Millions of Americans deal with persistent or chronic back pain. If you’re one of the millions that suffer each day, changing a few things in your lifestyle might seem like a small price to pay to stop pain.
We are here to help you learn how to stop back spasms and other back pain, so you can get on with your life. Continue reading this article as we go through the lifestyle changes you can make to experience less pain and get your life back.
1. Practice Good Posture
Do you cross your legs at the knees a lot? While that might be a common way for people to sit, sitting that way can knock your back out of alignment. When you’re sitting, if you must cross your legs, cross them at your ankles.
When you’re standing or walking, you should bear most of your weight on the balls of your feet, and you keep your knees slightly bent. Pull your shoulders back and keep your chin up.
2. Choose the Right Mattress
We spend hours each night in our beds, but many times, they aren’t even comfortable. We lie awake for hours, just wishing the pain away. Finding the best mattress for back pain can change your life and allow you to get the rest you need.
3. Be Aware of How You’re Working
We spend a great deal of our time working. If you don’t pay attention to how your workspace is set up, you might be causing a lot of your back pain during work hours.
If you work at a desk, make sure your desk is at the proper height. You should also check to see if your computer is tilted to an angle that is going to allow you to sit comfortably and still practice the good posture we spoke about above.
4. Stretch and Strengthen
When you have back pain, you might think the best thing to do is to sit as still as you can and hope it goes away. Sitting can make your problem worse, but stretching and strengthening your back and core muscles will help you experience less pain.
As you’re strengthening your back and core muscles, you should be careful not to hurt yourself. Use a chair to steady yourself if you need to, and don’t try to push yourself beyond your limits.
Stretching should feel good. When you stretch, you shouldn’t feel pinching or pain. Slight discomfort is okay as you’re trying to gain more flexibility, but don’t go too far.
5. Lose Weight If Necessary
If you’re overweight and have back pain, losing weight can help you keep from hurting yourself further. If you’re carrying around too much weight, you’re putting unnecessary pressure on your back.
Maintaining a healthy weight is important for your overall health, but when you’re experiencing back pain, it can make a difference very quickly. The extra weight on the spinal discs and muscles causes pain, and even a few pounds can make a noticeable difference.
6. Say No to Smoking
Not only does smoking put you at risk of hurting your back due to severe coughing attacks from inhaling smoke, but it can contribute to degeneration in your spinal discs.
If you plan on having surgery or if you’ve had surgery, you should stop smoking right away, so it is easier for your body to heal.
7. Modify Your Living Space as Needed
If there are a lot of obstacles in your home that could cause you to trip or fall, it’s time to modify the space. You don’t want to cause the problem to get worse just because there is an ill-placed piece of furniture.
If you sit a lot, make sure you give yourself breaks and get active. Use a lumbar support pillow when you’re sitting to help you with your new goal of proper posture.
8. Reduce Stress
When you’re stressed to the max, your muscles are super tense. Super tense muscles can make it feel like your discs in your spine are being pulled out one by one.
Taking time to relax your body and decompress from stress is essential. Simple breathing exercises can make a big difference in how your body feels throughout the day.
Yoga can be a helpful way to reduce stress, and it helps with stretching, so it’s a doubly beneficial activity.
9. See Your Doctor for Regular Checkups
Going to see your medical doctor for regular checkups will help you keep your health on track. It’s easy to lie to ourselves about how we’re doing, but when you have a doctor that can give you advice and hold up a mirror to the things that you aren’t doing for your health, you’re more likely to take care of important issues.
10. Keep Your Chiropractic Appointments
Going to see chiropractors can help keep you in alignment, and many times they have natural methods that can help you decrease the pain you’re feeling. If you’ve never been to a chiropractor before, give it a try and see if you notice any relief.
Stop Pain and Feel Good Again
Now you know how to stop pain, so you can feel good again. Use the above information to make important lifestyle changes that will make a major impact on your quality of life.
Do you feel like you need more help and tips for living a healthy life? Our site is full of articles that can help you as you’re working to improve your quality of life.
Browse our site, find your favorite health and wellness section, drop a bookmark, and come back soon to read more.