5 Simple Yet Important Back Care Reminders

January 26, 2010
by: Sylvia Marten

As you probably already know, the causes and treatment options for back pain are remarkably complicated. In some cases, the specifics about seemingly complex spine conditions and surgical treatments can be enough to make the head spin.

In such situations, taking a step back and reevaluating your approach to basic yet effective forms of back care can sometimes make a big difference in improving your symptoms and feeling better. Rather than making things too convoluted, keep things simple by returning to these five fundamentals of back pain treatment.

Sit Comfortably

Sitting creates a lot of stress on your spine, but the right setup can help you stay comfortable. Make sure your knees are slightly higher than your hips, push your chair right up to the desk, support your arms with armrests, etc.

These and other adjustments can help your back feel much better after long periods of sitting. For more information, see the following articles:
- Reducing back pain while sitting in office chairs
- Choosing the right ergonomic office chair.

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Employ Good Body Mechanics

Pushing is easier on your back than pulling, pivot with your feet instead of twisting while lifting, keep heavy loads close to your body…these and other pointers will help you avoid injuring your discs and spine.

We encourage you to take time to learn how to prevent a painful back injury with proper back support. For more information, see the following article on Ergonomics and good posture at work.

Fine-Tune Your Exercises

If you feel worse after exercising, there may be just one or two exercises in your routine that are aggravating your condition. Or perhaps you need to do some of the exercises with a different form or more support.

If needed, please discuss how to adjust your exercise program with your doctor or therapist. For more information, see:
- Rehabilitation and exercise for a healthy back
- Back exercise and fitness for back pain relief.
Try A Different Back Pain Medication

A medication may have intolerable side effects for you but not for someone else, or may be much more or less effective. Also, some approaches to taking the back pain medication - pills, injections, patches - may work better for you than others.

To find what works best for you, talk to your doctor about all of your alternatives. For more information, see Back pain medications.

Care for Your Emotions

Your mental attitude is actually quite important and can play a key role in managing your condition and the level of your back pain. Stress can make pain much worse and prolong it, and alleviating stress - through imagery, meditation and other techniques - can lessen the pain, help you sleep better, etc.

For more information, see Effective coping strategies for back pain.