- Don’t be a couch potato! Studies have shown that sitting too much shortens your life, but it also makes your back unhappy! Many of our joints are lubricated (“oiled”) through movement. The more you move, the healthier your joints will be.
- Strengthen your back! There are “moving” muscles which bend your trunk, and there are “holding” muscles, which support and stabilize your spine. Find out which is which with a real-time ultrasound session at Dalkeith Physiotherapy.
- Get mobilising! Physiotherapists often perform “mobilisations” of your spine which can gradually stretch tight structures over 5 to 10 minutes or longer, and sometimes perform “manipulations” which give the spine a quick stretch and may relieve muscle spasm.
- Change your car/work/home seat: Many seats cause your back to be in a slumped position. Even cars with built in back supports may not be suited to your particular size or shape of back. We sell lumbar rolls ($20+gst) which can be positioned exactly where you need the support, and come with a strap to attach to any chair (fantastic for planes!).
- Get informed about back pain: Did you know that your disc is firmly anchored into the bone above and below through ligaments, and cannot “pop out and in”? (But the ligaments can stretch or rupture, causing a gel material to ooze out or bulge out.)
If you have had back pain for over 6 months, your brain may start to perceive pain differently, and you may need a new approach to treatment. (See Understanding pain: what to do about it in 5 minutes on youtube)