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More than 10% of all people in the world today suffer from some form of back pain. According to the WHO, Global Burden of Disease Study, lower back pain is estimated to be among the top ten diseases and injuries accounting for disabilities in everyday life.
Caused by a variety of reasons such as posture, disease, trauma, or inherited conditions, back pain is absolutely crippling to those who experience it.
As a critical part of your wellbeing, the back is an integral support structure for the spinal cord which serves the nervous system below the head. Having a strong back leads to better motility, lifting, movement, and balance in your body and more importantly, protects you from having chronic back pain.
While this cannot constitute medical advice, and you should still discuss with your doctor about any concerns you have about your back, these simple measures could help alleviate back pain or help prevent it from ever happening.
Postural backache is commonly observed in people with old age, desk jobs, excess driving, heavy lifting, and in pregnancy. The symptom begins at a certain time of the day and is often associated with a particular action like bending or sitting.
It usually begins in the neck and spreads to the middle and lower back. A good posture will improve the pain and make you feel better.
You can begin by correcting your posture for sitting, standing, sleeping, and lifting.
Stand Tall
Stand with your back straight. Make conscious efforts in case you slouch your shoulders. Keep your head well-balanced above your spine. Don’t droop your neck. Do not stand for long hours. Keep your workspace at your vision level to avoid slouching.
While walking, make slight swinging hand movements and land on your heel. Keep your body balanced. In case you need some strict practice with posture, you can use a waist belt or upper back posture equipment.
Sit Erect
While sitting, keep your chest expanded and balance your shoulder on the chair. Make sure your entire back is at rest against the chair with your forearms at rest.
Keep your knees above or at level with your hips. Keep your weight well-balanced on both buttocks equally. Keep your feet flat on the ground or use some elevation. Take a walk break after every 45-60 minutes.
Lift Carefully
You must avoid lifting too heavy objects or being over-enthusiastic while at the gym. While lifting, keep your feet firm on the ground with some distance between them and bend your knees and hips. Avoid bending with your knees straight.
Sleep Well
Sleeping in a poor position can affect a lot more than your back. A good firm mattress that doesn’t sag is a must and you shouldn’t place too many pillows under your head.
Good positions to sleep in include lying on your back in a neutral position, on your side with a pillow between the knees or in a foetal position with airways open.
Exercises including yoga, strengthening with weights, or back massages are great for avoiding back pain. Avoid sudden or jerky movements that can cause strain.
Stretching, yoga, and meditation
Stretching is essential in order to make the muscles more elastic and flexible. You can try these sciatic nerve stretches or exercises like:
Backward bending
Forward bending
Side bending
Gluteal rise and bridge
Hamstring stretches
Cobra pose
Cat and cow pose
Lifting for pain relief
The following exercises are excellent for strengthening your back:
Any exercise that involves pulling the weights.
Cardio exercises like jogging, straight back cycling, or endurance skipping.
Massage
Regular massages can help alleviate pain, by loosening muscles or undoing stress. Massaging also increases blood supply and decreases muscle tension.
Once you have corrected your posture and exercised your muscles, the next step is to look at lifestyle choices, which may be impacting the health of your back.
Being overweight puts extra pressure on the spine, muscles, and ligaments. It may lead to disc herniation or nerve compression and extra weight should be shed as soon as possible.
Smoking has numerous side effects for your body, none of which are good. It’s a good idea to quit as soon as possible.
Eat a calcium-rich diet like yoghurt, fish, beans, almond, whey protein, and leafy vegetables. This is particularly important for women, who may suffer from osteoporosis in later years.
Medicines that decrease bone mass should be avoided. Always check the side-effects.
Wear flats or low-height heels.
Drivers, office workers, weight lifters, farm workers may have increased strain or improper posture leading to backache. Discuss with a physiotherapist on better ways to carry out your job or consider switching to another job.
Pregnant women should be particularly careful to watch their posture, and should, as far as possible, exercise and go for regular massages.
Over the counter drugs can be used once in a while, but excess use can often lead to acute back pain. Drugs that include acetaminophen, ibuprofen, or naproxen sodium are particularly bad.
Always discuss your medications with your doctor. Pregnant women in their 3rd trimester should avoid NSAIDs like ibuprofen and diclofenac as it can cause problems. NSAIDS should also be avoided in people with a peptic ulcer as it can cause complications and black stool.
Approach a doctor. He or she will take a history of your pain pattern and conduct a detailed examination. You may also undergo some investigations like CT, MRI, blood tests, and bone scans to help come to a diagnosis.
This is our last point but perhaps the most effective way of finding the source of your back pain and treating it. Trust your doctor.
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