Hey Steemians,

Back pain is one of the biggest issues of the modern world whether we are talking about acute, chronic pain or hundreds different diagnosis that exist. I would like to share some practical stuff which should help you to make a life with back pain easier...

Change your sitting patterns and position often!

Because we all sit so much time is the reason that our body and muscles adjust to that position. Because of that, we gain areas of tight, weak, hurting muscles. Here are some tips to incorporate into your daily routine:

• take your time, go for a short walk out of the office, go for a glass of water, put your copy machine in the other side of the room
• when you sit, try to sit straight, make sure that your screen or book or phone is not too low. For example, put some books below your screen, put your book or a phone on so-called “lazy arms” you can really find them anywhere!!!
• do not cross your legs!
• if you can, getting support for your elbows while you are sitting would be a great idea
  

Picking up heavier objects or just carrying the bags with groceries…

Now, I have a news for you and will start with a bad one

• When you have back pain, any movement can be The Movement, that will get your current situation worst, so pay attention to your movements.
• Now, the good thing is that our brains are neuroplastic! Neuro what?! :) It just means that even that we move in specific patterns, with practice and during some time, we can actually reteach better, safer movement patterns that will help us take care of the spine more are eventually reduce our pain. So THINK!
• Here are two ways of picking up or putting down basically anything.
  a)
  

b)

So, when we talk about picking or carrying objects it’s important to know, that more we will bend our trunk to whatever side, more weight will the spine have to carry. But the goal is, instead of overload our spine, we want to help her by using our legs and arms. That does not by any chance means we should stop using the spine and stop moving the spine, NO! But to get rid of the spine pain we need to help her by using the rest of our body parts.

• Golden rule=keep the spine extended, keep the object close to the body when move, use your inner stability muscle, arms and legs.

Apply this when
o you want to pick up something from the floor or lower surface
o taking the chicken from the oven
o picking up a child
o picking a fresh, clean clothes from the washing machine, ect.

I put this picture two times, just to make sure you won't overlook it :) :) :)

Sleeping, getting in and from your sleeping position.

Sleep is important because our body resets and get ready for a new day. That is why is so much important to sleep in a good position otherwise you will wake up with some more painful areas which will last through the day…

• If you are a sleeper like me, who change the position all the time it’s very hard to tell you “you should sleep like that”, but for those of you who are side sleepers, put a pillow between your knees. This will keep your pelvis more or less in a neutral situation. Flexing your lower arm under your head will keep your neck in the extended position. Be careful of the size of your pillow. Your head should be on the same level as your spine. Below I gave you also tip for sleeping on a back. Sleeping on a stomach is not recommended because of increased lumbar lordosis. In this case, put a small pillow under your stomach ;)

Getting "correctly" from the bed which is basically the first thing that you do in the morning and your body has just woke up, and when you are going to bed your body is tired, is also one of the most important things you should probably take a closer look at.

• When standing up or down, always use your left or right side.

How to carry your daily bag?

• Wear a backpack
• Always separate your load into both hands (groceries, suitcases, …)
• Each day, change the shoulder over which you wear your purse

What shoes should you choose?

Shoes are one of the most important things when it comes to back pain because the shape of our feet usually predicts the whole posture layout and joints position. We should be constantly changing our footwear, from heels to sneaker, from high heel to barefoot… so that our feet muscles would be in a constant changing activation, because, imagine what happens when you wear only high heels for a month... well, do not get me wrong I like high heels, but functionality and physiotherapy point of view is something completely different...

• People with chronic back pain or another diagnoses should see the specialist or physiotherapist, who will do specific tests and take a closer look of your feet. They will also give you advice on buying shoe inserts, which can improve your posture and reduce back pain.

Stress less – find your way of how to control the stressful situation. Find your own unique way.People either workout, meditate, take a bath, go for a walk, it really depends on each individual...

But let's leave this for another debate :)

Hope I gave you something useful, that will help you improve your quality of life.
Stay Strong!

V.