The health of your back is one of the most important things to think about health-wise, yet many people don’t give it a second thought – until they start to suffer from back pain. Back problems can affect you more and more later in life and with people living longer looking after yourself for the future has never been more important. When you get to retirement age you will thank yourself – it makes the difference between a happy active retirement and a more restricted, painful one. If you are currently experiencing back problems and pain in your back, do deal with it sooner rather than later – it may get a lot worse if left unchecked. Go and see your doctor, or an osteopath, such as Leicester osteopath http://www.townosteo.com – osteopaths are used to dealing with a wide range of back problems.
If you want to decrease your chances of back pain now and in the future, there are a few things you can do to help yourself. If you are overweight, that can be a big contributor to the problem, as it places your spine under a lot more strain than necessary, so do try to lose some weight. Exercise is such as swimming can not only to help you to lose weight, but your back muscles also benefit enormously. Yoga is another gentle way to help your back, and also great for relaxing if you have a busy lifestyle.
If you work in an office and spend a lot of time sitting at a desk, ensure that your posture is correct – sitting poorly can cause a lot of pain over a period of time. Make sure that your lower back is supported and that your eyes are level with the top of the computer screen. Make sure that you take regular breaks – get up, walk around, and relax those muscles.
Be careful when lifting and carrying heavy objects – the correct way to lift something is with the back straight and the knees bent – but do not ever lift anything that you think is too heavy. If you have a job that involves a lot of heavy lifting your company will have a correct manual handling procedure – be sure to read this and follow it!
Remember – your back is your key to a happy, healthy retirement!