How To Prevent Lower Back Pain

Lower back pain affects hundreds of thousands of people each year. And statistics show that almost everyone, at some point in their lifetime, will experience some form of lower back pain.

While we may not be able to completely prevent the possibility of it, there are things that we can do to limit the likelihood of injury and then speed the recovery process once it has happened.

One of the reasons that many people experience the pain and discomfort of a low back injury is because of the change in lifestyle that has happened during the past decades. The standard western diet that is high in fats, processed foods and sugars, has been a major contributor to the increasing rates of obesity in society. That, coupled with decreased amount of exercise and employment that keeps workers chained to a desk has led to an increasing number of people who suffer from the misery of back pain.

Avoidance tactics

Preventing pain in the lower back pain requires to take positive action to improve your overall health and not just focusing on your back health. It may seem obvious, but the first thing is to avoid injury or pain in the first place by protecting you back during any strenuous physical activity. This means learning the correct way to lift heavy objects, and how to stand or even sit in the correct posture. Standing and sitting in a slouched position increases the stress placed on the lower back and increases the probability of an injury.

Another side benefit of learning to stand and sit down correctly is the reduced risk of experiencing any upper back pain too. For the most part many people find that they sit with their shoulders slouched forward, placing more strain on the muscles of the upper back. A quick fix to that pain is to learn to hold your shoulders back and sit straight. This protects the back all the way from the top to the bottom.

Core principles

Using proper lifting techniques are important not just for the workers who are lifting on the job, but also for anyone who goes to the grocery store, lifts a child or bends down just to pick up a pencil. Silly as it sounds, each of those everyday activities can easily lead to a lower back injury. It may appear that the injury happened when you bent down when in fact, it may well be from years of abuse that culminated in that last bend down to pick up the pencil.

You probably don’t want to hear this, but, exercise is also an important aspect to the prevention of lower back pain. The correct exercises will help to improve the core muscles, strengthen the back, and improve your overall flexibility. All of these benefits will help to decrease the risk of developing low back pain. Strong and flexible muscles will protect the spinal column, decrease the risk of a herniated disc and improve your overall appearance. You can find lot’s of information showing you various back-strengthening exercises on the internet – Youtube is a goldmine of information for improving this type of health issue.

Another approach (much less strenuous) is to change your sleeping positions. If you think about it you are in some of the same positions every night for between 6 and 8 hours. That’s more time than you spend doing almost anything else every day.

Avoid sleeping on your stomach since this will dramatically increase the stress on your lower back. Instead, sleep on your side with a pillow between your knees or on your back with a pillow under your knees. Some people also find that sleeping with a small towel rolled up under their lower back is more comfortable and eases back pain.

Ideally, women suffering from lower back pain should consistently wear low heeled shoes. Unfashionable, I know! But while the occasional evening out in spikey, high heels won’t cause consistent damage, women who wear high heels often find that it puts stress on the lower back and hips. This is turn can eventually lead to back pain since it changes your posture.

Watch your weight

As mentioned at the beginning of this article, the world trend towards increased weight and obesity also plays a role in the development of low back pain. As people gain weight this places more and more strain on the back muscles to keep the body in alignment. People who suffer from chronic back pain may find that just by losing 10 to 20 pounds they are able to reduce their pain and manage it without harmful drug medications.

Another risk factor involved here is osteoporosis. This is especially important for women, but can also be a factor in men too. Smoking is one preventable factor that dramatically increases the risk of osteoporosis and increases sensitivity to pain. Smoking will also decrease blood flow and the supply of oxygen to the spinal discs, another major factor with pain in the lower back.

While most people will suffer from lower back pain at some point in their lives, fortunately there are specific treatment protocols and methods of prevention that can help to speed the recovery process, and reduce the risk of the problem happening again. If all else fails, don’t forget there are several essential oils for back pain. It’s also been proven that massage helps treat low back pain too, so be sure to look into that if you’re suffering from this. Of course, if you have a severe back problem you should go and see your doctor immediately.

Copyright © Quinessence Aromatherapy Ltd 2021. Written by Sue Charles

Tags: lower back pain