The following section contains information both for people who are experiencing back pain and individuals who wish to use their bodies more efficiently to prevent back pain.

Maintain your backs natural shape.

The cornerstone of back care is to maintain the natural shape of the spine.  If you look at the back from the side it has an ‘S’ shape with a hollow in the small of the back and in the neck.  The middle back curves outwards in the opposite direction.  Try to keep these curves in everything you do and you will minimise the strain you place upon your back.

Keep Active

Don’t rest in bed if your back is painful.  Gentle activity performed with the correct posture will not damage the back and will aid recovery.   Getting fit helps to develop your back muscles.

Vary your activities

Don’t perform the same activity for sustained periods if possible – especially maintaining a fixed posture or anything that causes you pain.    Vary your tasks and if you are suffering from back pain take regular breaks and experiment with your task loading i.e. the amount of time you can perform an activity before you start to experience pain or discomfort.

Build up your back

It is important to strengthen the muscles of your back and abdomen.  You can combine specific exercises to strengthen your back (pilates and yoga are excellent choices) with general activity to keep fit and healthy.  If you are in pain then walking is a good exercise to begin with.  Make sure you are wearing flat cushioned and supportive footwear.  Swimming is a good choice but avoid excessive use of the breast stroke which places a strain on your neck.  If cycling ensure you sit upright.

Bending Down

Never twist and bend at the same time as this puts a very high strain on your back.

Tags: Back care, Self help