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Back Pain Prevention

Many doctors can help you with your back pain. You may get advice from your primary doctor and also from specialists such as rehabilitation physicians and neurologists. Aside from drug treatment, they may recommend physical therapy or chiropractic sessions. While we can turn to the health care team for advice and treatment, we should should keep in mind that the we ourselves can significantly influence the success of back pain treatment.

More about Back Pain and Physical Therapy

Treatment and prevention of back pain are not limited to trips to doctors' offices physical therapy sessions. There are a number of simple yet effective ways that can help you in taking care of your back. You can prevent back pain by taking steps to improve your physical condition and using body mechanics. These solutions include exercise, stretching, yoga and other body methods such as Egoscue method of physical movement.

More on Back Pain and Egoscue Method

Back Pain and Regular Exercise

Sedentary lifestyle contributes to lower back pain. Many back problems are caused by weak and unused muscles. You need to keep your back in shape by doing regular exercises that can promote strength and endurance in your back and allow your muscles to work better. Choose exercises that won't cause strain on your back. You may benefit from low impact aerobic activities such as swimming and walking.

Abdominal and back muscle exercises are also recommended. These exercises strengthen and condition the muscles that support your spine. Exercising these important muscles gives your support system a boost, allowing it to ward off many causes of pain. You can do these exercises at home, and they do not require special exercise equipment. Remember to check with your doctor before you start an exercise program.

More on Back Pain and Yoga

More on Back Pain and Stretching Exercises

Back Pain and Massage

Massage can help relieve both acute and more chronic back pain. Back pain from muscle strain may even be treated by massage therapy. Although massage is strongly associated with complimentary therapies, its now being accepted by healthcare providers as an effective method that can help fight back pain.

More about Back Pain and Massage

Maintain a healthy weight

Being overweight greatly contributes to symptoms that occur with many conditions of the spine. The spine is designed to bear your weight and distribute the load while you are resting or moving. When the spine carries excess weight, it has no choice but to take up the burden, later on, this can lead to structural damage. If you are overweight, you should seek your doctor's advice for a healthy weight loss.

Stop smoking

Smoking has been linked to an increased risk of back problems. Spine researchers theorized that smoking reduces oxygen levels in the spinal tissues, and this can hinder the recovery from back surgery or from other conditions that affect the spine.

Use of proper body mechanics

Postural stress is the most common cause of low back problems. Postural causes of low back pain include: prolonged sitting in a poor position, bending in bad working positions, as well as standing or lying for a long time in a poor position. Below are ways to avoid postural strain on your back.

Adopt a good sitting posture

People who often sit for prolonged periods are likely to adopt a poor posture. Keeping a slouched sitting posture long enough will cause over-stretching of ligaments. Once a poor sitting posture has become a habit, the joints and discs in your spine may suffer, causing movements and certain position to produce pain. To prevent those problems, you need to pay attention on your posture.

You can prevent back pain by adopting a good sitting posture and choosing a seat which has a good lower back support, arm rests and a swivel base. You can use a lumbar roll, a pillow that are designed to provide comfort and relief from low back pain. Place the pillow in the small of your back to maintain your spine's normal curve while sitting. Consider placing a pillow or rolled towel in the small of your back to maintain its normal curve. Keep your knees and hips at same level.

Regular breaks from prolonged sitting

Almost everyone will notice some stiffness or discomfort after an uninterrupted car ride or a long flight. If you already have back problems, traveling for long distances will likely cause you back aches. People whose jobs involves long hours of sitting are likely to experience same problems. To lower your risk for discomfort, you should interrupt sitting at regular intervals, before you notice the pain. Take a break from sitting by standing up and bending backwards 5 or 6 times and then walk for a few minutes. Interrupting sitting regularly will reduce the pressure in the discs and ease the stress on the surrounding tissues.

Correct lifting technique

When lifting, can avoid back pains an injuries by letting the bigger muscles, such as you legs and thighs, to do the work. Before you start to lift the object, you should stand close to it and have a firm footing Lifting should be done by straightening the legs, you must attempt to retain the hollow of your back throughout the lift. Refrain from using the back as a crane to lift heavy objects. Keep it straight and bend only at the knees. Once you're upright, shift your feet to turn and avoid twisting your lower back. If possible, find a find a lifting partner, if the object is too heavy.

Regular exercise in general can help the body function properly therefor and helping to problems like high blood pressure/hypertension. More than merely stretching and burning calories, yoga has breathing and meditation components inherent in the practice as well. Aligning the body and mind through breath, stretching, and quieting of the mind can help all of its systems function more properly, including supporting the elasticity of the blood and lymph.

This guide is based on the current US food guide, MyPyramid. More information on the types of food included in each food category and serving sizes is available at http://www.MyPyramidmyplate.gov.

Grains

• Daily amount: 6 ounces (1 ounce = 1 slice bread, ¼ bagel, ½ cup cooked pasta or rice, 3 cups popcorn)

• Tips:
  • Consume at least ½ of your grains as whole grains
  • Whole grains include: whole wheat products, oatmeal, brown rice, barley, bulgur, popcorn

• Key nutrients provided:
  • Vitamin B12 (fortified breakfast cereals)
  • Zinc-fortified breakfast cereals, wheat germ
  • Iron-fortified breakfast cereals

Vegetables

• Daily amount: 2½ cups (1 cup = 1 cup raw or cooked vegetables, 2 cups raw leafy vegetables)

• Tips:
  • Eat a variety of different vegetables every day.
  • Eat more of the following:
    • Dark green vegetables (eg, broccoli, spinach, bok choy, romaine lettuce)
    • Orange vegetables (eg, carrots, sweet potatoes, butternut squash)
    • Dry beans and peas (chickpeas, black beans, lentils, split peas, kidney beans, tofu)

• Key nutrients provided:
  • Antioxidants
  • Calcium (collard greens, turnip greens, bok choy, and mustard greens)
  • Iron (spinach, turnip greens, peas)

Fruits

• Daily amount: 2 cups (1 cup = 1 cup fresh fruit, 1 cup fruit juice, ½ cup dried fruit)

• Tips:
  • Eat a variety of fruit
  • Choose fresh fruit over fruit juices

• Key nutrients provided:
  • Antioxidants
  • Calcium (fortified orange juice)
  • Iron (raisins, prunes, dried apricots)

Dairy

• Daily amount: 3 cups (1 cup = 1 cup milk or yogurt, 1 cup soy or rice milk, 1½ ounces natural cheese)

• Tips:
  • Choose low-fat or fat-free dairy products; limit intake of full-fat cheese
  • Milk alternatives include calcium-rich or calcium-fortified foods and beverages

• Key nutrients provided:
  • Protein
  • Calcium (all milk products, fortified milk alternatives)
  • Vitamin D (fortified milk and milk alternatives)
  • Vitamin B12 (milk products and fortified milk alternatives)

Legumes, Nuts, Eggs, and Other Protein-Rich Foods

• Daily amount: 5½ ounces (1 ounce = ¼ cup cooked, dry beans; ½ cup tofu, ¼ cup tempeh, 1 egg, 1 tablespoon peanut butter, ½ ounce nuts)

• Tips:
  • Eat a variety of protein sources
  • Nuts and nut butters can also be counted as oils

• Key nutrients provided:
  • Protein
  • Zinc (white beans, kidney beans, and chick peas)
  • Iron (kidney beans, black-eyed peas, lentils)
  • Omega-3 fatty acids (eggs, ground flaxseed, walnuts)

Oils

• Daily amount: 6 teaspoons

• Tips: Choose healthful oils such as those found in canola and olive oil, fish, and nuts

• Key nutrients provided: Omega-3 fatty acids (flaxseed oil, canola oil)

Fats & Sweets

• Daily amount: less than 265 calories from these foods

• Tips:
  • Limit or avoid solid fats such butter, stick margarine, lard, and shortening
  • Limit foods high in added sugar or solid fats

• Key nutrients provided: Few, if any

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There are many natural remedies for depression available that can both treat the cause of depression as well as mitigate some depression symptoms.

Some widely known natural remedies for depression include herbs like St. John’s Wort and Kava, dietary changes (restrictions and/or supplements), mind based therapies like psychotherapy, body therapies like yoga, exercise and massage, and spiritually based therapies like meditation and hypnotherapy. Below are some benefits of these natural treatments for depression:

• Herbs, supplements and relaxation techniques can help reduce depression symptoms without dramatic side effects which can be associated with depression medications
• Natural remedies can address the root cause of depression (depending, of course, on the person and their unique cause). Stress or dietary deficiencies are examples of depression causes that can often be treated through natural remedies.
• Natural remedies for depression encourage contact with other types of health professionals such as massage therapists, acupuncturists and herbalists that can expand your methods of approaching depression treatment.

Natural Remedies for Depression There are many natural remedies for depression available that can both treat the cause of depression as well as mitigate some depression symptoms.

Some widely known natural remedies for depression include herbs like St. John’s Wort and Kava, dietary changes (restrictions and/or supplements), mind based therapies like psychotherapy, body therapies like yoga, exercise and massage, and spiritually based therapies like meditation and hypnotherapy. Below are some benefits of these natural treatments for depression:

• Herbs, supplements and relaxation techniques can help reduce depression symptoms without dramatic side effects which can be associated with depression medications
• Natural remedies can address the root cause of depression (depending, of course, on the person and their unique cause). Stress or dietary deficiencies are examples of depression causes that can often be treated through natural remedies.
• Natural remedies for depression encourage contact with other types of health professionals such as massage therapists, acupuncturists and herbalists that can expand your methods of approaching depression treatment.