Healing Back Pain: Solutions

The Mayo Clinic reports that 80% of Americans will experience back pain at some point in their lives. The lower back is the most common site of pain, due to its curvature and the amount of impact it endures from the weight of the upper body.

Often, lower back pain is the result of muscle strain. This type of pain is usually temporary and, if treated properly, can be resolved within a couple of days. If the pain is ignored and proper steps are not made to repair the damage, however, pain can become chronic.

Chronic back pain is classified as pain that persists for more than three months. Simple muscle tension can become chronic if adjustments are not made to correct posture and strengthen muscles.

American life is largely sedentary. Many Americans work at jobs that require sitting for the better part of eight hours a day. In its 2010 American Time Use Survey, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported that individuals over the age of 15 spend an average of 2.7 hours per day in front of the television. Add to this the time spent in front of a computer, and you have nearly a full day of sitting.

With this consideration in mind, the importance of proper posture cannot be underestimated. The muscles that support the spine and upper body can become strained if they are too weak for the job. Those who experience lower back pain often notice it after sitting for a long period of time.

Three Simple Steps

To ensure that your pain does not become chronic, there are several steps you can take to improve posture at home, in the car and at work.

First, strengthen your core. The muscles of the pelvis, hips, lower back and abdomen comprise the core muscle group. This group is responsible for supporting the spine and the weight of the upper body. These muscles should be engaged while you are sitting. Most people end up slouching because the whole core group is not being put to use. The responsibility of holding the body upright rests solely on the lower back muscles in this case, creating significant tension and causing the spine’s lumbar region to lose its natural arch. This distorts curvature all the way up the spine, creating excess pressure on the discs between vertebrae.

See the Mayo Clinic’s slide show of 10 core exercises with variations at MayoClinic.com. These can be performed without equipment.

Second, use ergonomics to assist your core in maintaining proper posture. Even a rock-solid core would struggle to hold you up in a chair for 10 hours a day. Ergonomics is the science of tailoring your environment to the needs of your body. At work, you should have a chair that adjusts for your height and has a lumbar support. Your feet should be flat on the ground or on a footrest to keep from straining your joints.

Third, be more active. Any desk job should allow you five or ten minutes to get out of your chair, stretch, and walk around after an hour of sitting. Find creative ways to make this time productive: delivering files, brainstorming, and talking with coworkers about relevant work issues are ways to get out of your chair and still work. You can easily incorporate stretching into TV and computer time as well. Use commercial breaks to do a few exercises or take a walk around the house.

These three steps will help turn temporary back pain into a thing of the past while warding off chronic pain for good.

Technorati Tags: acute lower back pain, back pain, chronic back pain, conditions, fitness, health