Protect Yourself Against Back Pain Have you ever watched weight lifters on television? Have you noticed how they wear those belts around their waists? It’s the same principle as when someone at a store comes to help you load the heavy, do-it-yourself bookcase into your car — if they really wanted to help, they’d come home with you — the belts help avoid injuries that will cause or worsen back pain. They actually help in two ways. The first is that they do actually provide some extra support. The second is that their presence helps to remind the wearer to use proper body mechanics when lifting. One of the worst things you can do for your lower back is to sit for long periods of time. The second worst thing is using poor body mechanics when you lift, such as not bending your knees to involve your leg muscles in the lift. This is, after all, what the leg muscles are made for — other than walking — every time you stand, your quadriceps, adductors, etc., engage to raise your entire upper body from its sitting or lying position. Most of your body weight is in that area, so your legs are accustomed to the movement and the exertion. Your back isn’t. Those muscles are meant to hold your spine, shoulders, neck, and head in place and upright, supported by your abdominal and other muscles. They are not meant to do a lot of heavy lifting. Proper body mechanics will keep the right muscles doing the right jobs and keep you from experiencing unnecessary back pain. If you overwork any muscle it will ache a little, but that is far removed from the chronic pain induced by consistent abuse or non-use of a muscle group. Yes, non-use. Just as overwork or strain will cause pain, too little use of a muscle or muscle group will lead to pretty much any exertion causing pain. Sometimes even chronic pain. The trick is to find the right balance. This may mean simply improving the way you stand, walk, and lift. It could also mean starting an exercise program to strengthen atrophied muscles and keep them from screaming in pain every time you try to do anything. You may even just need to alter your program to make sure you’re treating your body as well as you want to be. One way to get started on this path is to visit a chiropractor. The reason this will help is because you can essentially start your process with a fresh slate. Unless you have a serious injury that cannot be helped without surgery, a traditional practitioner can adjust your body to alleviate or even eliminate the pain you are currently experiencing. Once the pain is gone or lessened, you will find it much easer to start a program of exercises and activity to make your muscles stronger and more capable. Your chiropractor can also advise or even design some movements to improve your body mechanics and strengthen your complaining muscles. All of these things together will not only get rid of your back pain in the immediate — which we all want when something hurts — but teach to keep it from returning.
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