Prevention of Low Back Pain
Low back pain affects hundreds of thousands of people each year. Unfortunately, statistics point out that almost everyone, at some point in their lifetime, will experience low back pain. We may not be able to completely prevent all possible occurrences of it, there are many things we can do. We will look at some of the practical preventative tactics such as diet, posture, lifting and massage chair therapy which can help to minimize the possibility of low back pain or speed its recovery.
The diet is the fuel we are putting into our body. It is important to maintain nutrition so that our muscles and soft tissues can perform. Many people have poor diets because they eat many processed foods and sugars or fast foods high in fats. This can cause people to gain weight. Your spine has to take up this extra weight on an ongoing basis. For better health it is important to reduce the weight and stress on the spine.
Preventing low back pain means taking positive action to improve your overall health as well as your back health. This is obvious, but one must first start with ways to protect the back in your activities. This means learning the correct ways of lifting, sitting and standing. Sitting and standing in a slouched position increases the stress placed on the lower back and increases the probability of an injury.
There many simple techniques to preventing low back pain. If you sit then make sure that you sit upright with your shoulders back. This takes the pressure off of your spine. If you are standing, do you slouch? Many people stand with their shoulders hunched forward. Instead put your shoulders back and your chin up. This not only improves your posture but also portrays a positive image.
Another key area of prevention is learning proper lifting techniques. Lifting applies to all sorts of objects, not just heavy lifting. Most people lift by bending over which puts all the weight and strain directly on the lower back. The lower back was not designed for this type of lifting. Instead use your legs by bending your knees. Let your legs do the lifting because these are the largest and strongest muscles you have.
You need to do periodic exercise to help strengthen your back. Light exercise should include a warm-up of stretching and massage therapy. With the muscles warmed up then do some light aerobics exercises. Going for a walk for just 20 minutes a day can help strengthen your back. You want to keep your back muscles strong and flexible.
Massage chair therapy is used extensively to restore flexibility in the lower back muscles. There are a variety of massage techniques that are used to stimulate the muscles of the lumbar area. Slight stretching of the soft tissue areas is important for them to maintain their elasticity. Massage chairs use techniques such as kneading, vibration, compression and tapping to soothe and relieve the sore muscle areas.
One often overlooked area is your sleeping position. We spend between 5 and 8 hours sleeping. This is most likely more time than we spend doing almost anything else. Avoid sleeping on your stomach which will increase the stress on your lower back. Instead sleep on your side with a pillow between your knees. Another position is on your back with a pillow under your knees. Another relieving position is sleeping with a small towel rolled up under their lower back is comfortable.
While most people will suffer from low back pain at some point in their lives there are specific treatment protocols and methods of prevention that can help to speed the recovery process and reduce the risk of the problem happening again. Diet, exercise, lifting techniques, sleeping and massage therapy can all help to minimize potential problems and low back pain. Massage chairs can be an excellent asset in the prevention and healing of low back problems. Check with your doctor for more information and what might be right for your situation.