Top 4 Ways to Relieve Back Pain

As a Physical Therapist, how common back pain is was a big surprise to me.

In fact, 70% of American will have back pain at some point of their life. That’s a huge eye opener! I was also a surprise that the majority of people that have back pain continue to do activities that aggravate their back.

Most people don’t realize that there are things they can do to improve their symptoms. I’ve heard people brush it off and say that back pain runs in their family. Not true. Back pain is not a nature thing, it’s a nurture thing. It’s what you choose to do in your life that causes that pain.

I remember working with a grandmother that when she first came to me wasn’t able to pick up her 3 year old grandchild. That was huge. Think about not being able to pick a child off the floor or out of the crib without having pain. It’s our job to help people feel better. I will never forget the day she came in with a huge smile and was excited to say, “guess what I was able to do!” The only thing that could make moments like those better is it we could make confetti and balloons fall from the ceiling.

A few things that you should do to relieve back pain:

• The best position to be in is the next position. That means not sitting for long periods, not laying down for long periods, or standing for long periods. It’s all about changing your position. That’s why sit to stand desks are huge right now.
• Watch your posture when you sit. Sitting is the new smoking. It’s terrible for low back pain, because we slouch. You can have the best ergonomic chair in the world, but if you’re not sitting all the way back with your hips against the butt of the chair and sitting upright in the chair, then that chair is doing nothing for you.
• Keep your core strong. That does not mean do crunches. It’s about keeping all 3 layers of your abdominals strong as well as your hips.
• Avoid painful activities. Things like heavy lifting. We all say bend the knees to lift. How many people actually remember to do that?

Please don’t write off back pain. We can absolutely help relieve your pain no matter how severe it is. Take advantage of our free pain consultation to see if physical therapy is right for you. We can always help you within 24hrs at all 3 of our locations.

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How to Find Your Inner Athlete as You Age

The Benefits of Standing at Work

How Healthy is Your Spine?