20 for 20 – Lower back pain tips for 2020
1. Ergonomics
Your workstation should be assessed and adjusted to suit your body shape. This will help prevent office related injury such as:
- Muscle strain
- Poor functioning joints
- Repetitive strain etc
Click here for more tips.
2. Keep Active
Exercise at least 30 minutes 3 times a week. Walking is a great exercise and doesn’t require changing and showering! Read more here on why a lunch time walking could benefit your career and boost your creativeness.
3. Sitting
Feet should be flat on the floor, or supported on a footrest to minimise traction on the lower back. Sit upright looking straight ahead to keep the spine straight and prevent neck strain. Click here for more footrest tips.
4. Professional advice and treatment
Seek professional advice and treatment to boost your recovery. The quicker an injury is treated the faster the response.
5. Mobile Devices
Sit up when texting, reading or watching.
Keep devices at chest or eye level to reduce neck and back strain.
Use headphones or a holder to prevent holding your phone up for long periods. Learn more here.
6. Lifting
Ensure you don’t lift anything too heavy or awkward shape alone.
Bend from your knees, keep a wide stance and avoid twisting.
Keep the load close to you and avoid bending your back (use a hip hinge, see exercises 5 on this link).
7. Carrying
Avoid carrying heavy or awkward things far or alone.
Backpacks can be useful if you have to carry anything. They help to spread the load more equally across your body, and keep your centre of gravity as central as possible. Read more about backpacks here.
8. Always bend your knees
Bending your knees helps protect your lower back and reduce forward sheer on the knees. When lifting, make sure you position yourself as close to the item as possible, bending your knees to drop down, while maintaining your centre of gravity between your feet.
9. Driving
Knees should be slightly bent and back supported by the back rest, adjust your seat to your needs.
Use a lumbar support to suit your natural lumbar curve (either a specifically made lumbar support or a rolled-up towel). Lumbar curves can vary dramatically from person to person, so if you share a car you will need to readjust.
Raise the back of the seat so you are sitting on a flat surface
Take regular breaks on long drives including a short walk and stretch.
10. Child Care
When on the floor sit with your back straight or kneel with a straight back.
Carry your baby supported in the middle of your body (correctly fastened baby carriers can be useful for prolonged carrying). Keep your baby carrier above your hips.
Adjust pram handles to the level of your belly button, pushing with relaxed shoulders and slightly bent elbows.
When breastfeeding use a pillow to support the baby.
11. House Work
Mopping / vacuuming – stand upright, keep elbows close to the body. Move with the mop to avoid twisting, vacuuming push up and down rather than pull.
Bathroom cleaning – sit on a low stool or kneel avoiding twisting.
Standing at a worktop or sink, use a wide stance and lean your stomach on the worktop edge to support yourself.
Be mindful at all times of posture and head position, keeping the spine neutral.
12. Gardening
The same applies as above with lifting. Top back pain tip, don’t go crazy in the garden when spring arrives. Your body wont be ready for hours of gardening if it hasn’t done it since summer. Start with short periods of gardening, changing position regularly. Pay careful attention to bending and lifting techniques. We have more details and advise on gardening here.
13. Walking
Brisk walking is beneficial for maintaining a healthy lifestyle and often helps mechanical back pain.
Maintain an upright posture to avoid slumping or leaning forwards. Some people find it motivating tracking their progress on a fitness app or pedometer.
We have a full article on the benefits or 30 minutes walking here.
14. Regular breaks
People underestimate the importance of breaks for maintaining good spinal health, getting your blood flowing and therefore oxygenating your muscles.
It’s important to look up from your computer, or get out of the car on long journeys to change the position and move your joints.
15. Exercise
Choose a warmup that increases your heart rate and elevates body temperature over simple stretching.
Walk briskly, swinging arms slow, building up to a higher intensity exercise.
16. Sleep
Good sleep can:
- Improve concentration and mood
- Reduce the chance of stroke, heart disease, type 2 diabetes, depression and much more
17. Nutrition
Very few people really understand their nutritional needs.
Convenience foods and eating out can be difficult to track. Processed food often contains additional sugars and fats you may be totally unaware of.
Specific diets can be tricky to maintain long term, instead look at realistic tweaks you can achieve, such as not adding sugar to your cup of tea. Avoiding/limiting fast foods.
18. Stop smoking
You don’t need telling, you know it’s not good. As with most addictions seek help when you are ready. Working with a professional makes you accountable and increase your chance of success, go for it!
19. Lose excess weight
This can be as difficult as giving up smoking. Understanding your nutritional requirements and which foods provide you with the correct nutrition and energy is important for sustained weight loss. In addition to increasing your daily exercise regime is a good place to start. If you are currently inactive taking a short walk during your lunch break or getting off the tube a stop early could be a good place to start.
20. Relax
Many people don’t take time to switch of and relax. Find a relaxation techniques that works for you such as reading, listening to calm music, meditation, yoga etc can all be calming and help you focus on yourself.
Our Cranbrook Chiropractor help’s people suffering from different musculoskeletal injuries. They not only provide a hands on treatment to encourage the body to function better, but also reflect on what the patient does day to day. It’s so important to correct poor postures or action that could be causing damage to accelerate recovery and prevent future flare ups.
You can book online now or call 01392 984959 to start your road to recovery.