If you're among the more than 30 million Americans suffering from low back pain, it's time to take a proactive role in reducing your discomfort and enhancing your quality of life. Finding a chiropractor practicing in your community is a logical first step. Scheduling an appointment sets you up for a back evaluation, adjustment
Lose Some Weight
Weight loss isn't something that happens overnight, but working toward a healthier lifestyle can be beneficial as a way to begin reducing the pain in your low back. Those who are overweight often have back pain because the extra weight pulls on the back's muscles. Over time, this issue can pull the spine out of alignment. Although there are myriad ways to attempt to lose weight, the basic formula is to ensure that your daily caloric burn exceeds your caloric intake. You can often achieve this state by adding some cardiovascular exercise to your daily routine, such as walking, jogging or bicycling, and cutting down on high-calorie foods, such as desserts and junk food.
Bid Farewell To Stress
If you feel that your back pain is worse after a particularly stressful day at work, you're not imagining it. Pain in the low back can occur or worsen as a result of stress; this emotional state often causes physical reactions such as muscle tightening and poor posture, which can create discomfort. The first step toward reducing your stress is to determine its cause. You can often find results through talk therapy or meeting with an HR rep at your workplace. Making the necessary changes to reduce your overall stress is important for the health of your back.
Practice Perfect Posture
Whether you're seated or standing, be mindful of the position of your back. It can be easy to slouch forward, but doing so puts extra strain on your back and can worsen your discomfort. Regardless of your position, it's important to maintain an upright position with your back above your hips and your shoulders above your back. A good visualization is to imagine a string attached to the top of your spine and gently pulling upward. Maintaining this posture relieves strain on your back and can help you reduce your pain.
Share22 October 2015
One day, in the middle of helping my kids to clean up the house, I lifted a box weird and threw out my back. It was frustrating, but I assumed that it would go away on its own. I was wrong. After trying everything I could think of to resolve the problem, my back still hurt and I couldn't stand up straight. After a week of suffering, I made the decision to meet with a chiropractor. He inspected my back, took x-rays, and figured out that I had slipped a disc. I started a grueling physical therapy routine, but after a few days, things started to improve. Read this blog to learn more about chiropractors.
