Top 5 Tips for Back Pain Relief

Focus Pilates asserts you that the best way to look after your back is through regular exercise: Exercise in general maintains a healthy posture and keeps the muscles and ligaments supporting your back supple.? It also helps maintain a healthy bone density, particularly later in life.? Activities such as Yoga and Pilates will engage your core stability muscles and if performed regularly, will ensure that your back is stable and less prone to injury. Besides exercise, you should also pay attention to a number of other factors. Focus Pilates has come up with the Top 5 Tips for back pain relief and avoid factors that would instigate more pain.

• Standing - when standing, a large number of us tend to slump forward, which is very bad posture indeed.? Aside from looking sloppy though, such a position may cause lower back problems in the long run.? Slouching puts unnecessary strain on certain vulnerable areas of your back.? Over time, these sensitive areas suffer wear and tear and may give rise to chronic back pain.? The best way to stand (if you want to bypass the old school balance-a-book-on-your-head scenario), is to stand with your knees slightly bent, back straight and abdominal muscles in.? It helps to pull your chin in slightly too, and if you can help it, do not stand for a long period of time.


• Sleeping - whereas it is common knowledge that orthopedic and semi-orthopedic mattresses are best for your back, your sleeping position also has some effect.? In fact Joseph Pilates, the founder of Pilates, in his book Your Health (1934) has a whole chapter about the importance of sleeping. Pilates designed corrective 穡V穡 shape beds especially made to enable better sleep. If you are not so daring as to completely changing your bed, you could sleep on your side, as sleeping face-down can cause tightness in the lower back.? If you sleep face-up, it helps to place a pillow under your knees, as it will keep your lower back flat and minimize tension.


• Sitting - for those among us who have to spend lots of time at their desk or in front of a computer, posture is key.? Sit at the very back of your chair with your back fully aligned with the back-rest. Your knees should be bent and your feet touching the ground, preferably knees kept at a 90 degree angle to the hips. If you work on a computer, the screen should be just below eye-level. You should also have a chair which has arm rests and the keyboard should be at a level where the elbows can rest. A lot of problems can be avoided if the elbows are adequately supported.


• Lifting - when lifting something heavy, always bend your knees as you lift it off the ground, and never lift it higher than your hips.? A poor lifting technique will put a lot of strain on your vertebral discs, so if you bend your knees, your leg muscles (quads, hamstrings and glutes) will be doing most of the work not your weaker lower back ones. Strong core muscles (deep abdominals) will assist you to keep your back straight and release any pressure from the vertebral column.


• Bags - ?if your handbag or laptop bag is on the heavy side, do not always carry it on the same shoulder. Use a backpack instead and ensure that you wear both straps resting on both of your shoulders to balance out the weight.? If you absolutely cannot use a backpack, try to switch shoulders as you go.

If you start making these slight adjustments to your daily routine today, you will find that your back pain will ease up, not to mention disappear completely.? Mobility is a key factor so contact a pilates instructor near you to find out how you can integrate this fabulous exercise method with your life.

Nonetheless, Focus Pilates recommends seeing a physician if back pain seems unusual or persists more than a few days.