At any point in time 10% of us will have it, AND, at any time throughout our lives 90% will get it…
What am I talking about you ask?
You guessed it, back pain!
Back pain is one of the most common ailments in our society, one of the leading causes of time off work and can have a serious implication on our wellbeing both physically and mentally.
The reason I start with those statistics is to illustrate that if you are suffering, despite others not being able to see an ‘actual’ problem, rest assured there is a high probability that people you talk to have been in the same place and certainly understand what you are going through.
That is definitely the case for me and why this week I want to share the most common causes of back pain and some simple remedies you can do at home to help.
I have been crippled with back pain before, I know what it is like to not be able to sleep, work, drive or put my socks on. So, while this advice is my professional opinion, it is also my meandering experience.
So, what causes back pain?
Here are the top 3 causes:
1. A sedentary lifestyle.
As humans our body and frame is designed to move, it was designed and developed hundreds of thousands of years ago, very slowly!
Our current working lives and technology have advanced rapidly and the human body simply does not match up.
Sitting for long periods of time is far more damaging to the spine than lifting and bending.
2. Diet and nutrition.
You’ve likely heard me talk about this before but given the statistics mentioned earlier, it is clear that we all have either an underlying issue or a predisposition to back pain.
What a poor diet does is shine the light on the problem, manifesting it and certainly making it worse.
The two main culprits are wheat and dehydration.
3. Injury.
Car crashes, slips, falls, they happen to us all and can certainly cause back pain. The question really is, was your body resilient enough to cope?
Which brings me onto the question of what can we do?
Here are my top 3 tips to manage and prevent back pain:
1. Move
Short walks and the odd trip to the bathroom simply are not enough. It is thought our ancestors walked up to 10 miles a day. Movement is essential to keep the body functioning. If you think not, then simply look to north African or south American tribes. Their elders have incredible health and are always on the move.
My suggestion is to walk for at least 10 minutes, twice a day. (Yes, that is on top of any walking you may do at work).
2. Nutrition
Reducing inflammation and increasing hydration are essential to help. If you receive therapy or care to help your back pain but are not addressing this, it is a serious limit to your progress.
Start each day with a pint of water before anything else passes your lips. Try then to have two more pints minimum throughout the day.
Reduce your inflammation by eliminating or dramatically reducing your wheat and dairy intake.
3. Build resilience
Strengthen your body and your spine, make sure it is aligned properly so that when the inevitable accident or injury does happen, your body can cope with it.
Ask your chiropractor for some simple exercises, make sure you get adjusted to help your alignment and at the minimum do some form of resistance training several times a week.
So, there you have it, my top tips! Simple stuff but trust me it works.
Here is a link too for a webinar I did on Back Pain that will go onto explain things further.
👉 https://youtu.be/-sbqHAZS2oM 👈
With love
Tom
