5 simple steps to Prevent Back Pain

I have come up with 5 simple ways to prevent back pain that I teach my patients and seminar attendees that seem to work great for most people. Here they are:
1. Maintain a normal body-weight. Your body is not designed to carry excess weight. It wears down the joints and spinal discs and results in the spinal muscles having to work harder than they should day in and day out. When you consider that 2/3 of Americans are overweight or obese, it's no wonder back pain is so prevalent. I prefer a plant based diet...but this is not necessary to maintain a normal body-weight...discipline is.
2. Use correct sleeping posture. When you are on your back you should be using a cervical pillow designed to support the arch in your neck, and you should have another pillow under your knees so that
you have a slight bend in your knees. This relaxes the ow back muscles. The cervical pillow actually works to correct an maintain your neck curve. When you are on your side the cervical pillow is designed to keep your neck straight. Put a pillow between your legs to keep the rest of the spine straight. If you are a side sleeper only they make a special pillow for you. We prefer and sell Tempur-Pedic Pillows.
3. Exercise on a regular basis. Our body's are designed to get lots of exercise. We are built to be running around the jungle all day hunting for food. All the muscles, cells, tissues, glands, and organs function best with regular exercise. Note: There is recent research that suggest that people who sit at a desk all day...even those that exercise are 2x more likely to die of a heart attack. So even if you go to the gym...figure out ways to move around more. Take lots of breaks and stretch and move, use the stairs whenever you can, walk to and from places more frequently, play with your kids, etc.
4. Use proper Ergonomics at home and at work. In this computer and electronics age, kids start very young putting themselves in akward postions slumped over with their heads hanging down. They do this for hours. Then these poor habits carry over into school and college and into the work force. Most of the people we treat at our San Francisco Chiropractic clinic spend the majority of their day at a desk in front of a computer. There is a way to optimize the position you are in to minimize wear and tear on the spine with proper ergonomics. For sure you want to take frequent breaks and stretch and move around.
5. Visit a chiropractor for regular check-ups. Chiropractors locate, identify, and correct spinal misalignment's and disturbances that result as a natural of living in a modern day world. Sure, you can take action using the tips above to reduce your odds of back pain. But the smart ones use chiropractic as a tool to keep the spine balanced and in alignment. After-all...the spine houses and protects your lifeline, the spinal cord, which carries all the signals from the brain to the body. Regular chiropractic visits should start young and continue throughout your life. Chiropractic adjustments will help keep your back healthy and strong. It's a wise investment. Consumer Reports ranks chiropractic #1 for back pain.

So there you go. Sure there is yoga, and Pilate's, and weight lifting...but those can be lumped into the exercise category. A lot of this is common sense, but you would be surprised how many back pain patients are not doing any of the 5 back pain prevention measures. My goal is to teach my patients about these 5 steps and to help them implement them.