According to the National Library of Medicine, roughly 80% of people will have lower back pain at some point during their lives. This is a high number of people experiencing an issue that can be very debilitating. Back pain can quickly impact your daily life, even if just temporarily, but there are ways to combat it.
Of course, prevention is the best way to combat back pain. You should focus on lowering your risk of back pain by following the three tips that are listed in this post.
Focus on Flexibility and Strength
The first tip to lower your chances of experiencing back pain at some point in your life is to begin focusing on flexibility and strength. There are numerous exercises that will help with this, although understanding when different exercises should be used is essential to achieve effective results. Using the wrong exercise could exasperate any pain you are currently experiencing.
Flexibility and stretching will improve your range of motion and reduce muscle tension, which will promote relaxation and reduce pain. You can incorporate a variety of movements, such as cat-cow stretches, hamstring stretches, and lower back rotational stretches, into your daily routine. Some people will even begin yoga to better spinal flexibility and lessen stiffness; effective poses include the Bridge Pose, Child’s Pose, and Cobra Pose.
Additionally, gaining more strength can also improve the stability of your core and spine as well as strengthen the surrounding muscles. Your spine will become more resilient because of this, and this can reduce the likelihood of injury and pain. Although you can increase your strength through weight training at the gym, you should also focus on engaging your core muscles and participating in low-impact aerobic exercises.
To learn more, check out these exercises and stretches for lower back pain.
Maintain a Healthy Weight
Although not all people will struggle with this step, maintaining a healthy weight will minimize the strain on your spine and its surrounding ligaments and muscles. This will lessen your chance of experiencing back pain. Holding excess weight can put additional pressure on the discs and vertebrae of your spine, leading to several issues.
However, if you do believe that your weight plays a factor in your back pain, then you should make an effort to lose some. A combination of a healthy diet and regular exercise is recommended to do this. You should focus primarily on a plant-based diet and lean protein sources to eat in a calorie deficit, which is the most effective way of losing weight. To calculate your ideal calorie deficit, click here.
When it comes to exercise, it is wise to begin with low-impact activities, like cycling and walking, especially if you are not used to lots of physical activity. After some time of this, you can begin to incorporate strength training. As previously mentioned, strengthening your back and core will lower the risk of suffering from back pain at a later date.
Practice Good Posture
Another easy tip to reduce your risk of back pain is to practice good posture. Having a good posture distributes your weight evenly, minimizes strain on ligaments and muscles, and supports proper spinal alignment. This will ensure the spine can withstand everyday activities well, while avoiding muscle strain and nerve compression.
It can be difficult to improve your posture mindfully. You should do so by concentrating on awareness and conscious adjustments throughout the day. This will take a bit of learning, but it is best to make a habit of checking your posture throughout the day and adjusting it when needed. You should keep an eye out for leaning or slumping; when you notice these, pull your shoulders back, straighten your back, and tuck your chin.
To conclude, you should begin working now to reduce the risks of back pain. There are multiple methods you can use, as shown in this post. If you want to put in the effort now, you should focus on flexibility and strength, maintain a healthy weight, and practice good posture.
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