Tips for preventing back pain in Jenison, MI

Back pain comes in a variety of forms that all generally make it difficult to move and live out your daily life. With back pain, it can be difficult to run, jump, bend over or even sit and rest. Fortunately, you can visit a health care professional to treat your back pain.

Many people visit physical therapists for back pain treatment. Physical therapists specialize in techniques that don’t involve side effect-inducing drugs or risky surgical procedures. However, at Advent Physical Therapy in Jenison, Michigan, we understand that preventing back pain is just as important as treating it.

Take a look below at some tips to keep in mind to help prevent back pain.

Tips for preventing back pain

• Drink more water — In between each vertebra in your spine is a disc filled with a thick fluid. These discs help cushion the vertebrae from friction and shock from impacts. The thick fluid in the discs is primarily made up of water. Failure to remain hydrated can lead to these discs growing stiffer, which can cause back pain.
• Maintain good posture — Standing, sitting and sleeping with poor posture can put pressure on the spine that causes pain. Focus on keeping your back straight in each of these positions to help prevent pressure from affecting the spine.
• Stretch and exercise — Weak and tense muscles in your abdomen and back don’t provide enough support for your body, which puts more strain on your spine. Exercising and stretching improves the strength and flexibility of your back and abdomen muscles. This helps improve the support for your upper body, which can reduce and prevent pain.
• Quit smoking — Smoking affects your blood flow, which may decrease the number of nutrients and oxygen that reach your abdomen and back muscles. Smoking is also known to increase the development of degenerative disc disease (DDD) which causes pain and a limited range of motion in the spine.

Visit Advent Physical Therapy in Jenison for back pain treatment

If you’ve tried prevention methods like these and still have back pain, you may be able to benefit from physical therapy. At Advent Physical Therapy in Jenison, one of our team members can examine your back and determine which treatment is right for you. We will develop a personalized physical therapy routine to help you reduce your back pain and prevent further pain from developing. Contact our team today for more information about back pain treatment or to schedule an initial appointment.