Lower back pain is the most common cause of long-term disability, and to make people more aware, October 16 every year is World Spine Day. One of the biggest things that needs to be done is to make sure people are more active during the day. The awareness tries to highlight the need for people to adopt healthier habits that have them moving more to keep them from gaining weight that will adversely affect their spines and to also quit smoking. The awareness includes helping people understand what is causing them to feel pain in their back and neck and learn what they can do to alleviate or avoid the pain without medication. Often there are multiple contributing factors to back pain, so it may require multiple types of treatment to help with exiting pain. Prevention is the best way to spinal health, and then adopting better habits after treatment can help get rid of or reduce the pain.
- Back pain is often caused by people failing to lift and bend properly. Adopting better lifting techniques that protect the spine and make better use of the legs will help reduce the risk of injuring or re-injuring the back.
- Lowering stress through better sleep also helps protect the neck and back because it reduces inflammation. It actually helps the entire body and mind.
- Spinal discs wear as a person ages, and can cause herniated discs or spinal stenosis. These problems can be managed when patients are treated for the problem when the pain arises instead of putting it off until the pain is severe.
To learn more about taking care of your spine What You Need to Know about Spine Health.