How to get rid of back pain!

Back pain can be a result of a serious injury, gradual progression of aches and pains due to an underlying cause, and in some cases other external factors. Therefore, it’s important to always check with a health professional to ensure the steps you take are right for you.

It is estimated that 70-90% of Australians will suffer from back pain at some stage in their lives. Now that’s a staggering number of members of the population. Hence, we believe there are things you could do to help get rid of pain, and more importantly, keep it from coming back.

Here are a few things we believe are vital to help improve your back and to avoid, or get rid of pain:

Drink plenty of water

Your muscles and joints rely on water to move better. Especially the discs which are found between each vertebrae. When we’ve had an adequate amount of water through the day, it allows our discs to rehydrate so we are moving better through the day. When we don’t drink enough water and the discs don’t rehydrate, it creates a build up of pressure on the discs which can lead to other issues causing back pain. Following on from this, if your muscles aren’t hydrated they are unable to contract effectively creating tightness and a lack of flexibility which can also lead to pain.
Try to drink between 2.5-3 litres a day. Don’t wait to be thirsty as this can mean you’re already dehydrated.

Maintain a healthy weight

Here is a small exercise for you: go grab a large glass of water and hold it out for a minute. You will start to feel it getting heavier by the second. Now this may only be 350ml but over time it effects you. Now if you are even 5kg heavier then you should be, that extra weight will effect your muscles and joints as they try to hold your posture.
You can find out your BMI (body mass index) online or through a health professional to see if you are at an ideal weight. Try to keep as close to that ideal weight as possible. Studies have shown that the closer you are to your ideal weight, the less muscle and joint strain you will have. For men and women who generally put weight around the back and belly, this will be most important for you to reduce lower back pain.

So, find out your BMI and ideal weight and work out a plan to help you maintain a weight close to that number.

See a Chiropractor

Treating back pain is what chiropractors are known for. When you do it for a long time and study it for the amount required by Masters of Chiropractic, you get very good at it. We have seen the results through our clinic over the past decade and it is most satisfying to see patients who have tried various avenues to get rid of their back pain, but feel they received the most relief after they have come to see us. Some of the latest research also shows that a chiropractic adjustment provides one of the safest and most effective relief for lower back pain.
Seeing a chiropractor will help realign the spine and take pressure off the muscles and nerves to get you pain free.

Lift weights

Strength training has been shown repeatedly to be highly effective in battling back pain. When muscles are weak they are unable to support the spine, adding pressure to your spinal discs and creating imbalances in your posture. By strengthening your core muscles and rectifying those imbalances you relieve pressure off your spine and allow your muscles to function correctly.
It could be in your best interest to see an exercise professional or a health care professional to ensure you are doing exercises correctly to get the most out of them.

If you smoke, STOP!

Researchers in America found a link between smoking and chronic back pain. They found that people, especially adolescents that smoked on a regular basis were found to be complaining of lower back pain. In comparison to those that never smoked there was a significant increase. So if you smoke and you suffer from back pain and you are trying different methods to relieve it, then apart from all the other good reasons to stop smoking, this is another one!
Look for a method to quit smoking that works for you and start the journey to better health.

Hope you enjoyed this blog post. Let us know what you think!

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See you soon!