Is back pain a recurring discomfort in your daily life? If you are experiencing pain in your back or spine, you’re not alone. At least 75% of Americans suffer from some form of back pain at least once in their lifetime. Despite being common, back pain is not a disease or disorder but rather a symptom of an underlying problem. Fortunately, there are many ways you can limit or prevent your suffering.
Why Do I Have Back Pain?
The pain you are experiencing can be a dull, stabbing, shooting, or burning sensation anywhere from the neck to the hip. The pain may also vary in severity from a mild ache to incapacitating pain affecting your daily activities. Backache should go away on its own in a relatively short amount of time. However, recurring or constant back pain can be a symptom of problems in muscles, ligaments, spine, nerves, or nearby organs.
Age, excess weight, a sedentary lifestyle, smoking, and diseases such as arthritis and cancer are all risk factors of back pain. Managing these risk factors can go a long way toward preventing back pain. Some causes of back pain include:
- Sprains and strains
- Arthritis of the spine
- Traumatic injury
- Spondylolisthesis
- Bone fracture
Tips To Prevent Backache
No matter the cause, back pain can be prevented by common health practices — prevention is still better than cure. The following tips will help your body become healthier and avoid back pain.
Do More Exercise And Be More Physically Active
Exercise and physical activities can maintain or improve strength, endurance, and flexibility. According to studies, physical exercise reduces the recurrence of back pain and its effects, such as having to miss work or refrain from partaking in hobbies.
However, it is important to make sure to keep physical activities at an appropriate intensity. Exercise intensity depends on how much energy you have and how often you can rest. Too much or too little is bad for your body. A sedentary lifestyle is unhealthy, but too much exercise can also overstrain your back.
Observe Proper Body Mechanics
As mentioned, too much physical activity can cause back pain, including repetitive and heavy workloads, such as lifting using your back. Avoid these activities as much as possible. Ensure proper body mechanics in all activities, not just when performing heavy work.
You can apply body mechanics to protect your back. Whether you are sitting, standing, or laying down, ensure proper posture. Make sure to squat or use bigger muscles in your arms, thighs, and legs instead of using your back. Keep objects near your body to minimize strain. If possible, push heavy things instead of lifting them.
Use Ergonomic Products
With modern advancements in different fields such as medicine and engineering, many ergonomic products are now available in the market. You need to make sure the tools, furniture, and equipment you use facilitate proper posture and positioning. Fortunately, it is not necessary to spend a lot of money to be ergonomic.
One common application of ergonomics is the use of desks and chairs with proper height. Make sure to keep a 90-degree angle in your elbows, hips, knees, and ankles, especially when seated for long periods of time. Also, watch out if your sitting position leads to forward head posture, as this may lead to pain in the neck and upper back. When reaching for overhead objects, use a platform to prevent straining your back.
Be Informed And Educated About Back Pain
Reading tips to prevent back pain is one of the first steps in being informed. The more familiar you are with your body, the better you become at taking care of it. This is why you must also be observant of your back pain. Take note of the kind of pain, when it occurs, duration, and what may have triggered it.
You should also watch out for other symptoms that accompany back pain to prevent further complications. Be wary of changes in bladder or bowel movements. Weakness, numbing, or tingling sensations in any part of your body are warning signs of an underlying condition. To help you understand your backache, consult with an orthopedist, especially if the pain is lasting or keeps recurring.
Reliable Orthopedic Surgeons In West Jersey
Back pain of all types and severities can limit you from doing the activities you love. Instead of waiting until you need a cure, the best way to avoid them is through prevention. With proper exercise, body mechanics, and ergonomics, you can prevent back pain before it happens. Moreover, listen to experts on how you can take care of your back.
If you’re looking for the best orthopedic surgeon in your area, you might want to consider Orthopedic Associates of West Jersey. We are a team of board-certified orthopedic surgeons with years of expertise: we know the best ways on how to prevent and treat back pain. Learn more about back pain by getting in touch with us.
You may reach our friendly staff at (973) 989-0888 or request an appointment online.
