Back pain can be short-term (acute) or long-term (chronic). It normally feels like a dull, constant ache or a sudden, sharp pain. The goal of your chiropractor is to improve function and subsequently relieve pain and keep you pain-free between visits.
Dr Adam Rocchi ( chiropractor ) will use nerve sensor manipulation and low force spinal manipulation to attempt to correct misalignments, issues with muscle strength and muscle tension to try and relieve pain that’s in your head, back and neck. Your chiropractor knows that for you to maintain wellness, you should follow these tips to keep your neck and back functioning correctly to reduce nerve and muscle pain.
1) Stretch Before Getting Out of Bed
How you always start your day will determine the extent your lower back will complain by the end of the day. A 30 second routine of bringing knees to chest and then across your body wakes the nervous system up. Even your cats and dogs have a stretch after a sleep.
2) Stop Doing Sit-ups
Strong abdominals are known to be the key to reducing any pain in your back. However, if you are experiencing back pain, sit-ups make the pain worse. Instead, you should hold yourself as long as possible in a yoga plank pose. Increase the time of this position with each attempt. Also, do side planks because they will firm up your core.
3) Get Up and Move
Don’t spend too much time in any one position (standing or sitting) as this can end up triggering back pain. Basically, the more active you are, the more you’ll stretch your muscles and keep your nervous system active and in gear, which will make your body get accustomed to physical activity and as a result you are less likely to suffer from pain.
4) Sit up Straight
Sit up on your ischial tuberosity (also known as sit bones or tuberosity of the ischium), not back on your sacrum. Think about the curve that’s in your lower back then try preserving it as you sit. Disc issues however require less body load into the lower spine so reclining in your office chair with a foot-stool helps spread the body load elsewhere. Whatever you are working on, your computer screen and keyboard have to be always square with your body. Do not put a laptop on your lap
5) Do Not Cross or Sit on Your Legs
If you sit at your desk all day, your feet should be parallel and on the ground. Use a footrest or box to prop your feet up if they cannot reach the ground. This reduces pressure on the facet joints in your lower back.
6) Avoid Heavy Lifting
Give up heavy loads with deadlifts and squats. It is very difficult to keep and focus on good form when at your extreme limits. If you’re lifting anything heavy, you should always bend your knees and keep your back straight. Doing this ensures that the muscles in your legs do most of the work.
7) Don’t Sleep on Your Stomach
This is the worst position that shouldn’t choose to sleep in. You’ll be forced to turn your head either to the right or left, which creates neck strains. Instead, you should either sleep on your side and place pillows between your knees or on your back and put pillows beneath your knees. These positions help maintain your spine’s natural curvature. Also, place a small size pillow under the head and then pull it down to support your neck as well.
8) Stretch out Your Hamstrings and Flexors
Your hamstrings and flexors can get shortened because of spending many hours sitting. As a result, when you try to stand up, your hamstrings and psoas pull on your pelvis and cause misalignments in your spine and all types of pain. To counter this effect, do some quick stretches each day ensuring you hold each one for 30 plus seconds
9) Do Stretching and Back-strengthening Exercises
Do stretching and back-strengthening exercises at least two times a week. There are numerous body weight exercises we can do outside of a gym.
10) Eat Well
Many people would benefit with limiting diary and wheat as they can create macromolecules in some guts and lead to a “leaky gut” and systemic inflammation throughout the body and an autoimmune reaction that can gravitate to the joints of the spine and body with ease. Much research is being done on the “Gut-Brain axis” and is worth investigating.
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