How to Prevent Back Pain

According to the Arthritis Foundation, back pain affects roughly 80 percent of Americans. With these ten steps created by the National Athletic Trainers Association, you can reduce stress and prevent back pain.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

1. Start with your body's frame. Identify and correct body stresses such as poor posture, improper lifting techniques, or weak or tight muscles.

2. Protect your back! Learn proper lifting methods, carry lighter loads, and use wheeled carts for heavy packages and suitcases.

3. Increase your muscle mobility. You can stay limber by stretching or doing activities such as yoga, tai chi, swimming or pilates.

4. Strengthen your back muscles by doing exercises that involve the whole body, especially the core muscles of the stomach, back, hips and pelvis. Strengthening your legs and shoulders can also help improve your ability to safely move items without overworking or injuring your back.

5. Participate in aerobic exercises such as walking, swimming or running for at least 20 minutes three times a week. According to the Trainers Association, this kind of exercise boosts muscular endurance and heart health, improves blood flow to the spine, and helps reduce stress.

6. Practice good posture. Try not to sit for long periods of time. When you have to stay seated all day, try to get up every 15 to 30 minutes and move around or stretch. While you're seated, keep your hips and knees at right angles to one another and use a chair with adequate lower back support.

7. For good standing posture, keep your head up, shoulders straight, chest forward and stomach tight. Again, try not to stand in the same position for too long and use your legs (not your back) for strength to push or pull heavy items.

8. When lifting objects from starting below your waist, stand with a wide stance and a slight bend at your hips and knees. Tighten your stomach as you lift and keep your back as flat as possible -- don't arch or bend it! Keep heavy items as close to your body as possible and don't carry items on only one side of your body.

9. Sleep on a firm mattress and box spring and in a position that allows you to maintain the natural curve in your back.

10. Warm up before exercise or sports. Increasing muscle temperature and mobility beforehand will reduce the risk of injury.

11. Adopt and maintain healthy lifestyle habits, as obesity and smoking increase the incidence of back pain.

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