Back Pain Good Habits to Get #7

Avoid high-impact exercise like running, softball, rowing, basketball, and tennis. All of these sports increase the pressure on the back and the musculature which can increase the back pain. Once you have resolved your back pain, you can return to these exercises, but do it gradually. If the pain returns, give up that exercise - it is not going to be right for you!

Better yet is to start walking or use low-impact machines like a bike or elliptical trainer. Another thing that will help is to work on the musculature in the core of the body. Crunches and reclined leg lifts will help strengthen the back muscles and take the strain off of the spine.

Back Pain Good Habits to Get #6

If you are lifting things, lift with you leg muscles. Not sure why this is italicized today, but that's technology!

So lift with your upper legs. Squat to pick something up and then come up from the legs not the lower back. Do not bend to pick up things.

You can also use a three point stance if you're picking up something that you can hold in one hand. Using a table or solid object that will not move, place one hand on the object, as you bend at the waist, lift the opposite leg straight out behind you. (hold the solid object with the left hand and lift the right leg out straight behind). Pick up the object with the free hand.

Back Pain Good Habits to Get #5

How you sleep plays a huge part in the development of back pain. You should be sleeping on our side or back. The biggest contributor to back pain is when you sleep on your stomach. Think about it, the back is not in proper alignment when you are on your stomach - the lower lumbar area is pushed upward instead being allowed to me in it's normal S shape. Also the head is turned putting stress on the musculature of the upper back and neck - the muscles are not in a relaxed position.

Get a body pillow and learn to sleep on your side. You may be amazed at how much this helps!

Back Pain Good Habits to Get #4

Now this one doesn't pertain to guys, but ladies, give up the high heels. Yes they are fashionable, but they can be very hard on the back. You need a good solid flat base of support so that your body is not pitched one direction or the other. This is actually what causes the back muscles to become fatigued and begin to ache.

Back Pain Good Habits to Get #3

Regardless of whether you are sitting or standing for long periods of time, take a break! If you are sitting, get up every hour and move around. You don't have to walk a mile, but at least walk around for 2-3 minutes.

If you are standing in one place, do the same - walk around for a couple of minutes. Changing the position is helpful in terms of keeping the back musculature from becoming over fatigued.

Back Pain Good Habits to Get #2

If you stand most of the day, stand with good posture. Don't stand with all of your weight on one leg. Your weight should be evenly distributed between both legs. Also, if you stand for a long period of time in one place, flex the knees - this will help alleviate the pressure particularly on the lower back.

If you're standing in a pretty still position, think about tightening the calves or curling your toes which activates the muscles in the legs. This will also help alleviate pressure.

If you're working with things that weigh more than a couple of pounds, work with them as close to the body as possible. the further away they are the more torque and pressure that is put on the lower back.

Back Pain Good Habits to Get

Back pain is one of the most common complaints these days. The good news is that there are some habits you can develop to help alleviate your back pain. Over the next few days I'll be going over some of these helpful habits.

First and foremost, if you sit much during the day, be sure that you sit straight up. If you're using a computer, you shouldn't be slouched over to use it. Make sure the key board is the right height when you are sitting straight up. If your chair does not have a built-in lumbar support, the get a lumbar support cushion for your chair. This will help you stay up right and support the lower back which is usually where most back pain is located.

Posture and Back Pain Part #5

Another method used to help you move better and easier is the Feldenkrais Method. This method focuses on you learning to move with greater ease, skill, and awareness. This particular method is about self discovery rather than teaching you a specific way to move.

The person working with you on the Feldenkrais method will look at the larger picture. They will look for patterns which create stress to a particular place. The focus is to improve movement through the whole system. These classes are often taught as Awareness Through Movement or Functional Integration. By clarifying your own self image you will be able to inform your body mentally regarding movement.

Posture and Back Pain Part #4

Often times the cause of back pain is from habits and tensions that individuals carry in their body from day to day. This can include things like hunching over a computer, tensing the neck and jaw when driving, or tensing the back when driving with the position of the foot on the gas.

The Alexander method helps people learn how to use their bodies with more ease and less tension. These exercises are designed to go through the simple movements of sitting, standing, walking or bending and to make these movements simple and easy so that you expend minimal effort and improve the use of your body.

Posture and Back Pain Part #3

An exercise regime that is fairly new to the US but has been used a lot in Asia and Europe is the Franklin Method. This is a science based approach that uses imagery, touch and movement.

This method facilitates ease and comfort in the body and helps to maximize the body's potential for movement. It combines movement with imagery exercises, since the mind's awareness of function can improve the function. A Franklin method practitioner works with you to determine how you move. The using anatomical knowledge, imagery, and direct physical awareness the practitioner will determine the pattern that causes the pain. They will then teach you how to use the mind and the body to move the body in the way in which it was designed.

Posture and Back Pain Part #2

One of the things to know about back pain is that the body will do whatever it has to do to keep you moving. This may result in you not actually moving as you were intended to move which results in pain.

Another form of exercise which is often helpful in back pain is tai chi. This is sometimes described as meditation in motion. The gentle movements work on balance and include deep breathing. These movements help balance the body and free up movement.

You can start by taking a few lessons from a tai chi master and then you can work at home with a DVD once you know the basic movements.

Posture and Back Pain

Since back pain seems to be a common problem in our society, I thought it woul be a good idea to talk about some methods that can help chronic back. The first thing to know about back pain is that it is usually telling you something is out of alignment. This does not necessarily mean that you need to see a chiropractor, but it does mean something is not exactly lined up correctly.

There is a group of exercises that can be designed for you specifically based on posture photos and a comparison with symptoms. These exercises are simple movements that are specifically designed to put you back in line. This method is called the Egoscue Method and was developed by Pete Egoscue who suffered from chronic back pain. This method is utilized by many clinics nationally and internationally.