It comes as no surprise that maintaining proper back health is essential to your overall wellbeing. Living with back pain can cause permanent discomfort, impact your everyday mobility, and favor the onset of serious conditions later on.Â
Thankfully, caring for your back, spine, and neck is as easy as adopting the right habits and making a few lifestyle adjustments. This dedicated guide will highlight 8 simple, practical tips to help you take care of your back better than ever.
1. Stretch Daily
Making stretching part of your morning routine will do wonders for your back and spine health. As a matter of fact, a thorough stretching session not only helps improve flexibility, promote good joint function, and relieve muscle soreness, but it can reduce the risk of injury as well. It’s also very invigorating and allows you to start your day energetically. The key to an effective back stretch is to stay mindful. Always remember to keep breathing throughout and not overdo it to prevent strains.
2. Exercise Regularly
Likewise, your body is bound to benefit from regular physical activity. Whether it’s jogging, cycling, swimming, or dancing, staying active helps promote blood circulation and keep your cardiac rhythm up. That said, whichever activity you choose, make sure to adopt an exercise routine that combines strengthening and aerobics. Again, don’t overexert yourself; consistency and a proper pace are essential to reap the full benefits for your back, spine, and neck.
3. Use a Back Traction Device
If you happen to suffer from chronic back or lumbar pain, it may be a good idea to look into acquiring a back traction device. They’re great alternatives to traditional painkillers, medication treatments, and their side effects. Often recommended by physical therapists, modern back traction devices for decompression work to release pressure, relieve pain, and strengthen the core. Some research should point you towards useful comparative guides to make the most fitting and satisfying purchase.
4. Maintain Good Posture
We all know that proper posture is our first line of defense against back and neck aches. In fact, maintaining your spine’s natural curvature as you sit or stand helps you keep your back strong and healthy. By contrast, keeping poor posture for extended periods can put unnecessary stress on your spinal column, constrict blood flow, and cause soreness. So, whenever you find yourself slouching or standing awkwardly, make it a point to adopt a good posture and breathe deeply.
5. Lift the Right Away
Whether you’re a stay-at-home parent or a construction worker, you risk causing yourself back injuries if you do not lift loads correctly. It’s quite easy to twist, make a wrong move, and damage your spine in the process. The right method for lifting objects is simple: Standing as close to it as possible, use your legs (rather than your upper-body and back) to lift it off the ground. Bend your knees, keep a straight back, and don’t pull your head up. For heavier loads, ask someone to assist you.
6. Sleep Well and Stay Hydrated
Perhaps unsurprisingly, sleep also has its importance when it comes to taking care of your back. Besides not getting enough rest, sleeping on your stomach is another common pitfall; this position can put pressure on your spine and upper airways.Â
Instead, sleep on your side and get a comfortable mattress and pillow to support your back. In parallel, make sure to drink plenty of water throughout the day to keep your intervertebral disks lubricated and healthy.
7. Keep Your Weight in Check
Being overweight or obese is a serious contributing factor to developing back pains. Not only can the extra weight, especially around the belly, limit your mobility, but it also adds stress on your ligaments, tendons, and muscles in your mid and lower back. As such, adopting a healthy lifestyle with regular exercise and balanced nutrition can effectively help you regulate weight and keep any back or spine issues at bay.
8. Set Up an Ergonomic Workspace
As more and more people now work from home, comfort and convenience have never been more pertinent to our professional routines. If you tend to work long hours in front of a computer, you might want to invest in an ergonomic chair and adjustable desk to promote good posture, minimize back and neck strains, and ultimately boost your productivity. Scour the web for tutorials on how to optimize your workspace home.
Hopefully, these 8 easy-to-implement tips will encourage you to take better care of your back throughout your busy days (and nights!). From staying active to keeping a healthy weight, some routine adjustments will ensure optimal health and limit the appearance of back, spine, and neck problems. Remember: Good posture is key!
