Fitness

6 Ways to Prevent Back Pain

meditation for back paid removalBack pain is a chronic condition that affects millions worldwide. Back pain can become particularly troublesome as patients get older. Back pain can vary in intensity, from mild soreness to sharp pangs of pain. Either way, it is a problem that seriously affects everyday life of sufferers. Back pain is hard to treat once it occurs. Therefore, doctors highly recommend adopting preventive measures to keep the condition from ever occurring. Preventive measures are also suitable for patients with mild back pain to keep the condition from worsening. Here is a list of methods to prevent the onset of chronic back pain:

1. Wear the Right Shoes

More often than not, bad walking posture is the main cause of back pain in most patients. There are many factors that can affect the natural way of walking. Leading this long list is uncomfortable shoes. People prefer to buy shoes for style rather than support, which a mistake that come with long term health consequences. Proper shoes offer arch and heel support that does not strain feet. If the feet are overstressed, there's more workload affecting the pelvis. This level of stress caused by walking over time leads to back pain. Therefore, start shopping now for footwear optimized to provide support. For example, shoes by Rockport or a similar brand are good choices.

2. Shed Excess Weight

Extra weight put extra pressure on the lower parts of the body, including the back and the pelvic area. The muscles and bone in these regions then come under tremendous stress to maintain posture, which can later manifest as back pain. Losing excess weight therefore can lessen the strain on muscles and prevent back pain in the future.

3. Exercise

Exercise strengthens muscles and bone tissue to handle more weight and stress. Weak muscles are easily overworked and lead to painful chronic conditions. One way to ensure that your muscles can work their best and endure everyday activity is to exercise regularly. Yoga and strength training for back muscles, in particular, are known to prevent back pain.

4. Fix Posture

Bad postures standing up, walking or sitting down can stress muscles and bone on the long run leading to problems like back pain. For example, terrible postures like slouching when sitting down, especially when you use laptops, is a big culprit for causing chronic back pain later in life. You can avoid such health consequences by learning to sit, stand and walk properly.

5. Buy Comfortable Chairs

We spend most of our lives sitting down in front of computers. Sitting down is not an activity that stresses the back muscles. However, being seated in an uncomfortable or an incorrect posture, is. The chairs we sit on play a huge role in maintaining our posture. Therefore, it's important to buy a good quality, comfortable chair to avoid a posture that can cause back pain later. Purchase a chair that provides ample back support.

6. Stop Smoking

Nicotine, the main chemical in tobacco cigarettes, is toxic to disc cells in the spinal cord. Also, smokers inhale more carbon dioxide than nonsmokers, which can reduce the amount of oxygen in blood. Spinal cells rely heavily on oxygen in blood. Smoking, therefore, can weaken spinal discs, which puts more pressure on the back muscles, leading to chronic pain. So stop smoking now if you don't want to suffer from back pain in the future.

Follow the above tips carefully and be mindful of your overall health to avoid chronic pain altogether.

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