you are
using these devices for hours at a time because your body will eventually start
to adopt this hunched-like Grinch position.
So how do you fix it? Make
sure you take frequent screen breaks. Try
to look straight ahead rather than down at your screen. You might also look for a stand to help you
hold your laptop or tablet at a more back-friendly height and angle, such as an adjustable vented laptop computer stand
8. Sleeping-In On Your Weekends
A
lot of people find a sore back as acceptable for those extra hours spent sleeping-in
and lounging on a Saturday or Sunday morning. This occurs because your body is
resting in the same position for way too long, and can trigger or exacerbate
existing aches and pains in both your joints and muscles.
So how do you fix it? To stop this stiffness and soreness from developing,
I often advise patients to switch their habit of sleeping-in for an afternoon nap
sometime during the day on weekends instead.
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| Proper Lifting Posture |
When you have an onset of
back pain, rest for a couple days to be able to correctly determine the
severity, and to prevent further injury. If the pain decreases, most likely the
injury is minor. On the other hand, if
the pain remains the same or increases, you will need to contact a physician or
good chiropractor to determine the cause. Resting for more than 48 hours usually won't
do any good, and it may even make your problem worse due to increasing muscle weakness.
Periodic visits to a
chiropractic doctor can help prevent back pain, and are important if you have
genetic tendencies to back problems, or have a stressful lifestyle that makes
you prone to injuries and fatigue. Going to a skilled, and well-trained chiropractic doctor
can ensure that your injuries don't get much worse.
Back pain is a common
affliction experienced by people of all ages. Depending on the severity of the
pain, it can have a crippling effect on your daily routine. However, there are many effective ways to
treat the cause of your pain and reduce its intensity. From prescriptive medications, to
over-the-counter pain relievers, to meditation, managing your back pain is as
simple as following the tips and hints provided above.
Bless and be blessed, ALWAYS
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