Improve Your Back Pain in 6 Easy Steps

Research shows that an estimated 15-20% of the US population suffers from low back pain each year. Back pain is also the 2nd leading reason for doctor’s office visits each year. Some of these instances are unavoidable, such as an accident. However, many occurrences of low back pain can and should be avoided. Here are a few easy tips to get started.

1.     Sit less, move more. Yes, simply by moving more throughout your day, you begin to improve your back pain. Researchers recommend only resting for a maximum of 3 days after a back injury. Then we need to start moving to avoid more muscle weakness.

2.     Walk. Walking has been proven to show positive results in improving back pain. When we walk, we need to engage our core to maintain an upright posture and to maintain balance. Start with a short walk around the block.  Increase your distance as you feel stronger.

3.    Maintain good posture.  Many of the tasks throughout our day require us to sit, either while driving, working at a computer, reading, cooking, etc. Little things add up throughout the day. So as you perform these activities, think to pull your shoulder blades back, keep your abdominals tight, and keep your neck in proper alignment with your back.

4.    Sleep correctly. This is difficult, as we all enjoy our favorite sleeping positions. But sleeping incorrectly can lead to a long painful day ahead. If you sleep on your back, place a pillow under your knees. If you are a side sleeper, place a pillow between your knees. If you sleep on your stomach, now is a good time to stop! Sleeping this way forces our neck and head to twist in an unnatural position, resulting in undue stress.

5.     Wear supportive footwear. This is particularly important while we are exercising. A good base of support will support the chain all the way from the feet through your neck. When we wear improper footwear, it places the rest of the joints in our body at risk for injury, as the entire body has to compensate for the imbalance at the base of support.

6.     Strengthen your Core. Our core is a combination of many muscle groups working together. If one set of muscles is weak, such as our abdominals, other muscles need to compensate and perhaps result in overuse and pain.

There are many more things you can do to improve your back pain. But starting with these 6 easy things will give you a great head start. Begin by incorporating one of these tips at a time. When you feel you are performing each of these and are ready for more, contact a health professional. Find even more ways you can improve your back pain and overall health!

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