These Things Are Damaging Your Back and Your Don't Realize It

Here are some habits that are damaging your back and you don’t even realize it! See what changes can you make to improve your back health!

People who suffer from back pain know how disagreeable this pain can be and how damaging it is. While many of you may feel a constant ache, some pleople feel a sharp pain which prevents them from moving. This pain will limit the way you live and will bring a lot of changes in your daily routine, simply because it appears exactly when you don’t need it and it makes you feel helpless.

By making some small changes in your life you can improve your back health, prevent and even treat the pain. Apart from medical reasons (such as arthritis, injury, inflammation, fracture, nerve injury, etc), you need to know that some things are ruining your back without you even knowing it. Just take a look below and see if you find yourself in these situations!

1. Long drives. Do you use to drive for hours daily? Maybe it’s your job, or maybe you have to cross the town daily for getting to work, but you gotta find some other alternative because long drives put you in a uncomfortable sitting posture, even if you don’t realize it. Hunching over a steering wheel can lead to tight chest muscles and cause your shoulders to round. This in turn can cause back pain in the coming years. Try to always be conscious of your driving posture and to sit as straight as possible. Never extend your legs while driving because this habit puts pressure on your back.

2. Carrying a bag weighing more than 10% of your bodyweight. A 2014 study published in BMC Research Notes found that a majority of school students complained of musculoskeletal pain, of which 35.4 percent was attributed to the schoolbags. The researchers found that this is common in pupils who carry schoolbags weighing more than 10 percent of their body weight. Avoid to carry your bag on the same shoulder, because it puts excess pressure on the lower back as well as shoulder, which will cause pain over time.

3. Sleeping on the wrong mattress. I bet that many of you never thought about changing their mattresses after using it for several years. Your should know that sleeping on a old and damaged mattress will hurt your back and will cause a lot of pain over time. Specialists recommend you to replace your mattress after 5 or 6 years of continuous use.

Of course, there are a lot of other things that can ruin your back health (like your sleeping posture, having a desk job or frequently wearing high heels), but with small changes in your everyday life you can really avoid aches and even treat them (again, if the cause ain’t a medical one). Don’t forget to train how often you can and have a balanced diet, with important nutrients for your bones health.