Four tips to help you prevent lower back pain

Are you one of the many Americans who suffer from lower back pain? It seems like at some point in your life, back pain becomes normal. Well, it doesn’t have to be.

By making some changes to your lifestyle and habits, you can help to prevent lower back pain. While some conditions that cause back pain are unavoidable, making some changes can still help to reduce the pain and prevent it from growing worse. Take a look at these four tips here to get started today.

Four tips for preventing lower back pain

1. Exercise — Exercising is crucial to helping reduce and prevent lower back pain. When you exercise, you get your blood flowing at a higher rate, which helps your body to deliver more oxygen and nutrients to your muscles. Plus, exercising helps improve the strength and flexibility of the muscles, which can improve support for your back to help prevent pain. If you’re unsure about which exercises are right for you, talk to your primary health care provider or your physical therapist for advice.
2. Improve your diet — Eating healthier helps your body get the nutrients it needs to fuel the muscles and other soft tissue. This helps the muscles and tissue stay strong and flexible enough to support your back.
3. Change your sleeping position — Do you sleep on your stomach? Do you use too many pillows? Or maybe not enough? In any of these cases, poor sleeping posture has a large effect on your back. Try sleeping on your side with just enough pillow support to keep your spine in a straight line. If you cannot sleep on your side, sleep on your back but use some extra pillows on your sides to raise your arms and help take pressure off your spine.
4. Quit smoking — Smoking causes your blood vessels to grow more narrow over time. When this happens, your body receives less of the oxygen and nutrients it needs for vital functions like muscle performance. This can affect the muscles in your back and abdomen, which reduces support for the spine and leads to back pain.

Visit Advent Physical Therapy for lower back pain treatment

Are you ready for lower back pain to stop being a normal part of your life? You should talk to a physical therapist at Advent Physical Therapy. Our team can guide you through safe therapeutic exercises and more to help you reduce and prevent back pain. Contact our team today for more information about lower back pain or to schedule an initial appointment.