Back Health Regimen: How to Prevent Back Pain and Problems

Back pain can impact nearly every part of your life, especially if you lead an active lifestyle. Without a doubt, this common problem is one of the most frustrating problems you may have. Nevertheless, there are things you can do to prevent back pain, most of which are related to certain movement patterns and positions of the body. In this article, we’ll give you insight into how to prevent and deal with back pain.

Keep Your Back Straight

How many times have you heard that phrase over your lifetime? Proper posture, please! Not only will keeping your back straight help you to look better, but it will also help you to feel better too. Have you ever noticed that if you keep your back straight and erect you feel more energized and alert? Have you noticed when you slouch you feel more sluggish and sleepy? Students will definitely identify with this phenomenon. Perhaps it is a built-in warning system that we feel better when we keep our back straight.

Unless you want to be The Hunchback of Notre Dame, keeping a good body position (especially during weight training) is essential to preventing and dealing with back pains Why? Because the majority of back injuries are due to a poor, unfavorable body position under significant tension. Lifting heavy things during everyday activities, or simply being in a bad position for a long time, can progressively damage your spine’s vertebrae.

To further help you understand this, consider the following example. You went to the grocery to get some water and are going to load your trunk with large water tubs. Instead of bending over and lifting the bottles up with a curved back, you hoist them up with a neutral spine. How? Begin by bending over with a straight back and dipping your hips down, instead of rounding your spinal column. Then, use your whole body to lift up the tubs and avoid unfavorable positions of the spine.

Think of it as a squat!

Tips to Avoid Back Pain

Though back pain can be excruciating, there are things you can do to prevent and/or deal with it, if it is already present.

Walk It Off

I know this is the classic coach’s phrase minus the “drink water” to solve every sporting problem known to man. But at least you are hydrated, right? On a serious note, walking it off really does help you. I have noticed that people who walk often have amazing posture. Non-strenuous aerobic exercise, such as walking, has been shown to relieve low back pain. It’s simple, free, and easy to incorporate into your daily routine, plus, you can practically do it at any time, in combination with daily chores.

Walk to work instead of taking the bus, go to the store, or simply walk your dog! Walking helps strengthen the muscles that keep the body upright and improves the stability of the spine. Though it’s the most common human activity, walking is a powerful back pain-relieving exercise! So go ahead, walk it out every once in a while, especially if you are already experiencing backaches.

Swimming is not just a potentially life-saving skill to have, it is also a back-saving skill. Swimming can be a great exercise to help relieve back pain because it puts virtually no pressure on your spine and back, as the water supports your entire body. Swimming is considered a “low-impact” cardio activity, which doesn’t put stress on your joints and engages the majority of your muscle groups. Swimming is great for people of all ages, even babies. However, it is important to use the correct swimming technique, as certain movements can strain the back and neck and make back pain worse!

Remember, It’s Not Just Your Back

In many instances, back pain is simply the result of weakness elsewhere in your body! As a matter of fact, your back works with many other muscles to keep your body straight and stable. That group of muscles is referred to as the “core” and its made up of, but not only:

1. Abdominal muscles
2. Lower back muscles
3. Obliques
4. Pelvic floor muscles
5. Diaphragm

For this reason, developing your core muscles is of prime importance for back health!

Here are our top 5 exercises to help you strengthen your core:

1. Hanging leg raises
2. Stomach Vacuums
3. Lower back hyperextensions
4. Side to side hanging knee raises
5. Hip thrusts

Including these 5 exercises and adding some resistance to them, will help you strengthen your core all around and thus, take tension off of your back and make it less likely for injury to occur.

Conclusion

Back pain is a common thing for many people, which in most cases is caused by poor body posture during daily and training activities. If however you maintain good posture and have good exercise form, but back pain still persists, it is best to consult with your doctor/physical therapist. Remember that back pain must not be taken as a joke – A single wrong movement can lead to excruciating, continuous pain! This is the exact reason why you should resort to consulting with a medical professional, in case your back pain is significant.