Understanding your back pain this World Spine Day

October 16th was World Spine Day, with a focus this year on supporting your spine, so what better way to celebrate it than with providing you with some information on how you can look after your back during work, exercise or day to day living to help you adopt good habits for your overall health.

A potentially frustrating but crucial part of spinal management, is that if you suffer from back pain, staying at work and keeping moving, especially through exercise is a proven way to help your own road to recovery rather than taking time off work. Although not might what you want to hear, self-management of back pain is best managed whilst doing your day-to-day activities and keeping to routines, with just an awareness of how you are performing actions to reduce flaring up your symptoms.

Office Based Changes to Manage your Spinal Health

Change positions! Whether from sitting in different ways to just moving around the office- whether that at work or at home, the best way to look after yourself if you spend all day at a desk is changing positions. Try standing up whenever you answer the phone or if you have access to one, utilise a standing desk for as long as you can!

Ergonomic chairs are really good if your office space provides one, but the evidence assessing the “perfect sitting position” suggests that there isn’t actually one perfect position, and that so adjusting your position in the chair every once in a while so that your body doesn’t get stuck in one position is best for your back.

Manual Labour Workers – advice to monitor your back

You are already really active which is good for your whole body! It is important though, to look after your body really well as you rely on it to work all the time. Similar to how you have to go to your dentist to look after your teeth, you have to go a Chiropractor to assess the mobility and functionality of the joints throughout your body.

Lifting technique is really important, because poor technique can aggravate even the most minor symptoms in your back. Make sure that you if your bend down, you’re doing this from the knees and hips, keeping your back straight; this is easier when you know how to engage your core musculature, so make sure you are practicing this at home. Keep items close to your body as well – don’t stretch for them, as muscles are often weaker when stretched, so are more susceptible to injury. If your uncertain about how to do this, ask your chiropractor or a personal trainer at a gym to demonstrate a deadlift for you, good technique can help to prevent a lot of injuries.

If you work with others in a team, don’t be too proud to ask for help with anything awkward or too heavy; its not worth the long period of suffering compared to an additional 5 minutes longer to move the object. Make things work for you!

Management of Stress and Wellbeing

No matter how you move and try to maintain your back within work, stress management and your mental health and wellbeing will play a direct role in both your ability to manage your pain, as well as the intensity that you experience your symptoms. Stress has been commonly linked

to headaches and is commonly associated with muscle tension in the neck, within the shoulders and low back. Management of stress is going to be entirely dependent on you. You will be going through struggles that people may not be able to appreciate as much. Practising mindfulness, meditation, reflection and managing your mental health through physical activities like sports or yoga can help massively but seeking professional help if your stress or anxiety is impacting your overall health is essential.

Sleep and late-night phone usage

Yes you read that right Sleep. We’ve all heard how valuable it is to get a good night sleep but the psychological impacts that sleep can have on both stress levels and pain intensity can not go un-noted. 8 hours is the recommended amount with proper neck support as well as lying in a side lying position but go to sleep and waking up at regular times each day will help your natural circadian rhythm. What goes more un-noted however is not using your phone for the last 30 minutes to 1 hour before bed as this will interfere with the natural tiredness you get later in the evening. Prioritise sleep and good rest, it will pay dividends.

Regular Check-ups

You go to the dentist to assess the quality of your teeth and to prevent tooth decay, so why don’t you see a health care provider, such as a Chiropractor to assess and maintain the health of your spine and the joints and muscles around it. Early detection maintenance and prevention can prevent problems from occurring and reducing the longevity of long-term existing problems, improving your overall health and well-being.

If your ever wondering what the best things are to do for your spinal health, ask your Chiropractor – we’re here to help!

Written by Daniel de Rooij DC