TIPS
Some Tips for Back Pain Prevention:
- Maintain a healthy diet and weight.
- Remain active—under the supervision of your doctor of chiropractic.
- Avoid prolonged inactivity or bed rest.
- Warm up or stretch before exercising or other physical activities, such as gardening.
- Maintain proper posture.
- Wear comfortable, low-heeled shoes.
- Sleep on a mattress of medium firmness to minimize any abnormal curve in your spine.
- Lift with your knees, keep the object close to your body, and do not twist when lifting.
- Quit smoking. Smoking impairs blood flow, resulting in oxygen and nutrient deprivation to spinal tissues.
- Work with your doctor of chiropractic to ensure that your work station is ergonomically correct
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Proper Posture
We often hear that good posture is essential for good health, but very few people have a real grasp of the importance and necessity of good posture, or the position
in which we hold our bodies while standing, sitting or lying down. Good posture is the
correct alignment of body parts supported by the right amount of muscle tension against gravity. Follow this advice for standing, sitting and lying properly:
- When sitting, keep your feet flat on the floor with a small gap between the back of your knees and the front of your seat. Your knees should be at or below the level of your hips
- When standing, bear your weight primarily on the balls of your feet and keep your knees slightly bent. Your feet should be about shoulder-width apart and your earlobes should be in line with your shoulders to keep your head from jutting forward, backward or to the side.
- Avoid sitting or standing in the same position for long periods of time.
- Sleep with a pillow and avoid lying on your stomach. If you sleep on your side, place a pillow between your legs. If you sleep on your back, keep a pillow under your knees.
From the American Chiropractic Association
