How Much Water Did You Drink Today?

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Quick question:

How much water did you drink today? For most people, the answer would be “not enough”.

From everything we drink and swim in, to the ice that reduces swelling, water is all around us (and even in us), a matter of fact – it basically is us!

Water makes up around two thirds of who we are, and influences every single process in our body – which probably explains why we feel a lot better when we drink enough of it.

Now you might be aware of the many ‘tips and tricks’ that are out there on “how to avoid a bad back”, and “how to relieve the pain” – but have you ever heard of drinking more water to help with that?

My guess is you have not!

I get that it might sound ‘too simple’ to make a difference, but dehydration really can be one of the culprits of back pain, and one of the reasons why it stays around for longer than it needs to.

Let me explain…

I know you already know that water affects every organ and cell in your body, but it also plays an enormous role in the health of your back and spine.

In between each section of the spine (the vertebrae) lies a disc – which are mainly made up of water. During the day when we’re standing up, they slowly become dehydrated, then at night when we’re laying down, they rehydrate themselves again (so long as there is ENOUGH water in the body!).

If there’s not enough water in your body, then this isn’t good news for your discs, and eventually this lack of water can cause pain, swelling, and even more problems further down the line.

Just like a car engine needs to keep lubricated to run properly – your body needs water for your joints, organs and muscles to function.

See why your water intake is so important now?

We all know it is! Just not many of us knew that without enough of it back pain can creep up, and stay around for longer.

So next let’s take a look at a few things so you can start living a life with less back pain:

  1. Signs that you’re not drinking enough water – so you can start drinking more of it!
  2. What you can expect when you start drinking more water.

And…

  1. Helpful tips to help you increase your intake!

Lets dive in:

Signs That You’re Not Drinking Enough Water

How do you really know?

Well the most obvious is feeling thirsty, but here’s some not so obvious signs:

  • Feeling tired
  • Dizziness
  • Dry skin and lips
  • Headaches
  • Constipation
  • Mood swings
  • And… joint pain

The list goes on!… But one of the best and most reliable signs is to check your urine – if it’s dark and not a light yellow color, get more water in your system!

What You Can Expect When You Start Drinking More Water…

You already know that water is great for you, but after a few weeks of drinking more of it, what benefits can you expect to see?

Less soreness in your back for one

You’ll feel ‘healthier’, your eyes may not feel as tired, and you’ll feel more alert!

Additionally water can help you lose weight (if that’s something you’d like to achieve), your skin will look clearer and you’ll have a natural glow!

You’ll likely even find you don’t need to reach for the coffee 4 times a day because you feel much more alert.

How Can You Increase Your Water Intake?

Besides using a bigger glass to down your water with, here’s some other tips that might work better for you. I’ll start with my favorite – drinking a glass of water right after waking up.

Before I go to bed I make sure to place a glass of water on my bedside table, that way, when I wake up in the morning, the first thing I see is a glass of water right next to me.

It’s a great feeling knowing that I’ve already consumed almost 15% of my daily water intake before my day has even started. Give it a go, after a week or two it’ll be a new habit and you’ll feel more energetic for it.

Another way you can increase how much you drink is to switch it up.

I get it, water can get boring, but it doesn’t have to be.

Vary still and sparkling water, or add lemon, cucumber or other fruits to your water/ Experiment with it and try to find something that suits you. You could even make your own lemonade, or mix it with fruit juices.

So there you have it, why you need to drink more water to help ease aches and pains, did you have any idea that water played such a huge role in your joint health? Don’t let another day go by of being dehydrated – now you have simple tips to help you drink more water each day.

Exercise and Lower Back Pain

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Lets talk about exercise and back pain…

Last week I had a question asked by one of our patients, Janet, 58, from Rockville…

And it’s one that we get asked often (especially since the January gym rush!):

“Is it ok to exercise when my back is hurting? I’ve just got into a good routine sticking to the gym and working out three times a week, and I really don’t want to stop…”

I get the frustration, and I also know that the thought of doing any movement at all when you’re going through some kind of pain might feel a little scary…

You don’t want to run the risk of aggravating it any more in case it turns into something more serious.

You don’t want to go ‘too hard’ in the gym in case you pull another muscle.

And you don’t want to wake up one day to find that you can no longer roll out of bed easily, walk down the road, or even drive because what you did made it worse.

But don’t let that worry you too much – that’s rarely ever the case!

An aching lower back doesn’t mean you’ve got to be housebound, with heat and ice packs until it magically disappears.

You CAN keep moving! In fact, not moving at all can make your back pain worse!

Here’s why…

If you suffer from lower back pain that comes and goes, gentle walking with exercises designed to improve lower back strength and movement added in, will make a big difference.

Walking is a completely natural movement that keeps your joints mobile and muscles working – even those in your feet, lets, hips and torso – which play an important role in keeping the muscles in your back that hold you up right, strong.

Stretching combined with walking will improve your backs strength, flexibility and posture, which in turn, can help stop back pain from creeping up on you when you least expect it. What’s more, it can also reduce how painful it feels and how much it gets in the way of day to day life.

So here’s the important question to answer now that you know it 100% is ok to exercise even if you’ve got a bad back…

What exercise can you actually be doing? Because of course, too much exercise, or exercise that’s strenuous could make it worse or keep it hanging around longer.

Introducing Yoga.

Even though there’s false beliefs around Yoga, like ‘you’ve got to be flexible’ etc., etc., etc… you can ditch those false beliefs behind because it’s for anyone!

Let me tell you why – Yoga helps build strength.

Yoga requires you to concentrate on specific muscles in the body when holding poses – many of which improve back strength. When these muscles are stronger your back pain can be greatly reduced and is less likely to affect you as bad as it once did.

As well as strengthening, Yoga relaxes the body and reduces any tension in stress-carrying muscles (a.k.a your back!)

For people with lower back pain, stretching is important. Stretching the muscles in your legs actually help to increase range of movement in your hips, taking the stress off your lower back – which in addition increases blood flow, allowing nutrients to flow in, taking care of the muscles in your back.

It’s also one of the best forms of exercise to maintain and improve a healthy posture. Great for your back, stopping back pain in its tracks, and add to that, it feels great when you can walk around confident and tall.

So there you have it, gentle walks and yoga.

Both of these will help you gain back your strength in your back, so you can return to doing the exercise you love the most.

Secrets To Keeping Active And Mobile Even If You’re Suffering With A Bad Back

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Got this question asked in my clinic this week that I wanted to share with you (it’s a common question I get asked often on the topic of back pain)…

“Dr. Paris, I’m desperate to get back into shape after suffering with a bad back for long time. Can you continue to stay fit and active when long standing back pain still gets in the way? Your team is a great help, but I want to do more by myself while I’m receiving treatment, I’m just scared, a bit nervous and don’t know what type of exercise safe…”

– Sandy, 48, Germantown

I understand that the thought of doing ANY type of exercise at all when you’re in some form of pain might seem a little scary and worrisome…

You don’t want to run the risk of making it any worse in case it turns into an injury and puts you out even longer. But I’d like to put your mind at ease and let you know that just because your back is causing you issues right now, you don’t have to keep yourself stranded on the sofa until you wake up one day to find it has magically disappeared.

You see, even though therapy and chiropractic is great and really helps to ease your pain, it can never be a full blown cure alone. The real long-term success at overcoming things like back pain lies within what YOU do in-between and after your sessions.

Let me explain…

Most bad backs happen because they’re not strong in the first place, so in order to get your back strong your lifestyle and the types of activities you do play a huge part in your recovery.

A lot of us have jobs that involve sitting at a desk all day. I know Sandy works as a teacher and her back pain came on as a result of sitting for long periods of time without regular breaks to move around, and then going home at a night to sit yet again for a few MORE hours before going to bed!

And seeing as your back isn’t made to sit, sitting puts a lot of pressure on the spine.

So the long-term solution?

Regular posture style exercises to increase muscle control and strength (i.e. yoga)

(And not only does yoga help to ease back pain, it also makes you more flexible and toned too! Win-win ;-))

Yoga style exercises are great for people like ‘Sandy’ who feel frightened and nervous about returning to exercise after a bad back, because it involves exercises designed to strengthen and control the muscles in your back – allowing you to return to other types of exercises like running, cycling and gym classes, much quicker!

But let me just point out that there’s a huge difference between “exercising” (running, golf, cycling…), and doing exercises like Pilates or yoga.

Things like running are great to improve your cardio and the length of time you can maintain being active without feeling tired, but without strengthening exercises, there’s a greater risk of injury. So we must build a strong foundation first, and then add in other activities.

So the answer to Sandy’s question is – yes, you certainly can continue to remain fit and active even if you’re suffering with back pain.

The solution lies within the long-term commitment you make to the other things you do outside of your treatment and in-between sessions. Be consistent with doing posture style exercises for 3 months, and then when you notice a difference you can start adding in other gentle exercises as an addition to make sure your bad back doesn’t creep up on you again!

Back Pain: How To Live With Less Of It When Working In An Office

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Here’s a blog post written for you by our PTA, Jimmy, on ways to manage aches and pains if you’re an office worker…

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Do you work in an office based job?

Do you find yourself struggling with neck, shoulder or back pain after sitting for long periods of time?

Wish there was something you could do to reduce the pain?

Well there is a solution to create a safer, healthy and comfortable working environment for you, so you don’t have to put up with annoying aches and pains.

Let’s start at the bottom with your ankles…

Research suggests your ankles should be supported via a foot rest keeping the ankle joints at just over a 90 degree angle.

The same rule applies to your knees, keep them at slightly over 90 degree angle with at least 80-90% of your thighs supported on your seat parallel to the floor.

So basically, at all times your feet are planted firmly on the floor and you’re not sitting in a twisted position – which I know can be easy to do after sitting for hours without regular breaks!

Moving on to those troublesome lower backs…

A lot of us are guilty of having poor sitting posture – slouching in our chairs at work creating extra un-necessary stresses though our spine and the soft tissues (muscles, tendons and ligaments) that support our spine and body!

To avoid this extra stress it’s important to ensure that your bum is touching the back of the chair. So get your wiggle on and shuffle right to the back of your chair, don’t be worried if your feet come off the floor this is where the foot support will be ideal and come in handy.

To reduce lower back pain the use of a lumbar support which can be purchased very cheaply or done by simply rolling up a towel and placing it on your lower back, will straighten up your posture and help say goodbye to aches in your lower back.

Now we have a good back posture let’s take care of those painful necks and shoulders…

Do you spend most of your day on the phone at work?

Here’s a tip – use a head set to avoid your typical hunched over neck and shoulder phone position, keeping your neck free and loose.

What about if you’re spending long hours on the computer, or using a laptop?

Just like your legs it is also important to support your arms with arm rest which should be just higher than the level of your desk keeping the elbows at just over 90 degrees and the elbows level with your keyboard.

The use of a simple wrist support should also be applied as you are typing away to keep your elbows level with your keyboard.

Most importantly for your neck is the height and positioning of your computer screen. The top of your monitor should be directly at eye level and straight ahead of you so you are not twisting your neck and leaning it forward.

If you work from a laptop, you can get yourself a support to raise the screen up to your eye level. The use of an external keyboard and mouse can also avoid any issues caused by raising your screen, but also (and more importantly) keeps your elbows and wrists in the correct position.

If you are still struggling and find hard to relieve your pain take a hot water bottle, or a microwaveable wheat bag to work with you and apply for 20 minute periods throughout the day.

I hope you have found this information beneficial and that it helps you in your daily working life but, do remember movement is a must so whether it’s neck movements, and stretches while you are sitting or getting up to warm your wheat bag up in the microwave, do take regular periods to get moving or stretching to avoid seizing up!

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For more tips like this on ways to ease back pain, click here where you can download your FREE copy of our back pain tips guide:

Back Pain: Unusual Ways To Ease it Without Taking Painkillers!

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Back pain…

It’s something you never think will happen to you (not until later on in life anyway…)

Though sometimes you’re going about your day nicely. You feel well and think that any health problems you ‘might get’ are a lonnnnng way off in the future!

But then suddenly, you feel a twinge in your back, and something’s not quite right.

Maybe your first thought is that it’s nothing, and it’ll just go away on its own.

Maybe you pass it off as just having slept awkwardly, or because you were doing the housework all day.

But the truth is, when back pain ‘just happens’, most of us have no clue, no real explanation, and when it strikes it leaves you suffering with back pain for a lot longer than you should have to!

And what do you do when the pain suddenly comes on?!

Most people do one of two things:

– Ignore it, hoping to wake up one morning as if they never had back pain in the first place.

OR

– Reach into the cupboard and dose up on painkillers every few hours… for days!

And I don’t blame them, after all when you take a visit to the GP they’ll either tell you to rest, or rest and take some strong painkillers…

But painkillers only mask the pain for a few hours until you need to take another dose! – Which will never get to the root cause of back pain.

Here’s the thing, there’s so many different ways of finding relief from back pain that don’t include the standard painkillers and rest option, and I want to share them with you, so you can find relief naturally (WITHOUT relying upon pills)…

The first, simplest way of easing a bad back is to avoid sitting with your legs crossed.

We all do it, but because your spine isn’t designed to twist and turn, sitting with your legs crossed places a lot of strain on your lower back – which will contribute to more back pain.

Sit straight with your legs placed on the floor with your knees slightly bent, and this will take away any pressure on the spine.

Another easy one to fix – how do you sleep at night? There isn’t a faster way to self-inflict a bad back on yourself or make it worse.

Avoid this position at all costs, and you’ll have a better night’s sleep and wake up with less back pain.

On the topic of sleep, give sleeping with a pillow between your knees a shot. This might be a little difficult to get used to at first, but if you can persist, it lowers the amount of twisting happening in your spine.

And if you sleep on your side, try placing a pillow between your legs to keep your spine in a good position and reduce the tension in your lower back.

Your back holds your core – one of the most important parts of your body! And if we don’t look after and protect it, we’re likely to experience some type of aches and pains at some point in our life.

In the same way that you brush your teeth twice a day to look after them and keep them clean, you need to look at taking care of your back in the same way, and incorporate daily habits and rituals to help ease, AND live with less back pain.

I can’t promise you that ALL of these things will work for you, but what I do know is that these tips have been proven to help my patients, and even myself, to reduce the risk of back pain coming out of nowhere… And if someone is suffering from it, these tips help ease it too!

For even MORE natural tips like this, visit here where you can download your free copy of my back pain tips report

Back Pain: When Do I Use Ice?… And When Do I Use Heat?

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Confused about whether you should use ice or heat to help ease your back pain?… Our Physical Therapist, Ronaldo Montecer is here to answer your question, read on!…

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Easily one of the most common questions I get asked on a daily basis, and it’s something that confuses many people too…

“Should I use ice or heat to ease my back pain?”

Rightly or wrongly,  9 out of 10 of my clients tend to favor heat – a nice hot soak in the bath or one of those lavender scented bean bags to try and ease their back pain.

I think one of the key reasons is the simple fact  that during the winter, it’s just plain cold here in the Mid-atlantic and they don’t like the thought of the cold ice on their back!

As you can appreciate every health concern and injury is different. Sometimes it’s ice to cool it down, or heat to help relax it… It can be very confusing!

So when to use ice:  There’s one time in particular we say to use ice and that’s when something just happened and it’s very painful, likely hot and maybe swollen.

This is an ‘acute’ injury.  Acute meaning it just happened. For example a sprained ankle or pulled muscle.

When it comes to your back pain, the time to use ice is if your back has suddenly ‘gone’ and you’re in a lot a pain, or you’ve overdone it and your back becomes very painful towards the end of the day.

You see, your body is actually very clever. Let’s use an ankle sprain as an example… When you sprain your ankle your body will immediately try and protect itself. This is why you get swelling and it becomes very hot and painful.

The swelling is just your body’s natural cushion to protect the sprain. The pain and heat comes from the inflammation. Again this is you body’s way of trying to protect and heal itself, if something’s painful – you’re not going to want to move it or touch it are you?

The exact same thing is happening in your back too, you just can’t see it.

So your ankle, back, or whatever you’ve hurt can start to heal without any more damage. So that’s WHY it happens.  But this pain can be awfully worse than the actual injury itself, so cooling it down with ice is a simple method to help ease the intensity of the pain as soon as possible.

And by using the cool ice little and often on the injury (20 mins every hour or so), the cooling and warming of the injury will help the blood keep flowing around the area to help it heal even quicker.

Make sense?

Ok, so now we’ve got and idea of when’s the best time to use ice…

When Do We Use Heat?

Try thinking of it like this… When something is warm it’s softer, and when something is cold, it’s harder (think of that yummy chocolate bar you snuck in this weekend! Like most things, when chocolate is warm its softer)… It’s exactly the same with our bodies.

With that in mind I always explain to my clients it’s time to apply heat when you feel more stiff, achy and need to get things moving – that’s the perfect time to use heat.

So first thing on a morning if your back’s feeling really stiff and tight, a hot shower to loosen the muscles also works wonders. Follow that with some gentle stretches too and you’ll feel a huge difference!

Typically if it’s something that’s been nagging you for some time (chronic), and it’s more stiff and achy rather than painful then heat is the way to go. The reason it’s stiff and aching is because the muscles and joints are so tight.

Like anything, you warm it up and it’s more supple. It’s exactly the same with your joints and muscles… Muscles should be able to move, if they’re are stiff and tight you are more likely to have an injury by over stretching them as they simply can stretch as far as needed.

It’s for this same exact reason athletes ‘warm up’ before doing their sport – so they don’t pull a muscle!  When we’re asleep at night our muscles cool down because they aren’t being used (our blood is going directly to our brain for our dreams and to our stomach to digest our dinner)… So why don’t we ‘warm up’ first thing on a morning to get us ready for the day?

Don’t worry I’m not talking about 10 laps jogging around your neighborhood. Just a warm shower followed by a few minutes of simple stretching.

Not sure what stretches to do? I always recommend the perfect combination of Yoga and Pilates style stretches to keep your back healthy and pain free.

So key things to remember –  If it’s just happened and very painful – Ice it!

If it’s stiff and tight – warm it up! 

For more tips like this on how to ease back pain, click here, where you can download your completely free guide with 9 easy ways to ease back pain.

Back Pain: How To Get The Housework Done Without Making Your Back Pain Worse

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Has this ever happened to you?

You’re going about your day doing your usual day-to-day jobs, you could be doing something as simple as taking the garbage out, weeding the front yard, folding your laundry, tying your shoes or even making the bed, then all of a sudden you feel a sharp pain in your back and you can hardly move…

Sound familiar?

Just a few weeks ago this happened to one of our patients Lisa, 57, from Rockville…

She was making the most of a quiet weekend in, and before she planned to veg out and relax for the day she decided to do some spring cleaning.

Lisa was fine to begin with, but as soon as she went to turn over her mattress she put her back out completely.

At first the pain wasn’t so bad, but then a few hours later her back began to stiffen up…

Like most people we see she thought at first ‘oh it’s just a stiff back, I’ve probably got a bit carried away with the cleaning, it’s happened before.” But the next day the pain was still there, and it felt even worse!

Lisa’s back started to ache when she sat down, she struggled to find a comfortable position to fall asleep in, and she couldn’t even bring herself to stand without being in agony AND she had a weekend away planned at the Eastern shore…

How was she going to get away now with a back so painful?…

Now you might be thinking this won’t happen to you, not with something as basic as everyday chores, but when you consider that most of us do some form of jobs around the house, that’s a lot of backs that could potentially become sore! And not just that, most people we see say they suffer from back pain when doing routine activities such as chores that cause flare-ups

The thing is, many people will ‘put up’ with a bad back for days (even weeks!), hoping the pain will go away on it’s own eventually, but you really don’t have to play the waiting game and suffer for so long – especially not if it’s getting in the way of daily life and even trips away and events that you’ve been looking forward to for ages!

So how about I give you three quick tips for everyday housework jobs to help make agonizing back pain a thing of the past – because chores themselves aren’t to blame (even though we’d like to think they are), it’s how you ‘do’ them.

  1. When using the vacuum cleaner or a mop: one of the most common mistakes people make is reaching out with their arms while bending at the waist over and over again.

Bending over in awkward positions can place a lot of strain on your muscles – especially in your back! To help fix this the key is to keep your hips and shoulders moving towards the work.

What I mean by this is instead of leaning forwards and twisting your back, step forward in the direction of the movement with one foot and bend slightly at the knee, allowing your upper body to stay upright to reduce any strain.

  1. When doing the laundry, picking up itemsand rescuing that lost sock from the bedroom floor, leaning over can trigger off back pain – similar to sweeping and using the hoover, bending at the waist repeatedly will strain your back muscles.

To get around this I tell my patients to do something I like to call the ‘golfer’s reach’, it has this name because it’s similar to how golfers pick up a ball.

When you reach for items with your right hand balance yourself by lifting your leg up in the air. If you need extra support, place your opposite hand on a nearby surface. If you’re reaching with your left hand, reverse the directions.

The deeper you reach with your hand, the higher your opposite leg should go so that you can keep your balance while simultaneously reducing the amount of strain on your back muscles.

One more thing, I know it can be easy to get caught up, rushing around the house to get everything done but one thing to remember is to be kind to yourself and take 20 minute breaks throughout. Put the coffee pot on and relax with a cup before returning to your chores.

If you start feeling any signs of pain, walk, stretch and rest your back.

Don’t allow yourself to get so busy checking chore off of your to-do list that you forget the safe way to move your body.

Start using these tips, you’ll be keeping your back safe.

For more tips on easing back pain like this, here’s free special report with 9 top tips on how to avoid back pain…

6 “Different” Ways of Finding Relief From Low Back Pain

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My name is Dr. Brian Paris – a low back pain Expert from Rockville, Maryland and in this article I’d like to show you 6 “different” ways of finding relief from low back pain that I give out to patients of my clinic.

I say different, because they are ways that don’t include the standard painkillers and rest option that seems to be advised a lot these days.

If you are suffering with back pain and want to find relief from it – without risking surgery – then all of these methods are proven to help:

  1. Avoid Sitting Cross Legged– your spine isn’t designed to be in a constant twist or turn. And sitting in a cross-legged position is contributing to back pain because of that little known fact.
  2. Sleep With A Pillow Between Your Knees– might be difficult at first, but if you can persist, it lowers the amount of rotation/twisting happening at your spine. If you sleep on your side, try a pillow between your legs to keep your spine in a nice position and this will reduce tension at your lower back – meaning that you’re more likely to wake up on a morning in less pain and able to move more freely.

Do you want a Free Report on how to Fix Low Back Pain with Even More Tips?

Call 240-205-7266 

  1. Avoid Sleeping On Your Stomach– There isn’t a faster way to self-inflicted damage to your spine/lower back than by sleeping on your stomach. Avoid this position at all costs.
  2. Change Your Mattress Every 5 Years– I get asked “should I change my mattress” just about every day. But, it’s almost impossible to answer, as everyone has a different response to changing a mattress or the type they sleep on. But, what I can say is this: if you haven’t changed your mattress in the last five years, then it’s about time that you did as you’re unlikely to be getting the support for your lower back that you really would benefit from.

Would you like a complimentary telephone call with one of our Back Pain Specialists?

We’d be happy to answer your questions on the phone today:

Call 240-205-7266

  1. Stay Hydrated– this is a BIG Office worker mistake that could be zapping your energy and increasing lower backache. One really simple way to avoid this is to cut out the stuff that makes you dehydrated in the first place. Things like excessive coffee, tea, alcohol and energy drinks – you will be dehydrated if you drink too much of them and more likely to suffer from back pain.
  2. Daily Lower Back Exercise Rituals– Yoga and Pilates. If you can get into the routine or good habit of doing simple stretches and strengthening of your lower back muscles, you will benefit right through your 50’s, 60’s and beyond.

In the same way that you brush your teeth twice per day to keep them clean and avoid pain, you need to look at working on your back in a similar way.

…Now, what I can’t ever promise you is that any or all of those things will work for you. I just know that if you and I got chatting and you asked me for some tips on ways which I know are capable of making a significant difference to bringing relief from back pain, I’d suggest all of those that you’ve just read.

And if you would like us to take a look at your lower back pain – and tell you more about your specific problems, then call my clinic and ask for a 100% FREE CONSULT visit where we can discuss your low back pain and if you qualify for our low back pain relief program.

Claim Your 100% Free Consult at Advanced Spine & Wellness Center. Call 240-205-7266 

3 Things that Cause Back Pain That You Didn’t Know Until Now!

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Quick question:

How many of you have googled ‘preventing back pain?’

Yes, I thought so.

We’ve all heard and read about what can cause back pain; incorrect lifting, bad posture, sports injury… but did you know that you may be making a common mistake in your daily routine, that might be encouraging back pain?

What I’m about to tell you, might sound surprising but hear me out and I’ll explain why it can cause your back pain to worsen, as well as give you some tips on how to change it.

Right, so here we go…

Bad diet. I don’t mean diets like Weight Watchers! This is a way to manage your weight. However, I am more concerned about the reason you are seeking weight loss.

Being overweight can have a great impact on your health AND your back pain. If you are overweight then you are putting extra pressure on your back.

An example of this can be shown where we store sugar. When we eat sugar, any energy that we don’t use from it, is stored on our back.

Another place that it can be stored, along with caffeine, is at your lower back, aka your love handles!

If you now think of all that excess weight being carried on your back from sugar and caffeine, is it surprising that a bad diet can lead to back pain?

To overcome this issue, try cutting down on the sugar, caffeine and processed foods and choose more natural foods. This could be lean animal proteins, good fats and vegetables.

Just remember, any energy you don’t use will be stored as fat and the areas in which you store fat include your biceps, hips and back.

Lack of exercise– and by lack of exercise I mean, lack of flexibility exercises. Many people will be active by going for long walks, playing sports and going to the gym.

Yet how many people actually put time aside to increase their flexibility, or even associate this with exercise?

Flexibility exercises always seem to be overlooked but they really shouldn’t be…

Stretches before and after exercise can help with flexibility, however its main focus is to get rid of the lactic acid you have built up from exercise.

If you are someone who is noticing stiffness more frequently after exercise and stretches, then you will really benefit from yoga.

Yoga is a great exercise to add into your daily routine. Yoga may include stretches that you may already be familiar with, however yoga is so much more than a few stretches.

Yoga helps you focus on your breathing, making you feel less stressed, can ease tension as the movements relax the muscles and it increases your flexibility.

Just because Yoga isn’t as intense as a fast-paced game of tennis, does not mean that it’s not an intense workout for your muscles!

I recommend to my clients to try yoga on a daily basis because of its amazing benefits – and I recommend you give it a try too!

How old did you say your mattress was? When you actually think back to when you got your mattress, you’ll be surprised at actually how old it is!

But how does an old mattress cause back pain you ask? It’s quite simple really. Although it may have been very supportive in the beginning, overtime the springs can wear and can ultimately not end up giving you the support you need.

Think of it like this:

You have a brand new shirt that you really like. You wear it day in day out, to prove how much you really like it. After the first few washes it looks as good as new. However after a while you notice that the more you wear it, the more the colors fade, and the more the stitching comes apart, until ultimately, you need a new shirt.

Your mattress is the same. If perhaps you can’t go out and buy a new mattress today (because let’s be honest, not many of us can!), then another way to get great support is by the use of your pillows.

If you sleep on your side, place a pillow between your legs for extra support. This will help your hip joints as well as your lower back.

If you prefer to sleep on your back however, get a pillow or two and pop them under your feet. This changes the way your spine is positioned when you sleep, providing more support for your back.

And there you have it! So to summarize everything, having a healthy diet is more important than just getting the correct nutrients for your body. It also helps ease any pressure to your joints and muscles.

Your bed, as comfy as it may feel, might actually be causing you harm! Double check the date of when you got your mattress and including flexibility exercises such as yoga into your daily routine can make a great difference to your back pain.

Just because its slow and calming, doesn’t mean it’s not a good workout for your body!

Not many people seem to notice these problems in their lifestyle and often ignore them because they don’t see how what they eat and what they sleep on, can have a big impact on their back pain.

Yet alone the type of exercise they do!

So please, don’t make the mistake that so many other people make and implement these into your daily routine today!

If you want to know any more tips on how to ease back pain, click here to download my free report today: FREE BACK PAIN RELIEF REPORT

Office Workers Suffering from Upper Back Pain: Do I have a case?

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Back injuries are very common workplace injuries for many occupations. However, many individuals do not immediately think of office work as the primary reason for developing a back injury. Upper back injuries are often the result of working in a clerical employment environment and are more common than many people realize. Many times these injuries can also be claimed by individuals who have had a specific amount of stress placed on their upper backs while working constantly in a standing position as well. While office work is rarely labor-intensive, it is still a positionally sedentary occupation in many instances, especially when the clerk is constantly performing job responsibilities from one location in a stressful position.

Repetitive Injury Workers Compensation Claims

While sitting in one position does not necessarily produce a repetitive motion disorder, it can be a condition that results in upper back pain over a long period of time. There are rarely any accident reports at work that will support how an upper back injury occurred, but the long-term employment record and description of job responsibilities may serve as documentation that the situation developed in the workplace. Unless there is a specific accident, these are work injuries that take years to develop. Problems in these claims are usually centered on a denial by the employer’s workers compensation insurance company, stating that the injury is actually the result of an activity performed outside of work. The serious nature of a back injury and potential disability ruling that could cap the compensation available means that employers and insurance companies alike generally fight these injury claims.

Medical Documentation

Whenever there appears to be a medical problem with the upper back that could be attributed to a work situation, it  always advisable to seek medical attention as soon as the injury is realized. Suffering through the pain without seeking medical attention could be construed as an indication the injury is not as severe as claimed. Medical testing results can be used as documentation that the upper back area has characteristics that are not normal and could have easily been created by positioning while working in the office. Ergonomics is still a rather new consideration by companies with regard to their office staff, and many times there is no record of an employer attempting to alleviate the problem. With no accident report available, continually needing medical attention for a back problem, including pain medication, could still be sound evidence of a potential workers comp claim.

Contact a Workers Comp Attorney

It may not be wise to attempt working through pain in the upper back area, because it could easily become a detriment to ongoing health. Pain is always an indication that something is wrong physically, and it is important to respond to the message. As soon as you realize there is a medical problem, it may be important to consult with an attorney, even if you are apprehensive about filing a claim because of the struggles that may ensue following a medical leave from work. This is a difficult decision for many, but delay only works to the advantage of the employer who is attempting to avoid a claim altogether. If an employee has already been let go for some different reason, the claim may still be made by the injured worker when they have an aggressive and effective workers compensation attorney, like Wayne Cohen, handling the case. Don’t let a potential injury compensation claim get away, when it could be a component of a disability claim. You work for your compensation rights, and your attorney can do the fighting for you while you focus on rehabilitation.

Thanks to our friends and contributors from Cohen & Cohen, P.C. for their insight into workers compensation practice.