Ways in Taking Care of Your Back: 

Hurt No More

Just how do I take care of my back? This seems to be the million-dollar question that many have asked, especially those who have at least at one time, experienced the menacing pain a backache can give. 

When one experiences a back problem, and has felt the excruciating pain it brings, one will never forget that feeling, and will start to think twice about risking injury to the back.  The back pain experienced may vary in the degree it affects an individual, but it does not exempt anyone regardless of age.

Though one may usually hear complains of back problems from older people, such problems may also be experienced by younger people.  While age brings with it the hard truth of being more prone to injuries due to the decrease in bone mass density, there are instances wherein the younger people are exposed to similar risks.

Exercises and sports that are high intensity in nature poses more risk to back pains even to those who are still young, as compared to low intensity ones.  As simple as house related activities, like moving appliances or furniture perhaps, would also pose danger to getting back injuries when not done right.  Work related activities as lifting packages, materials or equipment in the workplace might also contribute to the risk of getting back pains when not done safely.

Your Back’s Function

With your back, you are able to stand straight and able to carry yourself, and move   around freely to do any task humanly possible.  Your back is there to enable you to have a balanced movement and an erect posture suited for any activity as may be needed.  Mobility and structural stability – these are provided for by your spinal column.

With the human back’s well-built structure of bones, muscles tendons and ligaments – you have with you a system whose parts reinforce each other to protect the spinal cord. The nerve bundles within the spinal cord are the body’s information superhighway where messages are carried to and from the brain.  It is where our emotions and thoughts, sensations, feelings and images come about. 

Taking Care of Your Back

Always be conscious of your back’s safety.  In anything you do, always ask how it affects your back, and proceed accordingly.  Being conscious of back safety protects your back, and helps prevent any future back injury from happening.

1.      Have the proper posture. 

While seating:  Don’t slump and don’t lean back.  Keep your feet properly planted on the floor.  You may switch positions over time.  Also, making use of a small pillow between your lower back and the chair will give you a comfortable seating position, as the pillow will provide the support that fits the contours of your back.

You may also want to take note that while you may have the right posture, but with the wrong type of chair, the risk is still there for you to get the back pains.  Get the perfect chair, one that makes you sit with your back straight.  There are ergonomic chairs now available in the market, which makes your sitting as comfortable as it can get.  It can also be adjusted to appropriate levels that are convenient for you in reading books or in using a computer.

While standing: Always keep your head properly aligned with your back.  Turn your whole body, and not just your head and neck.  Get the support from your legs, with your feet shoulder width apart.  Also, you may want to bend one of your knees alternately, from time to time, especially if you have been standing for a long period already.  Alternatively, shifting the weight from one leg to the other and changing positions will also be a good idea.

These may not be for everyone, but it is worthwhile to mention that height adjustable desks are available out there in the market.  These offer one the option in changing from the sitting to the standing position while at work.

Whether you are standing or sitting, always maintain a good posture.  Avoid slouching and maintain the natural “S” curve of your back.  This curve follows the form from neck, to the middle of the back and then towards the lower back area. 

2.      Lift properly – use the right technique.

Whenever you try to lift any weight off the floor, always lift with your legs – and not with your back.  Use your knees to properly execute the lift.  Bending your knees as you lower yourself near the object, keeping your back straight and keeping the object close to your body with your hands holding it securely, you then lift the object with the strength of your knees.  Then carry the object on the level of your waist.

However, if you should ever think that the load might be too heavy for you, get help.  Ask somebody to assist you, so that together both of you can lift the weight properly and in the process will only be handling half the original load. 

Better yet, if you have a pushcart or roller to aid you in transferring the load from one point to another, then by all means, make use of it.  Carrying heavy objects and walking around too long will stress out your back.  With the pushcart, not only will you be saving your back from possible injury, you will also be able to minimize the fatigue that you may have otherwise experienced without it.

3.      Relax and have a good stretch.

Sitting for too long a time will put stress on your lumbar spine.  It may not have the same effects as in lifting a heavy object the wrong way, but it will be more of an injury that will gradually develop over time. 

It is thus advisable to stand up every once a while and walk around.  One can take a break every 20 minutes if possible, or at least every hour to do some relaxation techniques.  Stretching and breathing exercises may prove to do you well, and provide you with that much-needed relief from stress.

With these stretching exercises, your back muscles will be in good condition and will become durable and flexible.  This will help with the proper circulation of blood on the back areas.

4.      Be fit and healthy.

Having too much body weight than your frame can carry will place added stress on your lower back.  The excess weight will do you no good and will only worsen your back problems.  It is thus best to get on your healthy weight, and make every effort to stay on that point.  All it requires is the discipline and your commitment to become fit and live a healthier lifestyle.

Do aerobic exercise regularly.  Walking and swimming are such activities that will do you good and will provide you with the right conditioning needed for a healthy back.  A good general conditioning exercise will strengthen your back muscle.  With your back muscle made stronger, you will have a stronger support for your back.

Eat healthy.  With a proper diet - eating only healthy foods as fruits and vegetables will be a good complement to your aerobic exercise.  With your healthy diet, which also includes protein and a minimum serving of good fats, your body will be able to get the essential nutrients for the proper functioning of the body – and a healthier back at that.

5.      Sleep properly.

Having the right position during sleep and making use of the appropriate pillows will be key in providing you with comfort, and the pain free back when you wake up.  It is not advisable to sleep on your stomach.  When sleeping on your back, it is good to have pillows under your knees so that the back is kept slightly curved. 

Also, make sure that you have the right mattress to sleep on – not too soft and not too firm; and rotate the position of your mattress every 3 to 4 months, and turning it over twice a year is a good rule of thumb.

In getting up, push your body off the bed with the use of your hands and elbows, letting them take most of the weight. 

Miscellaneous Tips on Back Care

Getting in and out of the car:

When going in, move the seat as far back as it can go, and hold onto the side of your car so that you will have more control. Use your arms, and legs properly to gain more control in getting in and sitting down, and on getting up and going out of the car.  Always keep your body in good alignment.

Also, try not to twist and turn too much to reach for objects on the back seat, or if you are on the back seat don’t reach out for things on the dashboard that may stretch your back beyond its natural capacity

Quick Remedies:

Use cold patches immediately after injuries.  During recovery, use warm patches. 

Also, if your back problem is not that critical and serious, it may recover with a good rest.  Lay down on a comfortable position with the back properly rested and free from strain.

See a doctor  – If your back problem is causing you pain that is no longer manageable on your end, and has been bothering you enough that it interferes with your normal routine at home, at work and at play – then consult your doctor.

It is always a good idea to refer any health problems you have, including your back problems to your family doctor.  When you feel it is an unnatural pain, and you are already bothered by it, you will always benefit on taking the services of a doctor.  Their knowledge on such conditions as yours will help you be healed the earliest time possible.  And if you should require any special medication and treatment, you can right away be informed of such need and will be able to undergo such on the right time.

Prevention Is Key

Back problems have haunted the old and young alike.  It is widespread and involves both men and women. It is a pain that ranges from a minor one to a pain that hurts deep into the back area.  It may be acute or chronic, and the causes may vary for different individuals affected.

The treatment will depend on the specific cause of one’s back problems. Medication and the necessary medical treatment to address a specific back problem will at least give a temporary relief to the pain brought about by such.  If it should be one that can be healed effectively in only a period of time, then you are at luck.  But if it is one that recurs, and keeps coming back, then you may very have to deal with it throughout your lifetime, especially if your case is beyond medical treatment to fully and completely heal.

Prevention is always better than cure.  If one can avoid having back problems by always subscribing to the principle of back safety, and on always taking care of one’s back - then it is at one’s benefit to do so. 

Taking care of your back, even if you haven’t had a serious back injury in the past, will do you good in the future.  Never wait for an injury before you give your back the right care it needs.  Recognize its worth and importance, and give it its due attention – as early as now. 

Never take your back for granted.  As they say, if you take good care of your back, your back will take good care of you – so never miss an opportunity to be good to your back, give it what it is due,  and always be conscious of the things you do that affects its condition.  In the end, it will all depend on the care you put upon your back - that determines whether you still walk proud - or you walk bowed.