Back pain is a fairly common ailment, but it’s never fun and, depending on the severity, it can be a mild annoyance or a serious obstacle in your day-to-day life. Before you can treat your back pain, you’ll have to do some digging and determine what’s causing it, because the cause will dictate the treatment. Anything from poor posture to pulled muscles could be the culprit, but some causes are more likely than others, and the three that this article covers are the most common.
1) You’re Sitting Wrong
Logically, you might figure that your back pain comes from some kind of poorly executed activity, but it might actually be the opposite. The discs in your back tend to have rather poor circulation, which can become problematic over time. Moving around more can help get your blood flowing, but if you don’t exercise much, work a desk job, and largely use sedentary forms of transit, you probably aren’t helping your blood flow or your back.
If you spend most of your life seated, it’s important to know that sitting and leaning forward is the worst position to put your back in. This posture puts pressure on the discs in your back, and at a much higher level than lying down or sitting up straight. If there’s no way around sitting for prolonged periods, your best bets are to invest in a chair that offers you good back support and to take breaks to stretch and walk around every once in a while to help your blood flow pick up.
2) You’re Exercising Wrong
While exercising more can help take the pressure off your back, not all forms of exercise are created equal when it comes to preventing and alleviating back pain. If you lift weights, it is crucial that you maintain proper form in order to avoid putting stress on your back or pulling any muscles. Before any work out, make sure to do a proper warm up and run through any stretches you need to get your back ready for motion, not matter how strenuous you anticipate it will be.
To prevent back pain from exercise, don’t pivot while lifting, lift with your legs, not your back, and don’t push yourself too hard too quickly.
3) You’re Moving Wrong
Your body is tough, but it’s still easy to strain it in ways you might not expect. Day to day activities like yard work, moving heavy boxes, or doing anything that keeps you bent over a workbench can leave you with a sore and achy back. The best way to prevent back pain in jacksonville, or manage preexisting pain in your daily life is to stand up and walk around once in a while, try to avoid putting yourself in positions that strain your muscles, and be cognizant of what makes your back start hurting so you know when to stop.