Taking Care of Your Back

The Importance of Good Posture

Your body’s posture is your body’s alignment and positioning and how it contrasts with gravity. Good posture is when the force of gravity is well distributed through our body, preventing stress on our muscles and ligaments. Good posture improves our breathing, circulation and our digestion. It keeps our bones and joints in the best alignment. Most importantly, it helps us keep our spine healthy.

The American Chiropractic Association outlines these tips to help us maintain our posture:

Sitting
Keep your feet on the floor or on a footrest if they do not reach the floor. Keep a small gap between the back of your knees and the front of the seat you are in. Adjust your backrest to support your low to mid-back and relax your shoulders, keeping your forearms parallel to the ground.

Standing
Bear most of your weight on the balls of your feet. Keep your knees slightly bent and your feet about shoulder-width apart. Let your arms hand naturally. Always stand straight and tall with your shoulders pulled back.

Lying
First, find a mattress that is right for your body and always sleep with a pillow. Avoid sleeping on your stomach if at all possible. For back pain, try sleeping on your side or back.

Maintain a Healthy Weight
Carrying around extra body weight places a strain on your back muscles and ligaments causing pain. Often, extra weight is carried around the core or the midsection, causing your pelvis to tilt forward, resulting in lower to midsection backaches.

The best way to maintain a healthy weight is to exercise and eat a balanced and healthy diet. Stretching, aerobics and simple walking can have a positive effect on your lifestyle and your excess weight. Low-calorie diets with high-fiber and low fat are the best option for losing weight slowly or maintaining your current healthy weight.

How to Choose the Right Mattress for Back Health

The mattress that you sleep on each night has a direct effect on your back’s health. Your posture as you sleep is just as important as your posture during the day. It is critical to choose the right mattress that supports your body the right way.

1. Choose a mattress that supports your back. A good mattress will support your back and the natural curves of your spine. Look for a mattress with a large number of coils which indicates a higher quality mattress.
2. Consider your comfort. Although some individuals prefer a firmer mattress, they can cause back pain due to increased stress on pressure points. For a firmer mattress, look for thicker padding for more comfort. Medium-firm mattresses are a great option for those who want the support while sleeping comfortably.
3. Test your mattress. Before you purchase, make sure you test the mattress for several minutes. You will want to take note of how your body feels and if you experience any discomfort.

Don’t just settle for less when purchasing a new mattress. The key to good health is plenty of sleep which is directly impacted by what type of mattress you sleep on each night.

How to Choose a Supportive Chair

Whether you are looking for a new office chair or a new recliner, it is best to understand how they will affect your back. Sitting for prolonged periods of time will lead to muscle and ligament strain. Combat this with a chair that supports your posture.

An office chair should have an adjustable backrest and allow your feet to rest comfortably on the floor. Its armrests should be close to your body and arm height should be adjustable to match the height of the desk.

For chairs inside of your home—such as recliners—first consider your needs. If you suffer from chronic back pain, lifting recliners that assist you with standing and leaning are great options. Massaging recliners which use heat to relax muscles are also great to have in your home. Whatever you choose, make sure your chair provides lumbar support and allows you to lean back at a slight angle to reduce strain on the discs in your back.

Know Your Limits

No matter where you are, on the job or at home, always remember that your body has limits. Don’t overdo it. Listen to your body for signs including discomfort and pain that may warn you of impending injury that you can prevent.

It is also important to understand your pain limits and what you can tolerate comfortably. If your back pain is affecting your quality of life and keeping you from the things you enjoy, it is time to seek out professional care.

Visit a Specialist—Not an Untrained Professional—for Manipulation

According to the American Chiropractic Association, “The back is a complicated structure of bones, joints, ligaments and muscles.” Allowing someone to “crack your back” or attempt to manipulate your back without the proper training can result in a temporary fix that may cause long-term harm.

Aggravated spinal alignment and joints from improper adjustment can lead to the development of scar tissue due to a breakdown of delicate joint and muscle tissue. This scar tissue can reduce your flexibility by up to 60% and lead to further injury in the future.

It is best to seek out a professionally trained chiropractor for all of your back pain concerns and adjustment needs. Give our team at Proactive Chiropractic a call today at (704) 810-1468 or send us a quick message online. We are here to get you back to feeling like yourself again, relieved of agonizing back pain.