Four Easy Tips To Prevent Back Pain Before It Suffers

The core: Better Prevent than Suffer

Have you ever experienced unexpected back pain in your daily activities? Lots of my peers do. It is a common symptom for many people, especially when they have moved from lying or sitting to standing.

According to surveys, 25% of Americans suffer from back pain in a recent bout, and almost everyone would experience back pain at some point in their lives. Prolonged stiffness, misuse of muscles, and many other issues like disc degeneration, pregnancy, fibromyalgia will result in back pain.

But we must know, it is possible to prevent back pain, or in other words, reduce the risk of frequent back pain from the start point of its common causes. Here are the four common causes of back pain and tips against them.

Common Cause 1: Wrong Sitting positions

Prolonged time sitting with the wrong position can be the leading cause of back pain for many people. A long day in the office? You get me.

There are so many tasks that require us to sit at desks. If you work in the office, sometimes you have to keep sitting for 7 to 8 hours a day. Wrong sitting positions are fatal to your back health as sitting itself always put stress to your spine and lumbar vertebrae.

So, what's the best sitting position for preventing back pain? A good position means your body is firmly supported by the right amount of muscle tension and do not put too much stress on your back. A good position depends on your height, the chair you use, and the activity you are doing while sitting. Here are some essential tips for improving your sitting position: 

• Sit with a straight back and relaxing shoulder and do not slump or lean to one side;
• Put a lumbar support cushion on the seat or use an ergonomic chair can help reduce the stress to the lumbar;
• Try not to stay in one position for too long, take 10 minutes to break after one-hour sitting or at least change your position every 30 minutes.

Common Cause 2: Overuse of The Muscle

Improper workout postures, lifting heavy items with the wrong position will cause back pain. It is proved that nearly every member has a back-pain issue in some taekwondo team. In their training, there are many actions like lifting knees, and they have to do it repeatedly every day, which will overuse the muscle supporting the back.

So proper exercise is essential, and it is better to do training under instruction. Proper training not only would not hurt your muscles but also strengthen and tighten your back. Tips as follows: 

• When you are trying to lift some heavy objects, bend the legs rather than use the back;
• Do exercise step by step and in a routine, do not exercise too much for a temporary purpose. Otherwise, the injury of muscle may accompany you for a lifetime, also the back pain;
• Choose some moderate exercise like walking or yoga, which involves slow, controlled movements to stretch and strengthen the body;
• Before your workout, allow yourself at least a five-minute warm-up, and after it, spare time to relax your muscles.

Common Cause 3: Bad Sleep Positions

Given that we averagely spend 8 hours a day for sleep, that means an average person will sleep for more than 20000 hours in their lifetime or one-third of their life. Can you imagine what damage it will do to our body if we keep a lousy sleep position 8 hours a day? If you notice back pain in some mornings, you would better reconsider and check your sleep position at night.

Faulty sleeping positions will put pressure on your spine and lumbar, causing its natural curve to flatten. If you frequently sleep on your belly, you have a higher risk of experiencing back pain as your neck and spine are not in a neutral position.

• Sleep on your side is the best choice and turning left is favoured;
• Sleep on your back with a pillow beneath your knees helps keep your spine in a good position and reduce the stress on your lower back.

Common Cause 4: Bad Mattress

 If you have a good sleep position but still wake up with your back pain in the morning, your mattress may be the crime.

Find it out like this: lying on the bed, try to feel every part of your body, if you are not firmly supported, it may cause your muscle to tighten and tired. That's why many people will feel back pain after they sleep on a too soft sofa or bed. Choose a comfortable and balanced mattress is the key to you.

You don't have to speed too much on a mattress but need to find one suit you most. If you want to choose the right mattress, you should consider more on your sleep position, weight, and the firmness you want.

You can customize your comfort by trying different types of mattresses. 

• A medium-firm mattress may be an average comfortable one for most people;
• Choose an ergonomically designed mattress;
• Reverse your mattress after few months using to balance the wearing out on each side.