Did you know that over 31 million Americans suffer from regular back pain? If you’re suffering from back pain, it doesn’t matter if the root cause is aging, injury, lifestyle, or an underlying health issue — you simply want your back pain to stop! At Pro Rehab Chiropractic and Rehabilitation, with nine Delaware locations, our providers understand and are here to help with dedicated services for alleviating back pain.
To help you get started finding relief, we’ve put together five habits that can help reduce back pain. Read on to learn more!
1. Maintain a healthy weight
It may sound simple, but maintaining a healthy weight is at the foundation for avoiding back pain. Extra pounds add additional stress and pressure to your spine as well as the muscles and soft tissues in your back. If you’re overweight or obese, losing weight reduces this strain, helping keep back pain at bay. Focus on eating a diet based on fruits and vegetables, especially dark, leafy greens. Stay away from processed foods and choose lean proteins, like tofu, legumes, and beans to keep your weight and back healthy.
2. Ditch the heavy purse
When you carry a bag, your balance must shift to compensate and the curve of your spine is affected. Over time, carrying a heavy purse can cause serious damage and back trouble. When possible, leave the heavy purse behind and keep your ID and money in a pocket instead. If you do have a lot to carry, try using a backpack or bag with straps that evenly distribute the weight to prevent back strain.
3. Practice good posture
Although it’s easy to forget about, practicing good posture improves the health of your spine and helps reduce back pain. When you use good posture, the muscles around your spine equally distribute the support of your body. With bad posture, however, some areas are under more strain than others. The result? Back pain, slipped discs, and even nerve damage.
To improve your posture and reduce back pain, try keeping your back straight and your feet flat on the floor when you sit and your weight equally distributed to both hips. Your head should be straight, not leaning forward, and your shoulders should be relaxed but slightly back. Good posture is much the same when standing, but your weight should be evenly distributed on both feet instead of your hips.
4. Exercise your back
If you have back pain, you may feel like staying in bed. But staying active and exercising your back are important steps in reducing back pain. In fact, doctors now believe long-term rest makes back pain worse! Exercise, on the other hand, increases blood flow, strengthens back muscles for better support, and ultimately reduces your pain.
If you’re just getting started with exercise, stick to low-impact activities, like walking and swimming, gentle stretching, and abdominal-strengthening exercises. A strong core helps stop back pain from developing, and as your flexibility, strength, and endurance improve, your back pain becomes a thing of the past.
5. Schedule chiropractic treatment
Getting into the habit of receiving regular chiropractic treatments is a natural way to reduce back pain without relying on medication or invasive procedures. At Pro Rehab, our team uses a comprehensive physical evaluation and diagnostic testing, like X-rays, to get to the root cause of your pain.
Once we know the cause of your pain, our specialists recommend chiropractic treatments to realign your spine and alleviate your back pain. Your customized treatment plan may include physical or massage therapy, manual chiropractic adjustments, electrical stimulation, traction, ultrasound, and body mechanics work to help reduce your risk of developing more back pain in the future.
To learn more about finding relief from back pain, contact one of our convenient locations in Wilmington, Newark, Bear/Glasgow, Pike Creek, Christiana, Dover, or Lewes/Rehoboth, Delaware, or book an appointment online now!
