Back Care and Preventing Back Injury

Lower back pain is a widespread ailment that affects millions of people.  Just about everyone has lower back pain at some time in their lives.  According to the National Institutes of Health, the only thing more common than back pain is the headache.

The best way to treat back pain is to prevent it from happening in the first place.  Here are some back care tips to help you avoid back injury:

1.  If you have a job where you are sitting all day, take frequent breaks and either walk around or simply stand and stretch.  Try to schedule any activities that require you to stand (such as trips to the fax machine or the filing room) throughout the day so you can interrupt long periods of sitting at a desk.

2.  Take a walk during your lunch break instead of simply sitting at a table.  If it is not possible to take a walk, an indoor activity is appropriate.  Choose something that will allow you to stretch and get some aerobic exercise.

3.  If you are doing a recreational activity that requires you to stoop or bend over for long periods (such as gardening), take breaks and stretch your back out every twenty or thirty minutes.  This will prevent having constant pressure in the back.

4.  After any physical activity, avoid having a slouched posture right after the activity as your body cools down.  This is a very common cause of injury (more so than the initial movement itself).

5.  Be active. Engage in a physical fitness activity on a regular basis.  When you are sedentary, exertion can cause injury simply because your body is not used to it.  Unused muscles become weaker and are not as flexible.  Regular physical activity can also help you lose excess weight.  Excess weight around the abdomen can cause lower back pain by pulling on the spine disproportionately.

6.  Use care when lifting heavy objects. Remember to get as close as possible to the object when lifting it.  Bend your knees and use your legs to lift the object, not your back.  You can do this by straightening your knees while holding the object to lift it, not bending over and straightening your back to lift the object.  Do not be afraid or embarrassed to ask for help in lifting heavy objects, either; a moment spent to ask for help could prevent a lifelong injury.

7.  If your work site has an ergonomist on site, be sure to consult with him or her and heed his or her suggestions.

8.  When sitting, use a lumbar roll to help ensure a good posture.  Slouching and slumping can cause both lower and upper back pain.  Take frequent breaks and do stretching exercises.  Simply standing in place and stretching slowly forwards and backwards can help take the strain off of the back.

9. Should you experience back pain, It is now possible to adjust yourself using a new technique called Self Adjusting Technique should you ever experience back pain. A few steps of preventive back care can be worth a lifetime of being pain free.  Take care and heed the signs your back is giving you.

Learn everything you can about your back condition. An excellent resource is the free book Back Pain Secrets which can be found at BackInPain.org. In this 29 page book you will learn about many common types of back pain conditions. Go to http://Back-In-Pain.com to get your free copy today.