Life is miserable when you have back pain, and chronic back pain is the worst. At Comprehensive Sports, Spine and Pain Management, we know the importance of keeping your spine in good shape as you age. By starting to take actions on a regular basis to keep your spine healthy, you will be forestalling a world of back pain and other potential issues as you get older. The following are a few suggestions that are recommended.
Incorporate Back-Friendly Exercises Into Your Life
Basic exercises such as hamstring stretches, wall sits, bird dog stretches, partial crunches, knee-to-chest stretches and bridging stretches can be done by most people. There are examples of how to do them online, and they will help keep your spine flexible and enable nutrients to reach the discs, soft tissues and ligaments more effectively. Avoid leg lifts, sit-ups and toe touches as they can put more stress on the discs and ligaments in your spine.
Pay Attention to Your Posture When You’re Sitting
Most of us have jobs where we are sitting for long hours during the day. You should pay attention to the ergonomics of your office chair to ensure it is supporting your back when you’re working. Another point of good advice is to get up and stretch for a bit about every half hour. Sitting for long hours can be bad for other aspects of your health too, so you may want to consider a standing desk.
bad for other aspects of your health too
Take Regular Walks
Walking is one of the most basic exercises that almost anyone can do, which is why it’s so often recommended by doctors. It has many benefits, and these include improving flexibility, strengthening those muscles that keep you upright and strengthening your bones. If you already have some back pain that makes walking uncomfortable, try doing it in a pool where the buoyancy will help reduce pressure on your spine.
Choose the Right Pillow
Keeping your neck in good shape is critical as well, and sleeping on the right pillow is a big part of this. The key factor is that it needs to be the right pillow for your size and sleeping position. For instance, if you sleep on your side, you’ll need a thicker pillow than if you sleep on your back to keep your neck straight and aligned. Also, if you have broader shoulders, you’ll need a thicker pillow.
Watch Your Diet
Our diet affects our back and neck health just as much as it impacts every other aspect of our health. Being sure to get enough calcium is critical for our bones overall and also for those in the spine. Don’t be so focused on calcium, however, that you neglect other nutrients. The type of balanced diets that are typically considered good for our health, in general, will also help your spine.
Be Careful When Lifting Heavy Items
This is how a lot of people give themselves back trouble. We’ve all heard the advice when lifting heavy items that we should “bend at the knees, not at the waist.” That being said, it’s sadly easier to hear advice than it is to follow it. Lifting poorly once or twice can cause muscle strains, but doing so repeatedly can create long-term back problems that you will regret.
When Prevention Fails
You may not have been as careful as those who followed the above advice to keep your back in shape. Perhaps you did but then suffered an unfortunate accident or injury. Whatever your circumstances, if you live in the Middlesex County, New Jersey area and you have back pain, you should know about the physiatry practice of Dr. Perry Herman. At Comprehensive Sports, Spine and Pain Management, we get to the bottom of your pain issues and then employ alternative therapies with traditional medicine to get you on your own road to recovery. Hopefully, you’ve done a good job of showing your spine some love throughout your life, and it has returned the favor by being in excellent condition. If your spine has seen better days, though, then you should be coming to see us.
