Can you remember a time where your back didn’t hurt? Back pain is an extremely common ailment, even for young people.
It’s also one of the most debilitating, inconvenient things most of us have ever dealt with. Life would be much simpler without it, so look here for tips on how to prevent it.
Posture
Posture is such an easy thing to fix, and at the same time, it isn’t. We have all caught ourselves not sitting or standing up quite straight. We fix it only to find ourselves slouching again after a short while.
So, short term pain, long term disfigurement. Let’s try and avoid bad posture, shall we?
Stretch
Stretching is a great way to prevent back pain. Whether it’s before a workout or just a morning routine, stretching loosens up your muscles and allows them to function correctly.
When we twist our back, the muscles are moving with us. If they’re loose, they can follow our movements and try and keep us from hurting ourselves.
If our muscles are tight when we do this, you essentially have a tug-of-war with your spine, and that cannot possibly end well.
Get Active
Getting active and exercising is a great way to prevent an injury (assuming you stretched first.) One of the best ways to prevent back injury is to strengthen your back muscles.
I know, what a revolutionary thought. In all seriousness, muscles can better perform their functions to help you move and prevent injury if they’re stronger.
Another key muscle group to strengthen is your abdominals. By strengthening your core, you are filling the framework your back muscles provide with a strong center to provide support and protection to your spine and back.
It can also help to teach you how to keep your spine properly aligned. By the way, a six pack never hurt either.
While getting active is an incredibly helpful way to prevent back injuries, improper technique while working out or bad luck on the playing field can lead to serious injury.
If this happens, you should consult a sports medicine specialist for help getting your back healing and well.
Water
Ah, the old “drinking water will make you feel better” line. Is the line overused? Possibly. Is it true? Absolutely. Drinking water hydrates the body and assists many functions.
One critical way this helps the back is by making sure the discs between your vertebrae are hydrated and tall. This helps cushion impact and prevent injuries from occurring.
So seriously, drink lots of water.
Proper Lifting Techniques
If you grew up anything like me, you probably can’t count the number of times your dad said this to you. Ultimately, I’m very glad he did as it rings in my head every time I go to lift something.
Even if you didn’t have those words of wisdom given to you, it only takes pulling a muscle once, and you will always remember to not lift with your back. Failure to lift correctly can result in minor injuries like pulled muscles, but you can even cause bulged or herniated discs from doing the same thing.
Avoid movements that involve twisting. Instead, always face in the direction you need to move even if that is putting a box on a shelf.
Balance Your Pockets
This one sounds kind of funny but makes such perfect sense. When we carry something around in our back pocket, like a wallet, we’re causing one side of our body to be lifted higher than the other when sitting.
This can cause pain when done for a long period and can lead to other problems like sciatica when done repeatedly. Imagine walking around all day with one foot in a sandal and the other in a two-inch heel.
Eventually, your foot, leg and back would all be hurting. It’s the same principle here.
Preventing back pain is a much desired and even needed endeavor. Keep in mind even though you may practice good posture, exercise, and treat your back with care, there is still a chance you could injure yourself.
Preventative measures are great at reducing risk, but most are not guaranteed to work. Exercising caution and good judgment, paired with smart physical use, will allow you to avoid many painful back situations and hopefully stay pain-free.
Here are four ways you’re unknowingly hurting your spine and how you can make small changes to improve your back.
