3 ways to fix your back pain
3 Ways to Fix Your Back Pain
Lower back pain is one of the most common complaints amongst our population today.
A survey by spine.org found that 65% of people say they suffer from back pain more than once a month. What’s more, people spend significant amounts of money trying to fix back pain and relieve its symptoms.
Fortunately, there are some simple things that you can do to alleviate your symptoms and help prevent further discomfort. Let’s take a look at the top three ways to fix back pain, so you can get on with living a full and active life.
1. Avoid certain types of foods
Way back in the late 1800s, German bodybuilder Eugen Sandow emphasized the importance of looking after your organs and glands if you want to maintain healthy muscles. Inflammation in the digestive system, caused by poor diet, may have an adverse effect on the body’s ability to build and repair muscle.
It has been suggested that the prevention of muscle development is the body’s way of ensuring that inflamed organs are not compressed by thick layers of muscle tissue. Of course, without strong, supportive muscles, you are more likely to suffer from back pain.
So while there are numerous reasons to eat healthy, you can now add back pain to that list.
What's the solution?
Avoid the over-consumption of processed foods.
This can be a challenge since nearly every food purchased in the local store undergoes some type of processing, whether it's a preservative to extend a product's shelf life or a colouring to make it look more appealing.
The key is to look for food that has been processed or refined as little as possible and is free from additives and other artificial substances. These foods are commonly called "whole foods."
So put together a dietary game plan that focuses in on what's natural and avoids heavily processed (and addictive) foods and you'll experience health benefits beyond just a reduction in back pain.
2. Keep active by doing corrective exercise
First off, what exactly is "corrective exercise?"
Perhaps the easiest way to think of it is as a "reboot." For whatever reason - a lifetime of bad posture and slouching - your body has been altered somewhat. The goal of corrective exercise is to bring it back into its "neutral position" so you can, once again, move freely and without pain.
In order to fix your back pain, corrective exercise must ensure that your vertebrae are properly aligned. These therapeutic exercises will work to stretch short, tight muscles and strengthen those that are long, but weak. This kind of functional exercise will “pump” the body, helping to keep discs hydrated and joints lubricated; this, in turn, should help to remedy any current pain and prevent further symptoms.
Now, of course, corrective exercise is not a "one-size fits all" kind of science. In order to find out which exercises will work best for you, you’ll need to have a full physical examination by a corrective exercise specialist.
3. Sit right
The majority of people spend large amounts of time sitting down. After a long day spent at a desk, staring at a computer screen, many of us come home and flop on the couch to watch TV, or return to our desks at home to spend the evening browsing the internet. Sitting down puts more pressure on the discs than any other activity.
In order to reduce pressure on the spine, you should reduce the amount of time you spend sitting down. Work with your personal trainer to get the best advice on the most posture-friendly position for work, rest and play.
So where do you go from here?
For starters, keep these three steps close by and use them regularly to eliminate inflammation, strengthen your muscles and reduce pressure on your joints.
Next, I'm sure you have plenty of questions about the best path to take to secure you future health and well-being. It's time to get them answered. Book that appointment with your personal trainer and start your new journey to better health.
It's no secret that the key to being mobile later in life is being mobile and active all through your life. Action you take today could have a huge impact on your future well-being and happiness.