Back Pain Prevention

Around 80% of people experience back pain at some stage in their lives. But with a little bit of knowledge about how you can prevent back pain, you don’t have to be one of those people.

Lifting Correctly

A common cause of back pain is stress being placed on this area when lifting heavy objects. It is very important to employ a correct lifting technique. Ensure you bend at the knees and not the waist, so as not to strain your back on the way back up.

Also, before lifting, ask yourself if you really need to lift this weight, or can it be avoided. If the object must be lifted, make sure you can manage the weight, and if you think it may be too heavy, don’t try. Find an alternative way to move it.

Keep Active

An inactive lifestyle is another common cause of consistent back pain. We move around very little; we spend all day sitting at work, only to come home and sit down again. In addition to this, we are exercising less and less. This inactivity can cause the back to become stiff and weak, making it vulnerable to injury.

To counter this, try to take regular breaks at work and go for a walk. Instead of crashing in front of the TV after a long day, try taking up yoga or another form of gentle exercise that isn’t too strenuous, but will allow you to strengthen your back.

Chill Out!

If you are stressed out, it is more than likely that you will have tight muscles, and be carrying a lot of tension. If this is the case, you are more likely to sustain a back injury. Taking up an activity like meditation is a good way to relax and remove this tension from your body, lessening your risk of hurting your back.

The relaxation response a person’s ability to use their mind to cause their body to release chemicals and send messages from the brain making the rest of the body relax. Basically, when you’re relaxed, your muscles and organs slow down and more blood flows to your brain. Meditation allows the body and mind to become totally relaxed, which is why it is so helpful to calming the muscles in your back.

Try using these methods to help prevent back injury and pain. After all, a prevention is far better than a cure.