Back Care

Know Your Mechanics

Back Care

To take care of you back you need to know your body’s posture and mechanics. Body posture is the position you sit, stand, or lye down in. Body mechanics are the ways you use your body. See your health professional to have your posture, range of motion, and movement assessed. Your spine is strong and stable when you practice healthy posture and mechanics, but when you slouch or stoop, your muscles and ligaments strain to keep you balanced — which can lead to back pain, headaches and other problems. A hea

lthy back has three natural curves:

•An inward or forward curve at the neck (cervical curve)
•An outward or backward curve at the upper back (thoracic curve)
•An inward curve at the lower back (lumbar curve)

Good posture helps maintain these natural curves, while poor posture does the opposite — which can stress or pull muscles and cause pain.

Good standing posture

When standing, keep these tips in mind:

•Stand straight and tall with your shoulders back.
•Keep your head level and in line with your body.
•Pull in your abdomen and keep back neutral.
•Keep your feet about shoulder-width apart.
•Don't lock your knees.
•Bear your weight primarily on the balls of your feet.
•Let your hands hang naturally at your sides.
•Keep shoulders retracted and chest up

If you have to stand for long periods of time, shift your weight from your toes to your heels or from one foot to the other.

Although good posture should be natural, you might feel wooden or stiff at first if you've forgotten the sensation of sitting and standing up straight. The key is to practice good posture all the time.

Good sleeping posture

•If you sleep on your side, place a pillow between your knees to help keep your hips level and make sure your head is supported and not bent. For optimal results, your nose should be parallel to the ground when you lay on your side.
•If you sleep on your back, a pillow underneath your knees can help remove pressure from your lower back. Make sure your chin and nose are parallel to the ground.
•Try to avoid sleeping on your stomach since this can cause hyperextension of your back without you noticing it.
•Be careful waking up - Sitting up too quickly and hopping out of bed can cause strain on your entire body, including your lower back. Instead, start by rolling over to the side of your bed. Tighten your abdominal muscles and use an arm to lift yourself up as you drop your feet to the floor.
•Most mattresses and box-springs should be replaced between 7 and 15 years after purchase. Look for a mattress that supports the curves in your back and is neither too hard nor too soft. Make sure you regularly flip your mattress over and around (from end to end) to help reduce sagging. Do not sleep for hours in a reclined position.

Good Back Mechanics (as mentioned)

• To prevent a low back pain take extra care when you lift; bend your knees, keep low back locked and in neutral and bend from the hips. Do not let your spine slump. Try to not flex and/or twist your spine when lifting. This is an easy way to strain your back.

• Stand or sit tall without slumping or arching your back too much. Slouching and slumping increase stress on your back.

•Do not do physical activity first thing in the morning . The best thing to do is stand and walk around to allow your back which is swollen and stiff at the disc level to adjust. Avoid also sitting after getting out of bed first thing.

Do not Smoke for Back and Overall Health

People who smoke are also much more likely to have back pain than people who don’t smoke. This is because the nicotine and other toxins from smoking can keep spinal discs from getting

all the nutrients they need from the blood, making disc injury more likely. These discs cushion the bones in your spine. An injured disc can cause low back pain.

Stress and Your Back

Some people hold stress in their muscles, specifically their back and neck. Stress and low back pain can create a vicious circle. You have back pain, and you begin to worry about it. This causes stress, and your back muscles begin to tense. Seek out strategies to reduce and/or manage stress in your life like time management and breathing techniques.

Watch Your Weight

Extra body weight, especially around the waist, may put strain on your back. Try to make your weight loss journey a healthy one by not following fads and very restrictive practices rather follow something that is healthy and that you can practice the rest of your life.

Condition your Back

People think that they need to an extremely flexible and strong back to be have a healthy. New research suggests that is more important to have a normal, balanced amount of flexibility as well as muscular endurance that is consistent around the entirety of the midsection of your body not just the back and abdomen. Seek out a health professional for an exercise program that is specific for your body.

How to Perform Daily Tasks Safely

•Don’t strain to reach.
•Instead of pushing and pulling the vacuum back and forth, walk it all the way

across the room and back. Stand up straight as you move.

• When Driving the car in, sit first and then turn so that you bring both legs into the

car together. When you get out, do the reverse. Pull your seat forward so that you can comfortably reach the pedals and the steering wheel. Your knees should be bent so that you don’t have to lift yourwhole leg to step on the brake. You may find driving more comfortable with a small pillow or rolled-up towel behind your lower back.

• For chores that require you to stand in one place, you might feel better with one foot slightly higher than the other.

• Try to avoid picking up children while you’re standing up. If you must, remember to lift properly. Better yet, find a place to sit down and let the child come into your lap.

•Many gardening chores usually require bending forward. Whenever you can, sit, squat, or get on your knees instead.
•Taking in all the groceries at once may save time, but it won’t help your back.