Daily habits to combat back pain

What can trigger back pain?

Most back pain isn’t due to anything serious. Some causes of back pain include:

• poor or static posture
• emotional or work-related stress
• an injury

Some conditions may make you more vulnerable to back pain such as osteoporosis and ankylosis spondylitis.

How to reduce back pain

Here are some tips for dealing with back pain when it arises.

Continue your normal activities

Having back pain might make it harder to do your normal activities. But avoiding them will not improve your pain. So, if you can, try to go on with your daily life at a pace that suits you. You might feel some pain when moving your back, but this isn’t harmful. Try not to spend too much time lying down, as bed rest isn’t effective for back pain.

Keep moving

Lack of physical activity can increase risk of back pain. It’s important to keep active as this will help with back pain when you have it. You can take it slow, gradually increasing your movement daily.

Exercising can help with back pain relief and prevent further episodes of back pain. It can be any type of exercise. Tai chi, swimming, yoga, and Pilates in particular are effective back pain exercises. You could go with a friend or join a class.

Here are some small ways to get moving.

• If you work at a desk, make sure to have breaks in your day where you get up and move around. You could also go for a short walk during your lunch break.
• On your commute to and from work, get off one stop early and walk the rest of the way.
• When using your phone, walk around instead of sitting.

Be careful when doing lots of repetitive movements such as gardening or DIY, as this can lead to overuse of the same back muscles. Instead, mix up your movements and take breaks.

Posture

Try to be more aware of your posture. This might be when you’re sitting, standing, at work, or driving. Below are some tips for maintaining good posture.

• When sitting, make sure your feet reach the ground, or use a footrest if they don’t.
• Use a chair with good back support.
• Try not to sit in the same position for too long, change positions often.

Use heat or cold treatment

You can use hot or cold packs to reduce pain and swelling, which you can get from pharmacies or shops. These should only be used for a short time. Remember to not use directly on skin, cover the packs with a cloth or sleeve.

Get enough sleep

It’s important to get good quality sleep to feel well rested and have energy for your day. Your sleep position matters too, especially for your back. Make sure you sleep in a position where your body is supported. Using extra pillows may help.

Reducing stress

Back pain can make you feel stressed, and stress can worsen back pain. You might be worried that moving more will cause you further pain. But it’s important for your recovery to carry on with your activities. If you are feeling stressed, ways you could reduce your stress are:

• exercising, which can both lower stress and reduce back pain
• getting out in nature or looking after house plants
• making time in your day to do something you enjoy

Eating well

There isn’t a specific diet that can help back pain. But following a healthy balanced diet can help you keep to a healthy weight. If you are overweight this can affect your posture and increase spinal load, worsening back pain. You should also try to get enough calcium and vitamin D as this helps your bone health. Calcium is found in dairy products, but there are calcium fortified foods if you can’t have dairy. The main source of vitamin D is sunlight, adults are also recommended to supplement vitamin D during winter.

Remember to stay hydrated as this helps the discs that cushion bones in your spine, keeping them elastic so that they can absorb shock.

How do I know if my back pain is serious?

Most back pain is not serious and gets better in a few weeks. But see a GP if you have these back pain red flags.

• Back pain that has not gotten better after a few weeks.
• Unexplained weight loss or weight gain in the past four to six weeks.
• Difficulty starting or stopping urine and bowel movements.
• Sexual problems such as erectile dysfunction.
• Loss of feeling or numbness around your back passage.
• Pins and needles down both legs.