Written By: Upneet Pansare | Published : March 12, 2018 11:17 AM IST
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Lower back pain and neck pain are the most common medical conditions/complaints that physiotherapists receive regularly. Poor postural habits can lead to these painful conditions over time. Pain medication isn t the final answer and definitely not a long-term solution. You need to get the help of a physiotherapist. All you need to adopt is the correct form during ADL (Activities of Daily Living). Physical activity plays a vital role in whole body wellness. Adopting a correct form while performing daily activities is important too. These are a few physiotherapy hacks that can prevent these kinds of problems. Dr Manoj Kutteri, wellness director at Atmantan Wellness Centre, elaborates.
1. Travel at ease without putting uneven stress on your back
The manner in which most of us lift and carry our bags and luggage puts a whole lot of force on our back. Any rotational or bending force acting on the back can lead to a severe back pain. The activities include bending and lifting weights, pulling a bag from a baggage counter at the airport or placing a heavy bag in the cabinet above.
2. Maintain a good posture while sitting and standing
Don t drop your head to look at your gadgets. A bad posture while sitting, standing or working on a laptop puts uneven force on the spine, giving rise to numerous muscular imbalances and giving rise to a whole lot of postural faults. A bad static posture slows down the circulation which in turn reduces the amount of oxygen and nutrition coming to the muscles. This leads to early degenerative changes in the spine. Read:Postural assessment- fixing your bad posture can make you healthier and more confident!
3. Take regular breaks if your job demands sitting for the whole day
Scientists doing research on spine and back problems have come up with a term: sitting is the new smoking. After sitting for long hours:
Enzymes that help us burn fat, drop by 90%
After 2 hours, good cholesterol drops by 20%
After 4 hours, insulin effectiveness drops and risk of diabetes rises
According to a study published in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute, sitting for long periods of time increases your risk for colon, endometrial and, possibly, lung cancer. A study published in the American Journal of Epidemiology found that men and women who sat more than six hours a day died earlier than their counterparts who limited sitting time to 3 hours a day or less.
Taking regular breaks and changing posture often increases circulation in the muscles and vital organs and gets new blood and oxygen moving to all the areas, keeping your body nourished.
4.Use proper pillow size to avoid strain on the spine
The idea is to have a pillow which supports your body right from your shoulders to the head and the neck. The height of the pillow should be such that the neck should always be in line with the entire spine. Here are expert tips on selecting the right pillow.
5. Never use a cervical collar or back brace for your pain which is not due to injury or fracture
We all are in the habit of protecting or guarding the part of our body that is injured. But have you ever thought what could be the after effect of it? Some of you use the cervical collar or back belt on a self-prescribed basis for many days or weeks if you suffer from a neck or a back pain. Always consult a doctor or a physiotherapist before using such kind of supportive aids as long-term use of these braces are detrimental to your body. They make your muscles weak and joints stiff reducing the mobility of your joints.
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