Showing posts with label back support. Show all posts
Showing posts with label back support. Show all posts

Monday, May 3, 2021

Tips For Dealing With Back Pain

 Dealing with back pain can be one of the worst pains to deal with, especially as once damage is done to the back, it's likely to be regular in its occurrence. Looking after your body is important and as the spine holds the body together, it's important that you do all you can to protect it. With that being said, here are some tips for dealing with back pain.

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Maintain Correct Posture

Correct posture is everything to ensure your body stays fit and healthy. If you've not got great posture then chances are you're going to do some significant damage to the body. Think about how you are sitting right now. Are you slouched over your desk or looking down at your phone or laptop from the sofa? You should always maintain an upright position where possible and a lot of the time, this isn't the case. We naturally hunch our shoulders over and slump down into our chairs when working at our desk and once we've assumed this posture position, it can be very hard to correct it.

However, it is something that you can do over time.  Try to make a conscious effort to focus on how you're sitting at all at all times and whenever you find yourself slouching or not sitting correctly, correct it right away. The more attentive you are to it, the better you'll be at sitting more comfortably for your back and this will reduce the pain.

Do The Right Exercises

Exercising your body is going to help it stay active and more importantly, to build muscle. The more muscle you can have to support your body, the better. Your bones and joints are surrounded by muscle and so it's worth putting in the effort to build it up so that less strain is put on these vulnerable areas.

Try to find exercises that are comfortable for your pain threshold and try to focus on strengthening your back for the most part. The same goes for your legs as this can carry a lot of the body's weight too. Exercise is important but you need to be doing the right exercises in order to keep your body in shape and feeling strong.

 Use Ice Or Heat

When you feel pain in your body, one of the best things to do in order to combat it is applying hot and cold compresses. These are really important to do because they can help ease the inflammation that is likely causing the pain in your body. Your back can feel sore and so a good way to help combat that soreness is by applying a hot water bottle, for example, or ice pace to the area itself.

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If you're using an ice pack, don't put ice directly onto your skin as that could cause blistering. Instead, wrap it around a towel and apply to the area. For hot water bottles and hot bags, make sure they aren't scalding hot or you could end up burning yourself. Make sure to double check the seal on the bottle so that it doesn't leak hot water everywhere. A hot water bottle that's well insulated should provide you with a couple of hours worth of heat. 

Doing this regularly when you have back pain can definitely dull the aches that you have on a regular basis and will provide the relief you need, when you need it.

Sunday, June 17, 2012

Back Support

     For about a year I’ve been dealing with some interesting back issues.  Yes, literally my lower back!  And no, it's not because I am overly endowed in the chest area!  What happens is that my back goes through periods of time where I can hardly move at all, like my muscles have given out.  I never know when it will happen because it isn't connected to some sort of wrenching or specific incident.  It’s not a sharp pain.  It’s more like my lower back just turns to mush and there is nothing there supporting me.   It feels fine when I just sit or lay down. It is when I sit or attempt to get up after laying down that it gives me problems.   I can bend over from standing with ease, though.  I wondered at first whether or not it had anything to do with ‘Aunt Flo’ coming to visit.  (I can't believe I just mentioned that)  But this most recent bout has nothing to do with that.  It has been 5 days now that I'm walking around very gingerly, not bending or lifting much at all.  I’m definitely tired of it.  I suppose it will go away eventually, like it does every time.  But oh, how it messes with my plans!  I don’t feel like doing anything, much less exercise when I feel like this.  I recently talked with a friend who has the same thing happen to her.  She also has a boyfriend who is a physical therapist.  He says that it is very commonplace in women to have back issues periodically.  He said the best thing to shorten the duration of the flare-up is to put ice on it.  So instead of pain for 5-7 days, one can shorten it down to 2-3 days.  Next time, I'm trying the ice!  
     It makes me appreciate my body, though.  When I am feeling well, I am able to do so much!  It is a wonderful vehicle to take me through life.  I definitely want to take care of it more.  So with that said, here are a few things I promise to do for my body this summer.  I’m not getting all crazy, but just these few things should help a lot!
      I’ve been sitting at my desk entirely too much.  I know it and my butt knows it.  My butt is yelling, “Get off me!”  So, I will.  I promise to faithfully get up and walk or do other things every hour.  Sometimes I get so involved in what I am doing at my desk that time can really go by quickly.  But even  right now, I am standing up as I type.  There is no reason to be sitting so much! 
     I will drink more clean, fresh water.  The benefits of drinking good water are so many.  But the thing that interests me right now is that sometimes dehydration can masquerade as hunger.  Our bodies are made of 68% or more of water.  I’m sure that the body needs water way before we are thirsty and that could easily be mistaken as hunger.  There is a new bottled water that is out and it is flavored like herbs and fruits.  I could sip on it all day long!  It’s called Ayala’s Herbal Water and it is wonderful.   Right now I'm loving the  lemongrass mint vanilla!  It is so refreshing!  My husband, however, doesn't quite share my view.  He thinks that the stuff tastes like cough syrup.  Not even!!  Men, sheesh!
      I’ve recently learned how important stretching is.  And this coming from the gal who could drop straight down into the splits without the bat of an eye just a year ago.  I can still do the splits. It's just getting out of them that's the killer for me.  It hurts!  Plus I don't drop down into them anymore.  I ease myself down into them.  But being limber isn't whether you can do the splits or not.  It's your hips, your hamstrings, your pectorals, your back!!!  If you want to stay young and not age, you need to stretch and work every one of the 600 muscles found in the body.  And especially  in view of my back issues, stretching can be one of the weapons in my arsenal to keep myself pain-free.  So, I am incorporating stretching in my daily exercise routine.  If I don’t do ANYTHING else, I will stretch.  It’s that important.  A program I’ve found recently is called Classical Stretch.  It is amazing.  The premise of the method is that without regular stretching our bodies start to atrophy as early as in our twenties.   By doing regular stretching, at least 25 minutes a day, we can alleviate the aging process our bodies go through because of non-use of our muscles and bones! 
     I want to spend more time outdoors.  The weather is beautiful right now.  I’ve got a great bike and a dog who absolutely loves to spend time with me.  I feel like being outside frees the mind, invigorates the body and rejuvenates the spirit!  So out I’ll go. 
     I don’t know how much, if any of this will ultimately help my back, but I know it will help me be a better mom, wife, friend and person!  

Disclaimer:  My post, my opinion, yours may vary!  No compensation  was received,