Are you struggling with back pain? Is so, this post is just for you as it brings a wealth of utterly valuable information on how to deal with back pain that’s affecting your daily life. Whether you talk about its symptoms, causes, how to prevent it, or how to treat it, we will discuss all these aspects in this invaluable post. Besides, we will also throw some light on the risk factors associated with back pain.
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Here is How Your Back Works
But before we jump into discussing all these points, let’s first try to understand how the back works. Until and unless you know how it works, you won’t be able to figure out its cause when you start experiencing pain in your back. For a healthy and pain-free back; it’s essential that you have a healthy spine, discs, muscles, ligaments, and tendons.
When you talk about muscles, both healthy back and core muscles are essential for the proper functioning of your back. If you fail to maintain them the way you should, you will start experiencing pain and discomfort.
One of the most important causes of disability across the world, back pain remains a common cause of missed workdays and doctor’s visit. And most people experience it at some point in their life. Although you can treat back pain, it doesn’t mean you should stop taking precautions to avoid it.
Signs & Symptoms of Back Pain
Shooting pain in the upper or lower back
Pain that radiates down your hips and legs
Muscle ache while carrying out physical activities
Pain that starts aggravating while stretching, bending, and twisting
Pain that worsens with walking, running, and standing
Pain that aggravates with prolonged periods of sitting
Causes of Back Pain
Back pain can occur due to several factors, and some of the most important among them include muscle strains and ligament sprains, ruptured disks, skeletal irregularities, osteoporosis, and chronic conditions like osteoarthritis. Apart from that, weak core muscles, spinal tumour and back injuries can also lead to back pain.
Risk Factors For Back Pain
There is little doubt that anyone can experience back pain but a sedentary lifestyle, obesity, diabetes, smoking and poor posture, increase its risk. Apart from that, your chances of getting back pain also increase with age.
Let’s take a look at how to prevent back pain:
Reduce Your Weight
Are you overweight? Do you find it difficult to perform physical activities linked to your daily life? Are you unable to climb the stairs up and down? Do you experience pain in your back while walking and running? If so, you should reduce your weight in the first place.
Overweight can put a lot of stress on your spine and back, apart from your weight-bearing joints. It is not only dangerous for your back, but it can also lead to various other health problems such as it can increase blood pressure and can also lead to high cholesterol and blood sugar levels.
And high blood sugar increases the risk of stroke, heart disease, and nerve damage. Besides, it also makes you vulnerable to kidney disease.
Stick to Regular Exercise
Staying active plays a vital role in preventing and reducing back pain, so try to stick to a good exercise routine. Include effective moves in your workout plan to strengthen your back and core muscles. Discover stretches that strengthen the spine and perform them regularly.
Improve Your Posture
Poor posture also leads to back pain, so work on it. If you have a sitting job, make sure that you improve the way you sit. Sit up straight; don’t bend your back while working on the computer. Most people who work on computers have the habit of slouching, which starts affecting them slowly and gradually.
So keep your back straight and your feet flat on the floor. Apart from that, if you think that you do not have a comfortable chair, try to replace it with a good one soon.
Take Frequent Breaks
Prolonged sitting increases the risk of back pain, so make sure that you take a small break at every hour. Get up from your seat and take a minute to stretch your body. If you do that regularly, it will have a considerable impact on your health.
Eat Healthy Food
There is little doubt that you should eat healthy food to maintain a healthy body. Consuming foods that are rich in minerals, vitamins, protein, zinc, fiber, and calcium, etc., will make you feel healthy and energetic all the time. Also, make sure that you avoid processed food because they contain a lot of preservatives that can affect your body in unhealthy ways.
Now let’s take a look at how to treat back pain
See a Doctor
If you have been experiencing back pain for quite some time, then it’s essential to see a doctor. Most people think that back pain is normal, so they often underestimate the significance of seeing a doctor. If you are also one among them, please don’t ignore the importance of consulting a doctor because your pain could be a result of an underlying illness, and if you fail to address it at the right time, you will end up experiencing more health complications later on. So consulting a doctor is a must.
Consult a Physical Therapist
If your back pain is treatable naturally, your doctor will suggest you seek physical therapy for it, if they do so, please stick to their instructions. Don’t try to assume things on your own. Sometimes when doctors ask their patients to see a physical therapist for back pain, they ignore their advice thinking that they can also perform exercises at home to treat their back. The first thing that you should do is understand the significance of physical therapy in treating your back pain. Don’t think of it as an exercise program because that’s not true.
Physical therapy requires the involvement of a well-trained healthcare specialist who designs an effective care plan to treat your problem. They use suitable techniques and specific exercises to address your back pain or injuries.
According to Physio Balance & Sports Performance, “If you or a loved one have been experiencing any early warning signs of a back injury or sciatica that include numbness, tingling, and intense pain – physical therapy can help.”
Your physical therapist will try to address the root cause of your problem; they won’t focus on relieving your pain temporarily.
Apart from seeing a doctor or consulting a physical therapist, make sure that you try to stay positive all the time because that’s important for your full recovery. If you think positive, you will take all the right steps to battle your pain and discomfort.