PATIENT RESOURCES
Practice Blog
Pain Management: 5 Tips to Live With Minimal Spine Pain
June 29, 2021
As many as four in five Americans experience back pain in their lives. This debilitating condition can impact your mobility for weeks at a time, stopping you from doing things that you love. Back pain treatments also cost Americans more than any other health issue, with the healthcare bill reaching $134 billion between 1996 and 2016.
So, what can you do to manage this issue? Here are five spine care pain management techniques to help you keep pain at bay.
1. Perfect Your Posture
One of the keys to preventing pain is to improve your posture. Whenever you’re standing up, focus on keeping your head up, your chin tucked in, and your spine straight. Your ears, shoulders, hip joints, and ankles should all be in line.
When sitting down, make sure to use a supportive chair designed to keep your back straight as a way to encourage good posture. You should also keep your feet flat on the floor and avoid leaning to one side.
2. Exercise Regularly
Regardless of how good your posture is, long periods of inactivity can be detrimental for your spine so it’s important to stay active.
Regular exercise helps with managing back pain in several ways. Weight-bearing exercises help strengthen your muscles while cardiovascular workouts can improve your circulation to minimize pain. And, the endorphins your body releases during exercise also help prevent pain.
3. Try Active Relaxation
Stress and tension also play a role in chronic back pain, which is why it’s often considered a mind-body condition. Active resting through meditation and yoga are great for keeping your body supple and clear your mind of the anxiety, depression, and stress that can worsen your pain.
Not sure where to start? These daily spine care exercises are great for managing back pain and building up your strength. But, be sure not to overstretch. Remember, this is supposed to be relaxing.
4. Nourish Your Body
Many people underestimate the role that good nutrition plays in preventing pain. But, in the same way, that eating foods full of vitamins and minerals can help with conditions from dementia to diabetes, eating nutritious foods is one of our tops tips for managing back pain. In fact, poor nutrition is even one of the possible causes of a spinal infection.
The focus of your spine care diet will be minimizing inflammation. In particular, you should eat foods rich in antioxidants such as nuts, seeds, dark chocolate, berries, beans, and leafy greens.
5. Sleep Well
Restorative sleep is essential for your body and mind. But, following tips for back pain can only help you so much if you then sleep on an unsupportive mattress every night. Opt for a mattress in the medium to firm range to ensure that all your good work isn’t undone by a soft mattress that puts your spine out of alignment.
Try These Pain Management Techniques
Small lifestyle changes and intuitive pain management techniques like these can make play a key role in preventing pain.
That said, here at All Spine Care, we understand that managing back pain isn’t always possible. Luckily, our spine surgeons are here to help evaluate your condition and determine the most beneficial treatment for you.
For more information and advice about when to go to a specialist, feel free to contact us today.