1. Travel at an ease without putting uneven stress on your back
The manner in which we lift and carry the bags and luggage puts a whole lot of force on our back any rotational or bending force acting on the back can lead to a severe back pain. Few examples to give are bending and lifting weights, pulling a bag from baggage counter at the airport or placing a heavy bag in the cabinet above.
2. Maintain a good Posture in sitting and standing: Don’t drop your head to the gadgets
A bad posture in sitting, standing or working on a laptop puts uneven forces on the spine, giving rise to numerous muscular imbalances and giving rise to whole lot of postural faults. A bad static posture slows down the circulation which in turn reduces the amount of oxygen and nutrition coming to the muscles. This gives a chance for early degenerative changes in spine.
3. Take regular breaks if your Job demands sitting whole day
Are you aware of the fact that scientists doing research on spine and back problems have come up with a term: SITTING IS THE NEW SMOKING !!! You must be wondering WHY SO ? Here’s a quick eye on some facts: After sitting for long hours:
– Enzymes that help us burn fat, drop by 90%
– After 2 hours, good cholesterol drops by 20%
– After 4 hours, insulin effectiveness drops and risk of diabetes rises
According to a study published in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute, which looked at more than 4 million individuals and 68,936 cancer cases, sitting for long periods of time increases your risk for colon, endometrial and, possibly, lung cancer. A study published in the American Journal of Epidemiology found that men and women who sat more than six hours a day died earlier than their counterparts who limited sitting time to 3 hours a day or less.
Taking regular break and changing posture often increases circulation in the muscles and vital organs and gets new blood and oxygen moving to that area keeping it nourished.
4. Use proper pillow size to avoid strain on spine
You might have always heard a debate on which pillow is best for the spine, and which does not give pain in the neck when you wake up in the morning.The idea is to have a pillow which supports right from shoulders to the head and the neck should not tilt or rotate when sleeping on the sides. The height of the pillow should be such that the neck should always be in line with the entire spine.
5. Never use Cervical Collar or Back brace for your pain which is not due to injury or fracture
We all are into a habit of protecting or guarding the part which is injured. But have you ever thought what could be the after effect of it. Some of you use the cervical collar or back belt on a self prescribed basis for many days or weeks if you suffer from a neck or a back pain. Always consult a doctor or a physiotherapist before using such kind of supportive aids as long term use of these braces are detrimental, making your muscles weak and joints stiff reducing the mobility of your joints. Get yourself examined in detail and whether it is necessary for you or not.
– Authored article by Dr. Manoj Kutteri, Wellness Director at Atmantan Wellness Centre
