Back Pain Prevention

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Find out if you're a candidate for a minimally invasive alternative to open neck or back surgery

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Regardless of the type of pain you are suffering from, be it back pain or neck pain, there are three things you can do to help you prevent or avoid serious spinal injury. Of the eighty percent of people who will experience back pain, ninety percent will come from either strain or a sprain to the back muscles or ligaments.

Posture

The main problem with having poor posture is that after a few years, the toll it takes on your abdominal muscles and spine. When the muscles and spine are weakened they no longer provide you with proper support which leads to injury.

Correct posture consists of:

When standing or sitting try not to slouch. When slouching or rounding your shoulders, you accentuate your spines natural curvature.
Holding your head to far forward. This again leads to pulling on your spine and changing its natural form.
Abdominal structure is important as well because if you allow your stomach free reign to pull your back forward you will be manipulating the spine in an unhealthy direction. One way that you can combat this effect is to holding in your stomach to stop the excessive force being applied on your spine.
On average we spend about a third of our day in bend. It is important to have a good night time posture as well when sleeping to avoid back pain. A medium firm mattress is one of the healthiest beds you can sleep on. Be sure that you don’t sleep on your stomach as this will place unwanted stress on your spine. Instead of sleeping on your stomach, try to sleep on your side with a pillow placed between your knees, or on your back with a pillow directly under your knees.

Tip - When standing for long periods of time try to keep your knees bent slightly.

Core Muscles and body conditioning

Think of your body as a machine. If you neglect to maintain the machine it will eventually start to break down. Some Machines break down faster than others, but eventually all neglected machines will break down. Cardiovascular health along with good strong core muscles help to prevent back injury by providing proper stability and increased blood flow for the spine. Recent studies have shown that smoking cigarettes can contribute to back pain and a higher rate of injury. Activities such as swimming, water walking, cycling and land walking are great ways to strengthen your core muscles and increase cardiovascular endurance.

Body Mechanics

The simplest explanation of body mechanics would be, using proven techniques on a daily basis to help prevent injury to you. This could be anything from proper lifting, warming up muscles before doing strenuous activities or just finding and easier way to accomplish a task at hand.

When lifting an object from the ground, don’t bend your back when stooping down to pick it up. Instead bend at the knees and keep you back as straight as possible. Remember that it’s not cowardly to ask for help, it’s smart!

When carrying an object, try to keep it as close to your body as possible. This will help provide extra stability for your spine. Never attempt to carry a heavy object along with it outstretched in front or to the side of you.

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