Some Tips to Help Avoid Backache / Back Pain

As we grow older, the back muscle – weakened by inactivity, poor posture, and almost unavoidable wear and tear – start to complain.

Other causes of back problem are muscle and joint strain, changes in the spine, psychological tension, and internal diseases.

Here are some tips to help avoid backache:

• Learn to lift correctly. Use your legs muscles, which are stronger than back muscles, by placing your feet closer to the base of the object, bending your knees outward, and pushing up with your legs.

• Avoid subjecting your back to any sudden, erratic motion.

• Try to improve your posture when sitting and walking.

• Sleep on a firm bed; a bed board may be helpful.

• Get regular exercise of a type that stimulates all your muscles rather than just a few.

• If you sit for a long period, get up and stretch occasionally.

• Beware of excess weight. Extra weight on the abdomen pulls on the vertebrae at the small of the back, increasing the spine’s normal curve and causing pain.

• Try never to become over fatigued or exhausted, either physically or mentally. Emotional pressure from work or personal problems causes muscle tension.

Reference: The New Complete Medical and Health Encyclopedia