Six Lifestyle Habits To Manage Your Chronic Back Pain

Severe lower back pain is one of the most common complaints and which always comes to our nerves. It becomes a difficult task for us to perform our daily activities.

Certain lifestyle factors, such as obesity, no physical activity, poor posture, poor diet, and smoking, are the main culprits that result in back pain. However, by adopting a few lifestyle changes, it is possible to reduce chronic back pain.

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Management of Chronic Low Back Pain

Correct Posture

Incorrect posture is the main reason for causing and increasing chronic back pain, primarily for today’s generation, who sit for hours without a break.
Sit up straight and stop slouching. Slouching causes severe lower back pain, muscle tension, joint pain, reduced circulation, and fatigue.
Avoid slouching while walking or standing, maintain proper spine alignment, and stand or walk with your back straight and your shoulders tall.
Avoid prolonged sitting. Take regular breaks in between and walk around to minimize spinal cord compression and loosen muscle tension.

Exercise

Exercise regularly to improve muscle strength and tone.
Perform stretching exercises to improve muscle flexibility.
Stretch neck muscles regularly by turning your head from one side to another.
Perform abdominal exercises to support lower back muscles, thus preventing chronic lower back pain.

Maintain a Healthy Weight

Being overweight or obesity can affect the abdominal muscles, causing problems for the pelvis and spine and leading to constant low back pain.
Extra weight is responsible for chronic back pain as it causes muscle weakness, spine compression, spine misalignment, slowed metabolism, and slow recovery time.
Obesity discourages individuals from engaging in everyday physical activities and impacts their overall health.

Lift weights Properly

Many people have a misconception that they know how to lift heavy objects properly and safely. With improper lifting techniques, they can injure their back, giving rise to muscle strain and resulting in severe back pain.
When trying to lift any heavy objects, bend your knees and keep the object close to your body. Also, take care not to twist your body while lifting, as it might cause severe right-side back pain and left-side back pain.
Remember to wear a brace if the job requires heavy lifting. If an object is very heavy to lift, ask someone for help. If possible, use lifting devices to help lift loads.

Choose the Right Mattress

A bad mattress often forces us to sleep in an unnatural position that twists and strains our back, which ultimately results in severe and chronic back pain.
A high-quality orthopaedic or back-support mattress is the best option. Try "medium-firm” for a correct spine alignment.
Prefer a new mattress. Place pillows behind the knees if sleeping on the back. If sleeping on the sides, then it’s a good idea to place pillows in between the legs so that the natural curve of the spine is maintained.
These sleeping tips will help reduce back pain and provide a good night’s sleep. However, these are only temporary relief factors, and if you have chronic back pain, it’s advisable to consult your physician.

Nutritions and Anti-Inflammatory Diet to Eat Well

Our bones, muscles, and spine need healthy nutrition and an anti-inflammatory diet to be strong and function properly. Our diet must include the following nutrients to achieve good bone and muscle health and keep back problems at bay.

Calcium

Calcium helps muscles, nerves, and cells to function normally. The body needs calcium as well as phosphorous to develop healthy bones. We can get calcium by consuming foods like;

Milk
Yogurt
Cheese
Salmon
Sardines
Tofu
Green leafy vegetables

Magnesium

Magnesium is essential and good for back pain. Adequate magnesium intake may help prevent muscle spasms and thus prevent back problems. Consume these foods to get magnesium –

Green leafy vegetables
Whole Grains
Fish
Beans
Seeds
Nuts
Avocados
Bananas
Dark chocolate
Yogurt

Vitamin D3

It is good for calcium absorption. Inadequate vitamin D leads to weak, brittle, or misshapen bones.

Food that provides Vitamin D3 are:

Fish
Liver (or cod liver oil)
Egg yolks
Milk
Morning sunlight

Vitamin C

It is vital for collagen formation. Sufficient consumption of vitamin C is crucial for the proper healing of injured muscles, tendons, ligaments, and intervertebral discs. Sources of Vitamin C are