Quick question:
How many of you have googled ‘preventing back pain?’
Yes, I thought so.
We’ve all heard and read about what can cause back pain; incorrect lifting, bad posture, sports injury… but did you know that you may be making a common mistake in your daily routine, that might be encouraging back pain?
What I’m about to tell you, might sound surprising but hear me out and I’ll explain why it can cause your back pain to worsen, as well as give you some tips on how to change it.
Right, so here we go…
Bad diet. I don’t mean like Slimming World or Weight Watchers! This is a way to manage your weight. However, I am more concerned about the reason you may go to slimming clubs.
Being overweight can have a great impact on your health AND your back pain. If you are overweight then you are putting extra pressure on your back.
An example of this can be shown where we store sugar. When we eat sugar, any energy that we don’t use from it, is stored on our back.
Another place that it can be stored, along with caffeine, is at your lower back, aka your love handles!
If you now think of all that excess weight being carried on your back from sugar and caffeine, is it surprising that a bad diet can lead to back pain?
To overcome this issue, try cutting down on the sugar, caffeine and processed foods and choose more natural foods. This could be chicken breasts, potatoes and vegetables.
Just remember, any energy you don’t use will be stored as fat and the areas in which you store fat include your biceps, hips and back.
Lack of exercise– and by lack of exercise I mean, lack of flexibility exercises. Many people will be active by going for long walks, playing sports and going to the gym.
Yet how many people actually put time aside to increase their flexibility, or even associate this with exercise?
Flexibility exercises always seem to be overlooked but they really shouldn’t be…
Stretches before and after exercise can help with flexibility, however it’s main focus is to get rid of the lactic acid you have built up from exercise.
If you are someone who is noticing stiffness more frequently after exercise and stretches, then you will really benefit from yoga.
Yoga is a great exercise to add into your daily routine. Yoga may include stretches that you may already be familiar with, however yoga is so much more than a few stretches.
Yoga helps you focus on your breathing, making you feel less stressed, can ease tension as the movements relax the muscles and it increases your flexibility.
Just because Yoga isn’t as intense as a fast-paced game of tennis, does not mean that it’s not an intense workout for your muscles!
I recommend to my clients to try yoga on a daily basis because of its amazing benefits – and I recommend you give it a try too!
How old did you say your mattress was? When you actually think back to when you got your mattress, you’ll be surprised at actually how old it is!
but how does an old mattress cause back pain you ask? It’s quite simple really. Although it may have been very supportive in the beginning, overtime the springs can wear and can ultimately not end up giving you the support you need.
Think of it like this:
You have a brand new shirt that you really like. You wear it day in day out, to prove how much you really like it. After the first few washes it looks as good as new. However after a while you notice that the more you wear it, the more the colours fade, the more the stitching comes apart, until ultimately, you need a new shirt.
Your mattress is the same. If perhaps you can’t go out and buy a new mattress today (because lets be honest, not many of us can!), then another way to get great support is by the use of your pillows.
If you sleep on your side, place a pillow between your legs for extra support. This will help your hip joints as well as your lower back.
If you prefer to sleep on your back however, get a pillow or two and pop them under your feet. This changes the way your spine is positioned when you sleep, providing more support for your back.
And there you have it! So to summarise everything, having a healthy diet is more important than just getting the correct nutrients for your body. It also helps ease any pressure to your joints and muscles.
Your bed, as comfy as it may feel, might actually be causing you harm! Double check the date of when you got your mattress and including flexibility exercises such as yoga into your daily routine can make a great difference to your back pain.
Just because its slow and calming, doesn’t mean it’s not a good workout for your body!
Not many people seem to notice these problems in their lifestyle and often ignore them because they don’t see how what they eat and what they sleep on, can have a big impact on their back pain.
Yet alone the type of exercise they do!
So please, don’t make the mistake that so many other people make and implement these into your daily routine today!
If you want to know any more tips on how to ease back pain, click here to download my free report today: http://www.paulgoughphysio.com/back-pain
You might know Paul as an expert Columnist who writes weekly health articles for TWO of the North East's biggest daily Newspapers, The Northern Echo And The Hartlepool Mail, he is a regular Speaker at Industry Seminars around the globe and a Radio Personality, often heard on the BBC. Paul has been an expert guest on dozens of Radio shows and regularly interviewed in newspapers, magazines and trade journals all over the world, including the Guardian.
Paul’s background included working extensively in the Premier League with a Top Professional Football Team, and since quitting his job in Professional Football in 2007, his Physio Practice has become the fastest growing in the UK and biggest in the North East. So successful, that companies like BUPA, ASDA, The Vela Group And Coast & Country, repeatedly retain his Physio company's services to keep healthy their own staff and workforce. Paul Gough Physio Rooms is now a large multi-physio, multi clinic speciality practice in Darlington, Durham, Guisborough and Hartlepool.
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