Quick Changes You Can Make To Prevent Back Pain

Collaborative Post

I’ve made no secret of the fact that I sometimes suffer from back pain. I wanted to share with you today some of the top tips I’ve utilised to help prevent back pain when I feel a flare up coming.

Change Your Sleeping Arrangements

My back pain often seemed worse in the morning when I had woken up, I realised that maybe the bed I was sleeping on wasn’t as comfy as I thought it was. I thought about when I had last updated it and lo and behold, it had been about eight years since my last mattress and was high time I got a new one. Once I did so, my back felt a lot better and the flare ups subsided, they happened much less often.

Another option if back pain is really affecting your life is to choose an adjustable bed. This may be a much better option for you and ensure you have a proper night’s sleep. My in laws have been considering one of these. They already have adjustable chairs and this seems to be the next step for them.

Lose Some Weight

I know that a lot of my back pain has to do with my weight. I have put on quite a bit over the pandemic and the stress of moving so often. I haven’t paid anywhere near as much attention to myself as I should have and that needs to change. I know that losing some weight will help to ease some of the pressure on it.

This may not be of relevance to some people though – some people might not need to lose any weight and their back pain is for some other reason.

Photo by David Todd McCarty on Unsplash

Change Your Diet

The stronger your bones are, the stronger your back will be and the less painful it should hopefully be. A great way to prevent back pain is to increase your intake of calcium and Vitamin D. Add more milk, leafy greens, fatty fish, eggs and vitamins into your diet and reap the benefits.

Try to avoid food with bad fats – you can have treats but try to keep them to a minimum. The last thing you want is to be putting more pressure on your whole body.

Fix Your Posture

Posture has a lot to do with joint pain. Good posture not only looks good but it also protects your spine and other parts of your body. By having bad posture and doing nothing to fix it, you are putting undue strain and stress on your back and do untold damage to your spine. Don’t slouch or bend if you can help it.

Sleep With A Pillow Under Your Knees

What way do you sleep? Did you know sleeping on your back puts pressure on your spine?  If you can elevate your legs, you will find that the pressure is relieved. Placing a pillow under your knees is just one way that you can do this.

If you don’t want to use a pillow, a bundled up blanket may do the trick as well.

Get Some New Shoes

The type of shoes you wear can often affect your body and can sometimes cause back pain. By choosing some comfortable shoes with a low heel, you will find the strain on your back is reduced by quite some amount.

Try to avoid heels as much as possible. You can still wear them, of course, but reduce the amount you do wear them.

Avoid Heavy Lifting

It may be impossible to avoid any heavy lifting at all – sometimes people’s jobs rely upon it. However if you are doing too much heavy lifting or even not lifting things in the correct way, this can also cause back pain.

Distribute the weight if you still have to lift heavy items or try to avoid it at all if you can!

Exercise

Regular exercise, as long as you don’t overdo it, can help with back pain. Make sure you take time to stretch and get up and around when you can.

There are many health benefits to exercise and relieving pain is one of them. Certain routines will help reduce further damage to your back and strengthen your core.

These are just a few ideas that you can try to help prevent back pain – have you ever tried any before? I’ve tried quite a few and they have definitely worked! Do you have any tips that you don’t see here that you would like to share with us?