22 Nov Managing Back Pain: 5 Mistakes You Can Avoid
People often seek treatment when they’re in crisis mode with back pain. At Eastern Oklahoma Chiropractic, we treat you for today’s pain and for future prevention. In addition, we can help you steer clear of some common health pitfalls.
Back Pain Mistakes to Avoid
The joints, bones, muscles, and ligaments of your back are susceptible to many injuries and diseases, as well as damage from poor lifestyle habits. The good news: you can do a lot to mitigate your risks by staying away from these health mistakes:
#1: Not taking care of problems early
Sometimes people think the pain will go away on its own. Even if it does, it can return later if you haven’t gotten help for the root cause. Or pain may get worse, becoming harder to treat.
Untreated pain also takes a toll on your mood and causes you to move differently, raising your risk of further injury.
#2: Overdoing it on rest
Being inactive can make the pain worse, weakening your muscles and making you more vulnerable to injury. Unless you’ve been diagnosed with a serious problem requiring bed rest, most back pain is helped by gentle, low-impact exercise, such as walking or swimming. Exercise also gives you an emotional boost and helps strengthen your immune system.
#3: Giving up too soon
People sometimes look at where they want to go, and it seems too big a mountain to climb. However, having a plan and taking it one day at a time will encourage you as you build toward success.
Or you may reach a goal and stop making the good choices that helped you. In reality, keeping your back in good shape is an ongoing process. This includes maintaining a routine of stretches, exercises, and good posture practices.
#4: Having poor lifestyle habits
Two of the biggest back pain culprits are being overweight and smoking.
Extra weight places strain on your spine. Regular exercise and a healthy diet of vegetables, fruits, whole grains and lean protein will move you toward a healthier weight.
Smoking impairs blood flow, depriving spinal discs of oxygen and nutrients needed for good spinal health and function. Smoking also slows down healing and can increase pain sensitivity.
#5: Thinking health is completely out of your control
One of the biggest mistakes people make is feeling powerless about the hand they’ve been dealt by genetics. While genetics does play a role in your predisposition to certain health conditions, your daily decisions have their own significant power.
You can take control of your pain potential with good spine care, exercise, diet, sleep, and stress reduction. The better your decisions each day, the better the outcome for your spine, pain level, and overall health.
Build and Maintain Your Spinal Health
Your spine is central to your body’s health and stability. Chiropractors provide a variety of healing treatments, including adjustments to correct spinal misalignments, allowing your musculoskeletal system to work properly and prevent injury.
Achieving a pain-free life is not a destination, but a daily journey of making positive choices for yourself and your family.
Call Eastern Oklahoma Chiropractic for Your Free Consultation
Our Broken Arrow team is here to help at 918-940-4630.