Knowhow-Now Article

Eight Tips To A Healthier Back

If your back isn't healthy, you really suffer for it. Consider the following tips to help you improve the conditions for your back and ease your nagging back pain.

1. Better posture. Especially when working or playing video games, most people are completely unaware of how slouched they are, which can be the very cause of back pain. Try and be cognitive of your position throughout the day and sit in a practical manner, conducive to your body's normal alignment.

Tip: If you feel a spasm or pain in your back, stopping the activity causing the damage and icing the area can reduce swelling and inflammation. While sometimes injuries do not become apparent immediately, when they do, taking quick action can reduce the recovery time.

2. A firmer mattress. Some swear by their waterbed or other type of soft mattress, but the truth is that you need firm support for your back each night. Invest in a quality mattress and avoid sleeping on your stomach or back, as both positions compound the pressure on your spine.

3. Smarter shoes. For women, high-heels can be very damaging to the lower back; try keeping your heel height within an inch. Destabilizing the spine all day long, no matter how great the shoes look, is just counterproductive to a healthy back. These days, shoes are designed to look good as well as be supportive for both men and women. Spend a few extra dollars on a smart shoe that will leave you feeling less pain by the end of a long, hard day.

Tip: Keeping your back, pain free, is usually a couple of fairly simple techniques. If you are hurting in a certain spot try massaging the muscle group around that particular area.

4. Weight loss. Carrying around excess body fat is a primary cause of back aches, and yet another reason to work yourself down to a healthy size. Since the belly really pulls on the back when it's bigger than it should be, and the belly is where most people have packed on the extra pounds, this area especially should be the focus of workouts to increase back health.

5. Strengthening exercises. Many exercises will help strengthen specific back muscles, and this can really help out a person with chronic back pain. Get a yoga mat, as most of these routines involve lying on the floor and lifting your legs. Also, consider low-impact, high-value exercises to increase your overall body strength and improve back health, like swimming or walking. They can aid you in weight loss as well.

Tip: Try not to stress out about your back pain. The stress of back injury or just general stress may even make a muscle spasm more likely.

6. Lift wisely. Injury is a primary cause of back pain, and much of it is preventable. One wrong move when you are lifting something can lead to a life time of back problems. Always get your legs and upper body involved in a lift, and if something is just too heavy for one person, get somebody to help you out. If you lift often then invest in a belt that will offer you support and act in preventative ways.

7. Bone-building nutrients. Things like skim-milk and lean chicken should replace high-fat meats and other unhealthy elements of your diet. Everything you eat contributes to or takes away from back health, so make sure you get plenty of fruits and vegetables, and foods high in vitamin D, calcium and phosphorous.

Tip: If you're suffering from back pain, be sure to stretch regularly. Stretching can prevent back pain from occurring at all.

8. Avoid smoke. We all know that even second-hand smoke is highly dangerous to a body; its restrictive effect on blood flow can damage the discs in your spine and lead to serious back pain. Especially if you are the smoker yourself, consider the harm you are doing to yourself and others in more ways than you can imagine. If you suffer with back pain, cigarettes make it much worse and in some cases are the cause of the pain to begin with.

Hopefully you have discovered some valuable information here that will help alleviate your back pain soon. Think about your back in everything your body does and be more aware of the surrounding circumstances; this should be a first step in the right direction in eliminating your discomfort.

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