6 Ways to a Healthier Back

1) Strengthen your abs. Your abs do half the work in carrying you. Your abs and lower back are also referred to as your core. By strengthening your abs your core stays strong and upright. This helps in creating better posture when you sit and when you are moving about through the world. No matter what your back ailment, strengthening your abs will help to alleviate you from most pain you may be having in your back. 2) Lift by bending your knees, don’t bend at the waist. When lifting objects, no matter what the weight, you should bend your knees. Many people injure their lower backs when lifting objects that are below waist level. To execute a proper lift you must try to get your belly button as close to or even below the object you are attempting to lift. This can only be done by bending your knees to decrease the amount of stress in the lower back to virtually zero. 3) Avoid twisting motions when carrying heavy objects. If you are carrying a heavy object, it is not a good idea to twist while holding it. The twisting motion puts that same twist on your lower vertebrae plus the weight of the object. You can easily twist a vertebrae, more so than by lifting with your back. If you are lifting and transporting an object, move your feet in the direction you want to move rather than plant your feet and turn your shoulders. 4) Keep objects you are lifting close to the body. The further you hold an object away from your body, the more your back has to compensate to try and keep you up right. When you bring things in closer to your body, you can use your abs to keep you up right and maintain your posture. 5) Push don’t pull. The back was made for pushing not pulling. When possible, opt for pushing heavy objects. You can exert more force with your stronger muscle groups in your legs by pushing instead of pulling. 6) Sit-up straight. Dad wasn’t joking when he said if you don’t sit up straight you will grow up to have a hump in your back. When you slouch your shoulders, you put excess pressure on your lower back and in your upper back and shoulders. Your lower back suffers because there is excess weight in the front of your body and your back along with your ribs become the only thing keeping you from falling all the way over. Your neck was not meant to carry a lot of weight, but by sitting with your shoulders forward and slouched, you put the weight of your head on your neck instead of your shoulders. This often leads to neck and shoulder soreness. By following these simple rules you should see an improvement in your posture and will feel more confident in moving anything that mother nature throws at us.