Pain Relief

Pain sensation is a signal sent to the brain from the body that something is wrong inside your body. Back pain occurs if the back is weak, inflexible or if a task is performed in a wrong way. Regular exercises and stretching is the best way to prevent and reduce back pain. To avoid back pain issues, it is necessary to keep your back strong and supple, maintain a good posture and get into the habit of lifting objects correctly.

Before beginning any fitness programs for back pain persisting for more than six weeks, you should consult a healthcare professional. In order to reduce discomfort, bed rest and heavy drugs are often the basis of therapy provided by doctors for back pain. But, this type of therapy can weaken the back muscles and lead to more strain and pain. This also increases the chances of patient’s drug dependence which ultimately makes the patient more inactive and disabled.

Therefore, it is necessary to consult a therapist for optimal recovery from back and neck pain problems. With the use of specialized techniques, the therapist can relieve pain; provide tissue and joint mobilization and personalized exercises. A trained therapist can also help to provide maximum benefit without causing further damage.

Preventing back and neck pain

You have to avoid the hazards in any type of job situation; whether you work in an office or a warehouse. Following are the ways to prevent injury to your neck or back:

Ergonomics

The science of designing and arranging things used by people in the most effective and safe manner is called ergonomics. The term ergonomics is most commonly found to exist in workplaces. In many cases, ergonomics is applied to people sitting at a desk for long periods.

Rules of desk-related ergonomics:

1. Ensure proper molding of your chair to your back. If such chairs are not provided in the office, or if your height is a constraint for your back to rest properly, place a rolled up towel behind your lower back to reduce the stress.

2. Keep your feet flat on the floor, use a footstool if required. Back stress can be reduced with correct foot and leg alignment.

3. For proper alignment of the shoulder, ensure that your forearms and thighs are parallel while typing. If required support your wrist with a pad.

4. Try not to crane your neck to view your computer screen. Keep the monitor at slightly below or at the eye level.
5. Every half hour, get up from your desk and stretch

Standing for long periods

While standing for a long period, back strain is caused as people generally tend to shift their body weight from one side to another. You can distribute your body weight equally onto both legs. You can also try standing on a footrest with one leg and switching your feet periodically. Consider doing some back exercises to loosen the stiffness.

Driving

Driving for a long time can cause back strain. If you experience back ache after a long drive, place a rolled towel behind your lower back for lumbar spine support. Sitting causes shortening of the muscles, leading to stiffness and sciatic nerve (nerve that runs between the spine and thighs) compression. You can stop and stretch every hour to keep the muscles loose.

Lifting heavy objects

Lifting heavy objects are a normal part of day-to-day tasks; accidents are prone to occur due to improper lifting techniques. The proper way of lifting is by keeping one knee on the ground and using your arms and legs to move the object up onto the opposite thigh. Avoid bending from the waist while lifting. You can also position the object in between your knees by keeping the back straight and arms extended, try standing to create the lifting force. Avoid lifting postures that are dangerous to the back.



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Scot D Miller DO MBA FACS
Spinal Implants
Dr. Miller has been extensively involved with Orthopaedic Spinal implant design with many companies including Biomet Spine, Stryker Spine, Integra Life Sciences, Depuy Spine and others...Read More
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