I'll keep this simple.
There are three types of back pain.
Bad, worse, and God awful.
If you don't take care of it when it's bad, you can bet you are going to visit the other types.
It's just a matter of time.
So, how do you avoid this trip down misery lane? By taking care of your back to begin with.
That starts with all the common sense things you have probably already heard and forgotten.
Lets remind you once more.
Lift From the Knees When ever you bend over to pick up something, anything, make sure you have flexed your knees and use your thigh muscles to lift with..
Make sure you bend straight from the waist even if you must, stop and turn towards what it is that you are lifting.
Above all, do not twist at the waist and reach to pick it up.
If this is part of your job, and a regular movement, take the time to examine your workspace.
If necessary make changes to avoid such movements.
Even if it means going to your supervisor and requesting his / her input.
After all, they are just as interested in avoiding down time as you are.
Remember to, whenever possible, transfer the weight to other muscles, off of your back.
Use your leg muscles to lift or a helpful hand placed where it can take some of the load from your back If you have ever thrown your back out, recall what movements caused you pain then.
Those are the movements you want to avoid when you are healthy.
Pain is a wonderful teacher.
Correct Posture Correct posture will keep your back in correct alignment and using the muscles and ligaments that hold the joints together at maximum efficiency.
It helps decrease abnormal wear, prevents strain and back aches as well as fatigue.
Most of us spend way to much time sitting for prolonged periods at our computers.
The correct sitting position is with your fanny touching the back of the chair, your back straight and your shoulders back.
This is difficult to accomplish when you are leaning forward on your elbows tapping away at your keyboard and straining your eyes to see the monitor screen.
Keeping your back tight against the back of the chair, move the chair as far forward to the desk as you can.
If possible, increase the size of the screen you are viewing.
You can accomplish this with most Windows applications by choosing "view" from your toolbar, then "zoom" and setting it to a higher percentage such as 150%.
If you are looking at a web page from a Windows based application, you can also click the + sign in the lower right hand corner and increase the percentage of the zoom there.
A good quality desk chair with lumbar support is most advantages.
It will keep your spine in the proper curved position.
If you don't have a lumbar support built-in to your chair, you can roll up a small towel and use that.
Best Position for Sleeping First, lets get you in and out of bed the proper way.
Learn to do the leveraged roll.
Sit on the edge of the bed, placing the hand that is closest to your pillow on the mattress for balance.
Now, keeping your knees together and your legs bent, at the same time, lay your head down onto your pillow allowing that momentum of your upper torso to pull your bent legs up onto the mattress.
Practice this several times and you will find it very easy to do.
Get out of bed the same way, but before you do, take the time to stretch while lying there.
Your body has been asleep, hopefully all night and the blood flow has moved to your Internal organs.
We need to stretch and give the blood a chance to get moving again before we just jump out of bed.
After stretching for a moment or two, use the leveraged roll to get out of bed.
Assume a fetal position on the edge of the bed and let your legs over the side while pushing with your arm.
Let the momentum of your legs pull your upper body to the sitting position.
Everyone has their favorite position to sleep in.
If you are like most people you move around all night long, from one position to another.
The best position you can sleep in is with your head on the pillow but not under your shoulders.
The pillow should bring the head up to the same level as the shoulders are, thus keeping the neck straight.
Flat on your back, with either a lumbar roll under your lower back, or a pillow under your legs to raise them is best.
The worst position for your back is in a fetal position, on your side with your knees drawn up towards your chest.
Sleeping on your stomach can also cause a strain on your back.
Remember, the object is to keep your spine in the proper position with the natural curves in place.
The mattress you sleep on is all important.
It must be firm to support your weight.
Again the object is to keep your spine in a straight line with the natural curves in place.
If your mattress is to soft, you will change the angle on the spine and cause strain.
If you need to make the mattress more firm, try placing a sheet of plywood or structure board between the mattress and box springs.
All of the above will help you take care of your back and prevent problems.
At some point in time 80% of us will experience back pain.
Most of these incidents are simple back pain that will cure itself simply by continuing on with our daily routine and taking some over the counter medications to help us through.
If you experience more issues with your back, you will need to take further measures to help prevent them from becoming a chronic problem.
There are three types of back pain.
Bad, worse, and God awful.
If you don't take care of it when it's bad, you can bet you are going to visit the other types.
It's just a matter of time.
So, how do you avoid this trip down misery lane? By taking care of your back to begin with.
That starts with all the common sense things you have probably already heard and forgotten.
Lets remind you once more.
Lift From the Knees When ever you bend over to pick up something, anything, make sure you have flexed your knees and use your thigh muscles to lift with..
Make sure you bend straight from the waist even if you must, stop and turn towards what it is that you are lifting.
Above all, do not twist at the waist and reach to pick it up.
If this is part of your job, and a regular movement, take the time to examine your workspace.
If necessary make changes to avoid such movements.
Even if it means going to your supervisor and requesting his / her input.
After all, they are just as interested in avoiding down time as you are.
Remember to, whenever possible, transfer the weight to other muscles, off of your back.
Use your leg muscles to lift or a helpful hand placed where it can take some of the load from your back If you have ever thrown your back out, recall what movements caused you pain then.
Those are the movements you want to avoid when you are healthy.
Pain is a wonderful teacher.
Correct Posture Correct posture will keep your back in correct alignment and using the muscles and ligaments that hold the joints together at maximum efficiency.
It helps decrease abnormal wear, prevents strain and back aches as well as fatigue.
Most of us spend way to much time sitting for prolonged periods at our computers.
The correct sitting position is with your fanny touching the back of the chair, your back straight and your shoulders back.
This is difficult to accomplish when you are leaning forward on your elbows tapping away at your keyboard and straining your eyes to see the monitor screen.
Keeping your back tight against the back of the chair, move the chair as far forward to the desk as you can.
If possible, increase the size of the screen you are viewing.
You can accomplish this with most Windows applications by choosing "view" from your toolbar, then "zoom" and setting it to a higher percentage such as 150%.
If you are looking at a web page from a Windows based application, you can also click the + sign in the lower right hand corner and increase the percentage of the zoom there.
A good quality desk chair with lumbar support is most advantages.
It will keep your spine in the proper curved position.
If you don't have a lumbar support built-in to your chair, you can roll up a small towel and use that.
Best Position for Sleeping First, lets get you in and out of bed the proper way.
Learn to do the leveraged roll.
Sit on the edge of the bed, placing the hand that is closest to your pillow on the mattress for balance.
Now, keeping your knees together and your legs bent, at the same time, lay your head down onto your pillow allowing that momentum of your upper torso to pull your bent legs up onto the mattress.
Practice this several times and you will find it very easy to do.
Get out of bed the same way, but before you do, take the time to stretch while lying there.
Your body has been asleep, hopefully all night and the blood flow has moved to your Internal organs.
We need to stretch and give the blood a chance to get moving again before we just jump out of bed.
After stretching for a moment or two, use the leveraged roll to get out of bed.
Assume a fetal position on the edge of the bed and let your legs over the side while pushing with your arm.
Let the momentum of your legs pull your upper body to the sitting position.
Everyone has their favorite position to sleep in.
If you are like most people you move around all night long, from one position to another.
The best position you can sleep in is with your head on the pillow but not under your shoulders.
The pillow should bring the head up to the same level as the shoulders are, thus keeping the neck straight.
Flat on your back, with either a lumbar roll under your lower back, or a pillow under your legs to raise them is best.
The worst position for your back is in a fetal position, on your side with your knees drawn up towards your chest.
Sleeping on your stomach can also cause a strain on your back.
Remember, the object is to keep your spine in the proper position with the natural curves in place.
The mattress you sleep on is all important.
It must be firm to support your weight.
Again the object is to keep your spine in a straight line with the natural curves in place.
If your mattress is to soft, you will change the angle on the spine and cause strain.
If you need to make the mattress more firm, try placing a sheet of plywood or structure board between the mattress and box springs.
All of the above will help you take care of your back and prevent problems.
At some point in time 80% of us will experience back pain.
Most of these incidents are simple back pain that will cure itself simply by continuing on with our daily routine and taking some over the counter medications to help us through.
If you experience more issues with your back, you will need to take further measures to help prevent them from becoming a chronic problem.