If there is one part of your body that does the most work and holds the most weight, it’s your lower back. This is why lower back pain is so common in adults as they grow older. While we can’t help that our backs do most of the heavy lifting for us, we can recognize lifestyle habits that lead to back pain more frequently. There are several causes of lower back pain that can exacerbate symptoms to the point of immobility.
Lifestyle Habits that Lead to Back Pain
It’s time to look at your lifestyle habits and make some adjustments so you can relieve back pain with ease. Here is what our back pain specialist Orange County has to say about certain lifestyle habits that may be contributing to your chronic back problems.
Sleep Habits
The way you sleep can have a huge impact on how your body feels the next day. If you are on an old or hard mattress, you could wind up sore and stiff every time you wake up. Sleeping at the wrong angle can give you a lot of pain in your back and other vital parts of your body.
How to Get Better Sleep
If your sleeping conditions are contributing to constant back pain, it’s time to make some adjustments. You should invest in a better mattress that will keep your spine at all the right angles while you sleep. You don’t want something that will let you sink in too deep, or not deep enough.
In the meantime, you can use a body pillow between your legs while you sleep to maintain good spinal posture overnight.
Sitting Habits
Everyone knows that it is not a good idea to sit down all day. It can be good for your body to get up and stretch every once in a while. But did you know that sitting is one of the most prominent causes of constant back pain on the planet? This is because there are so many different ways to sit that may not be the best for your spine. Slouching over for hours on end or sitting in an uncomfortable chair can put undue pressure on your spinal discs, causing pain and discomfort up and down your spine.
How to Sit Better
You can make several small adjustments to your daily sitting routine that will provide some much-needed relief to your back. If you look at a computer during the day, try positioning the monitor to eye level. That way you aren’t straining your neck (and spine) all day to stare at the screen. Make sure you sit in a comfortable chair with armrests, so you have a place to put your elbows. When you sit, both feet should be able to comfortably reach the floor.
Smoking Habits
Tobacco is harmful to the body in more ways than one. The chemicals contained in cigarettes are associated with increased and prolonged back pain. This is because when you smoke, your blood vessels become narrow, making it harder for your body to regulate the flow of oxygen as well as it could. This also means your body is not absorbing nutrients as easily either. Because of this, your back is not getting what it needs to heal from pain, leaving it in a constant state of hurt.
How to Stop Smoking
It can be hard to stop smoking, but limiting the amount of tobacco you consume each day can really help out the pain in your back. Get rid of nicotine and tobacco in your system so you aren’t stifling your body’s natural healing process.
Pay Attention to Your Back Pain!
Whether due to an old mattress or an uncomfortable chair, back pain can be caused by so many different daily lifestyle habits. It can be difficult to determine the cause of your back pain, but that shouldn’t stop you from seeking treatment. The faster you visit our CRPM specialists, the better chance you have of getting rid of back pain for good. Reach out to our regenerative therapy Orange County specialists to learn more about the best treatments for chronic back pain and schedule an appointment for pain relief today.
