Preventing Back Pain

Many routine, daily activities can lead to painful back problems.

To prevent back pain:

• Maintain good overall physical condition.
• Avoid activities that hurt your back.
• Maintain proper posture, while sitting, standing, or lying down.
• Make a habit of stretching throughout the day.

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Proper posture is key

Correct posture is important in the prevention of back strains and sprains. Maintaining the normal curves of the spine allows the supportive structures of the back to relax which minimizes the chances of injury. The following sections provide detailed advice on how to maintain proper posture throughout your everyday activities.

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Sitting in a chair

Always use an extra back support when sitting in a chair to maintain the natural, lumbar curve in the low back. (In most chairs, we end up slouching, placing excessive strain on the muscles, joints, and ligaments of the back.)

• Place a rolled-up towel, sweatshirt, or small pillow in the small of your back or wherever it is most comfortable.
• Remember to take something to stuff behind your back while sitting at the movies, riding in a car, working in the library or at a desk.
• Use a lumbar roll for back support (they're available at the Gannett dispensary and in many drug stores).
• Whether working at a computer or riding in a car for long periods, make sure to take frequent breaks from sitting.

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Sitting on a stool or bench

Sit up straight and maintain your lumbar curve to avoid the stress that leads to back pain. An easy way to do this is to make sure you are sitting on your "sit bones" (ischial tuberosites). You can feel these bones in your bottom when you tilt your pelvis back and forth while sitting. You can maintain proper posture without back support if you keep your weight over your sit bones, your back erect, and your chest out. This may feel awkward at first because it involves postural muscles that you're unaccustomed to using. But within a week or so, good posture will become a new habit.

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Sleeping

Use a firm mattress for sleeping. A feather pillow or rolled-up towel will support your neck when you are sleeping on your side or back. Don't use a pillow when you sleep on your stomach. A 1-1 1/2 inch roll can be used to help maintain your lower inward curve.

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Standing

Slouching, letting your head and shoulders protrude forward, or keeping your knees locked straight back all add stress to your back and neck. To achieve proper posture, imagine that there is a string attached to the top of your head which helps lift and elongate you. Make sure you keep your chest out and don't lift your chin.

Also, wearing shoes with good arch supports is important in keeping proper skeletal alignment and distributing stress correctly. When standing for longer periods of time, try putting one foot up on a stool (or object of similar height). This will reduce some of the stress on your lower- and middle-back.

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Lifting/moving objects

When lifting or putting down heavy objects, keep your back straight. Bend at the knees, using the power of your legs to lift or lower the object. Hold heavy objects close to the body. Center weight to minimize stress placed on back muscles. (For example, wear a backpack over both shoulders.) When moving objects like furniture, push rather than pull so you can use the weight of your whole body instead of just your arm and back muscles.

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Stretching

A few times each day, get up and stretch leaning backwards. Brace yourself by placing your hands on the back of your hips. Or spend a few minutes lying on your stomach on a firm surface while leaning on your elbows. Don't wait until your back begins to ache to take a break!

An exercise called the "press-up" may help. Lie on your stomach on a firm surface with your palms on the floor directly under the shoulders. Press up with arms, keeping your lower body relaxed and hips and legs on the floor. Repeat 10 times twice a day. If you experience pain that increases with each repetition, do not continue the exercises.