That said, it’s not necessarily true that lower back pain only comes with growing older – as many younger athletes can attest to. Any adult, young or old, can experience lower back pain. And, if you are not careful enough, you could hurt your lower back in an instant – just by doing your daily routines and activities.
Of course, we really, really don’t want that to happen to you so we’ve gone ahead and created a quick guide to show you 6 daily routines that can protect you from hurting your lower back.
Let’s get to it.
Understanding Lower Back Pain
Pains may be due to sprains or accidental injuries such as those caused by lifting heavy objects, sudden movements or even by the mere twisting of the body. Some people may also develop lower back pain due to their excess weight, advanced age or due to a poor posture (another reason we all need to be getting regular spinal adjustments).
Our lower back is very intricate – which means it may be injured anytime by even minor incorrect movements. Our lumbar spine (which makes up our lower back) is made of five segments with each segment having their respective duties and the two lower segments being responsible for the twisting and bending of our bodies.
These segments, once strained, can produce severe pain at our lower back – and no one enjoys that!
Share this Image On Your Site:
Daily Routines to Prevent Lower Back Pain
Here are some routines that will help you avoid lower back pains:
#1 Adjust Your Sleeping Position
Research shows that sleeping on your stomach can lead to lower back pain. To keep your spine in a neutral position, lie on your side and place a pillow between your knees.
We have an entire Youtube video with our McHenry Chiropractor Dr. Casey demonstrating the proper sleeping position.
#2 Using Good Posture to Prevent Low Back Pain
Good posture refers to the correct alignment of all the body parts, supported by the right amount of body tension against gravity. Basically, keeping your body properly aligned so no part is experiencing undue pressure or tension.
A good posture helps us stand, walk, sit and lie in positions that place the least strain on our lower back.
Hence, in order to have a good posture, remember not to slouch as that makes the lower back pain worse.
Sit up straight with your shoulders relaxed and your body supported against the back of your chair. You may also place a soft pillow at the lower portion of your back to keep your posture correct.
(NOTE: Dr. Casey also has 2 great videos about the right way to sit at your work desk and how to properly use an office chair. They’re both super helpful. So helpful you’ll probably want to subscribe to our YouTube channel so you don’t miss any new videos 😉 )
When standing, a good position requires that your ears be over the middle of your shoulders with your shoulders back, knees straight, and belly tucked in. Also try to keep your glutes rolled slightly under your body.
#3 Eat Healthy, Natural Food and Be Mindful of Carrying Excess Weight
Hence, always eat healthy, minimally-processed food and include lots of veggies in your meal plates.
Diet is a big topic which we cover more in other articles so we won’t go any deeper here. Just know that it’s very important and a key to meeting most (if not all) of your health goals.
#4 Get Into the Habit of Exercising Daily
Not sure where to begin with exercise? That’s okay. Start simple, like stretching and going for a 10 minute morning walk at least three times a week. Discipline is built in stages so walking is a simple, free place to start.
#5 Avoid Lifting Too Much Weight
Lifting heavy objects may be dangerous, especially if we lift them suddenly without any warm up or proper technique.
It is said that an average person should only lift one-fourth of his weight and must always use proper techniques in lifting, such as lifting with the legs and not with the back.
Of course, people who train with weights regularly will have a greater capacity for lifting heavy objects, but they still need to be careful and avoid jerky movements.
#6 Avoid smoking
Reuters wrote an interesting article about this, which we’ll quote here:
“The researchers examined data on 331,941 construction workers who were part of a nationwide occupational health registry in Sweden. Workers were followed for an average of more than three decades, starting when they were typically in their 30s, and 1,623 of them eventually had surgery for lumbar spinal stenosis.
Compared to people who never smoked, heavy smokers who went through at least 15 cigarettes a day were 46 percent more likely to have this spinal surgery, the study found. For moderate smokers who had up to 14 cigarettes a day, the increased risk was 31 percent. . .”
That’s why smokers experience more lower back pains. An unhealthy, weak back is more vulnerable to accidental strains and smoking definitely does not help.
Conclusion
These 6 Daily Routines can have a wonderful impact on the health of your lower back and we recommend you start using at least 2-3 of them immediately.
Of course, even if you’re taking great care not to injure your lower back, we all still need help sometimes. So make sure you’re still visiting your chiropractor regularly and getting spinal adjustments.
“No pain” does not necessarily mean “No problems.” So keep up your maintenance visits. And, if you’re experiencing consistent lower back pain, you definitely want to schedule an adjustment ASAP.
