Did you know…
- Only 47% of persons suffering from low-back pain exercised regularly, whereas 86% of people without back pain exercised regularly (Cox JM, et al.).
Most people will experience small episodes of low back pain over a course of several months to years without much issue. Then something as small as picking up a pen will cause their back to “go out.” Now as most people can figure out the pen didn’t cause that individuals back to go out. What really happened was an accumulation of micro traumas that occur over a period of time until one small act becomes the straw that broke the camel’s back. Or in this case the pen that broke the camel’s back. The good news is that there are safe and effective ways to prevent these major episodes from happening. And that involves proper ergonomics, exercises, and maintain proper spinal alignment and mobility.
Try these tips in helping to prevent low back injury and pain:
- Do Something! Do anything! Movement is the key to life. It is what defines life. If you aren’t moving you’re dying. We all spend so much of our lives in the sedentary position of sitting that we are causing our very important stabilizing muscles to break down and become weak. This leads to eventual injury because we can no longer support or spines properly. If you haven’t done much exercise recently start out simple and go for a walk every day. Walk during your lunch break. Work up slowly to more vigorous exercise. If you start out to ambitious you will become frustrated with your progress or even worse you will hurt yourself.
- Develop an exercises routine which you can follow. Most people have good intentions when they start exercises but eventually drop out of it because they become bored with it. Having a variety of exercises to do makes each workout more enjoyable and boredom won’t be an issue. Our patients are taught a variety of exercises and then are encouraged to switch them up on a daily basis to make their workout more enjoyable. When you start your routine make sure you have a set weekly schedule which you can realistically follow. If you don’t have a set routine it becomes too easy to make excuses not to do them. The routine doesn’t require any expensive equipment and a lot of times can be accomplished without a gym memberships. Some of the most effective exercises we teach our patients are done at home and require no equipment at all.
If you are still struggling with back pain and haven’t found any really solutions you will be thrilled to know that Dr Oliver has developed set protocols that are easy to follow and produce long term results for his patients. Its time to start listening to your body. Those little episodes of pain are signs that there is a problem. Don’t let them develop into something that prevents you from enjoying life.