Dr. Stick is a faculty clinician for the Palmer Chiropractic Clinics
It has been estimated that between 70-85 percent of U.S. adults suffer from back pain at some point in their lives, and it’s one of the most common reasons for visiting a healthcare professional. Unresolved low back pain may result in lost work time, as well as decreased activity and fitness, so prevention is key. Here are some tips to help improve posture and ward off unwanted aches and pains.
Misty Stick, DC - Family Clinician with Palmer Chiropractic Clinics (Davenport)
Low heeled, comfortable shoes—High heels can cause the low back to curve inward more than necessary, adding strain to the low back muscles.
Own the right equipment—Do you sit a lot at work? Chairs should be appropriate height for the job you are doing and should swivel. If your chair is raised off the ground to get you to desk height, consider a small box at your feet to keep your knees slightly above hip height.
Watch what you eat—Keeping the excess pounds off will keep stress off the low back.
Bend at the knees for proper lifting—Keep the object close to your body and keep your back straight as you lift straight up. If it’s too heavy for you, don’t attempt the lift.
Activity—Regular exercise can keep all of the muscles of the body strong and healthy. This will help protect the low back from injury and speed up healing time should an injury occur.
Core muscles—Don’t forget those stomach muscles when adding activity! Weak stomach muscles cause poor posture and result in the low back muscles having to pick up the slack, leading to low back pain and strain.
Keep it loose—Whether you are an avid exerciser or a couch potato, your low back can benefit greatly from gentle daily stretching of the low back.
Put it out—Are you a smoker? If so, put it out. Smoking can lead to degeneration of the spinal discs by cutting off vital oxygen supply and also leads to slower healing time after bodily injuries occur.
Avoid bed rest—When your low back hurts, sometimes you just want to curl up in bed or stretch out on that recliner and wait it out. Bed rest is no longer recommended as it can actually make the problem worse! Get up and take short walks often to keep the structures moving.
Invest in good sleep—Get the right mattress for your back. Sleeping on too hard or too soft of a mattress can lead to low back pain. Adding or removing mattress pads to your existing mattress may be necessary to get the right comfort level. Sleep on your side with a pillow between your knees or on your back with a pillow under your knees to prevent low back strain while sleeping.
Never ignore the pain—Low back pain could be a simple ache or a sign that something else is wrong. See a chiropractor for evaluation and treatment of your low back pain. Chiropractic can provide safe and effective relief of acute low back pain in a gentle, drug-free environment.
Along with chiropractic adjustments to provide relief, doctors of chiropractic consider factors that may affect your overall health as well as your back pain, including exercise, nutrition, workplace ergonomics, sleep habits, environment and heredity.
