How to Look After Your Back
Admit it: you take your back for granted. If you live in the United Kingdom it is highly likely that you won't bother to think about your back until you have injured it somehow and are laid up and wishing you could move about freely. Once you suffer a back injury you will be careful to make sure that you do not suffer from the same injury again. Most back injuries can be prevented by simply treating your back well and implementing a few "back babying" habits into your daily routine. Here are a few easy ways to "baby" your back:
1. When you get out of bed in the morning, use your hips to lean forward and try to keep your back from arching. Then use your elbows to push your torso up off of the mattress while letting your hands hold your weight as you swing your legs off of the bed.
2. Keep your legs slightly bent or put a pillow beneath your knees to support the weight of your legs if you sleep on your back. This helps to relieve the strain that would otherwise be put on your back muscles.
3. Going to sleep on your stomach puts enormous strain on your back and you should avoid it if at all possible.
4. You might like the soft cushion of a springy mattress, but a firm mattress is much better for your back. If you have a back disorder, ask your doctor what kind of mattress you should invest in.
5. Rotate your mattress every few months and flip it at least twice during the year to ensure that it wears out evenly and provides your back with as much support as possible.
6. Lift with your knees and do not lift with your back. This has been repeated so often it has almost become a clich. This does not mean, however, that it is not true. It is always better to let your knees and hips do the work.
7. Try to maintain proper posture at all times"whether you are standing or sitting down. This will better distribute the weight of your upper body and it takes the strain off of your spine. Sitting up straight also looks quite a bit better than slouching in your chair or hunching over your desk.
8. Here is the proper way to get out of a car: swing your legs toward the open doorway and let the momentum from that swirl your torso and head. Use your arms and hands to either push up off of seat or place your hands on the door's frame and then pull yourself up and out of the car. Bend with your knees and hips.
1. When you get out of bed in the morning, use your hips to lean forward and try to keep your back from arching. Then use your elbows to push your torso up off of the mattress while letting your hands hold your weight as you swing your legs off of the bed.
2. Keep your legs slightly bent or put a pillow beneath your knees to support the weight of your legs if you sleep on your back. This helps to relieve the strain that would otherwise be put on your back muscles.
3. Going to sleep on your stomach puts enormous strain on your back and you should avoid it if at all possible.
4. You might like the soft cushion of a springy mattress, but a firm mattress is much better for your back. If you have a back disorder, ask your doctor what kind of mattress you should invest in.
5. Rotate your mattress every few months and flip it at least twice during the year to ensure that it wears out evenly and provides your back with as much support as possible.
6. Lift with your knees and do not lift with your back. This has been repeated so often it has almost become a clich. This does not mean, however, that it is not true. It is always better to let your knees and hips do the work.
7. Try to maintain proper posture at all times"whether you are standing or sitting down. This will better distribute the weight of your upper body and it takes the strain off of your spine. Sitting up straight also looks quite a bit better than slouching in your chair or hunching over your desk.
8. Here is the proper way to get out of a car: swing your legs toward the open doorway and let the momentum from that swirl your torso and head. Use your arms and hands to either push up off of seat or place your hands on the door's frame and then pull yourself up and out of the car. Bend with your knees and hips.
About the Author:
Andrew Mitchell, clinical director of the Osteopath Network, writes papers about musculo-skeletal conditions and Chester osteopaths. The Osteopath Network has more than 550 clinics located throughout the UK and offers treatment at weekends and after hours.
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