The Top 5 Common Causes Of Back Pain And How To Prevent It

Back pain in Catonsville is extremely common and in fact, 4 out of 5 people will experience it at some point in their lives. It is so prevalent that it is the leading cause of missed work in the US. When it strikes, the pain can range from mild to extreme and last just a few days or persist and affect your daily life. If you are like most Americans, your initial reaction is to reach for an over the counter pain pill, but the truth is that thinking is backward. Instead of focusing on the injury once it occurs, the key is to try to prevent the pain from occurring in the first place. Keep reading to learn about the Top 5 Common Causes Of Back Pain And How To Prevent It.

The Top 5 Common Causes Of Back Pain And How To Prevent It

1). Sitting At A desk Hunched Over:

You sit for hours at a desk job, staring at your computer. You are probably not even thinking about your posture, but how you are sitting is affecting your back. Sitting for long periods of time puts stress on your back and can eventually cause long term damage. Fortunately, there are some simple remedies to prevent this from happening.

How To Prevent It: Make a conscious effort to sit up straight with your feet planted firmly on the floor, and make sure you are sitting eye level with your computer. If needed, raise your chair, so you are not looking down. In addition, make sure you get up at regular intervals to stretch and relax your muscles.

2). Improper lifting:

When you bend and lift incorrectly, you are putting strain on your back, which can cause muscle strain, disc injury and even joint damage.

How To Prevent It: The most common advice you hear in regards to lifting properly is to bend at the knees and while this is true, it is also important to make sure you are bending at the hips and avoid twisting your back. Another good tip is to remember to keep the object you are lifting, close to your body to limit the force you are putting on your back

3). Sleeping Position:

The absolute worst position to sleep in is on your stomach. Sleeping this way compresses your lower back and causes you to keep your head twisted while you sleep. Another common sleeping position is sleeping on your back, this position is also not recommended, because it puts a lot of added pressure on your spine.

How To Prevent It: Ideally, the best position to sleep is on your side. Switching sleeping positions isn’t as easy at it sounds, so if changing positions isn’t an option for you, the solution is to use a pillow under your abdomen if you are a stomach sleeper and under your knees if sleeping on your back.

4). Lack Of Exercise:

Living a sedentary lifestyle has so many detrimental effects on your health, not the least of weakening your muscles and stiffening your joints.

How To Prevent it: The obvious answer is to exercise more, which will give you more muscle tone and help prevent back injuries, but it is also important to add back and abdominal exercises into your routine to strengthen your back and stomach.

5). Stress:

Stress is the root cause of all evil, and the havoc it wreaks on your body is irrefutable. When you are stressed, you tend to clench your jaw, tighten your shoulders and stiffen your neck, all of which puts pressure on your back.

How To Prevent It: Managing your stress is vital to your health and there are many options. Yoga, meditation and deep breathing are all activities that can help.

Prevention is key, and making simple changes to your lifestyle can reduce your chances of hurting your back. If despite your efforts at prevention, you do injure your back, Chiropractic can help get you out of pain and back to living your life.

Dr. Johnson, your Catonsville Chiropractor, has been treating pain and patients with auto injuries for almost 20 years. For more information visit: www.MyPainReliefCenter.com. To schedule a free consultation, give us a call at (410) 782-0750.