Protecting Your Back

Have you ever felt low back pain? You’re not alone. According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics, about four million Australians or 16% of the population, have back problems. And among the most common causes are repetitive spine injuries. How can you injure your spine, you ask? You may be surprised to know that sitting at your desk for prolonged periods of time is considered micro-trauma for your spine, which is in our opinion sometimes worse than a big macro-trauma, as it goes unidentified and insidiously creeps up on you. Other common spinal injuries can be due to poor posture from normal activities of daily living, such as, housework, moving items around the house, or even putting your child to bed.

When you injure your spine, many people feel the strain but ignore it, simply because the pain goes away after a day or two. That is statistically the natural history of back pain. However, in our opinion, it’s not something you should overlook. Symptoms are your body’s way of telling you there is something wrong. Often we find that there is a different cause of your pain in another location of your body and there is underlying degeneration. Often, people who ignore their symptoms will notice that over time their pain becomes more frequent and severe.

Whether you sit for hours each day for work or when you watch TV, it’s essential that you take certain steps to protect your back. It can be anything from taking breaks from whatever you are doing to investing in a good ergonomic chair to prevent slouching.

There are many ways to keep your back healthy and strong. Our blog offers explanations and guides on how you can improve your lifestyle to avoid back pain.