Back pain avoidance is easier when you follow these five simple tips.  A healthy lifestyle will help you to avoid back pain.

Exercise regularly.

Even on a busy day, you can make choices to be more active.  Examples include choosing the stairs over the elevator,  parking on the far end of the parking lot, or getting off the bus a few stops early.  Walk to the mailbox.  Ride your bike to the convenience store.  Choose active recreation, like hiking, sports, or active games. Play outside with your kids.  Take a walk with a friend or with your family.

Weight bearing exercise like dancing, walking, climbing stairs, or jogging can help keep your bones strong.

Maintain a healthy weight. 

If you are underweight, you are vulnerable to nutrient deficiencies and a weakened immune system.  If you are overweight, excess weight places additional strain on muscles, bones and joints.

Invest in a good chair, pillow and mattress. 

These are not good places to cut corners by choosing the cheapest model.  You spend a third of your life in bed.  Your mattress will affect both the quality of your rest and the effects on your spine.  This is also true for work chairs or any chair you spend significant time in.

Bye bye couch potato. 

Prolonged sitting places unhealthy strains on your body.  If you work behind a desk all day, then come home and plop down in front of the TV/video game console/computer all night, your back will suffer for it.  Alternate sitting and standing.  Get up from the chair, stretch, and move around every hour.

Follow your chiropractor’s course of treatment. 

Chiropractic care follows three general phases:  acute, semi-acute and maintenance.  Once the acute phase is over and you’re out of pain…continue to follow your chiropractor’s recommendations!  You are unlikely to be fully healed.  Also, your body will need support as it heals (this is the semi-acute phase).  Finally, maintenance care will keep you in the best possible health.

If you don’t have your next appointment scheduled, call Sheppard Chiropractic Centre at (506) 635-8182 or (506) 847-7172.  Remember, regular maintenance will help you avoid back pain.