Preventing Back Injury

Lifting techniques to help protect the back

(HealthDay News) - Lifting objects -- sometimes even light ones -- is a common cause of back strain and injury.

To help prevent injury when lifting things, follow these techniques suggested by the American Association of Orthopaedic Surgeons:

• Don't try to lift or move heavy objects in a hurry. Take your time and plan what you need to do.
• Bend at the knees right in front of the object. Don't stand too far from it.
• Make sure your feet are positioned shoulder-width apart.
• With your stomach muscles tightened, lift with your leg muscles instead of with your back as you stand up.
• If the object seems too heavy, ask for help.
  

-- Diana Kohnle

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Of Back Pain, Square Pegs and Round Holes

By Dr. Eric L. Seiler - Chiropractor

Back problems seem to occur in epidemic proportions. This might lead one to believe that our spines are poorly designed - but nothing could be further from the truth. Every part of the miraculous human body was designed to function perfectly and last you 90 plus years. The problem is not the way our bodies are designed, but rather the abnormal stresses we subject our bodies to. In this sense, in many ways, our bodies are like square pegs being forced into round holes. Not a good fit.

Modernization has improved the quality of our lives in many ways, but it has also taken a toll. We subject ourselves to physical stresses in the modern world that our bodies were not designed to handle. One example is that we spend too much time sitting. Sitting places our spines in an abnormal and ‘compressive’ orientation with gravity. This causes misalignment of vertebrae and pre-mature breakdown of spinal discs - a major cause for all the back pain, neck pain and headaches that we suffer.

For over a century now, the chiropractic profession has led the way in understanding how abnormal lifestyle-induced stress can cause alignment problems in the spine that in turn cause pain, reduced mobility and even problems with general health and wellness. Misaligned vertebrae can irritate nerves, causing a wide variety of health problems. Misaligned vertebrae that irritate nerves have a special name. They are called ‘subluxations’.

Chiropractors correct subluxations using spinal adjustments; gentle forces applied by hand to re-align vertebrae.  Chiropractors may also council their patients in how to avoid or minimize the negative physical stresses that cause spinal problems in the first place. One thing you can do right away to help yourself is to find ways to minimize the amount of time you sit in an upright position. No one should sit continuously for more than a half an hour without getting up and moving around for awhile. Even taking a one minute ‘micro-break’ each half hour from the compressive stress of sitting can have a major positive effect on your spine over time.

If you are locked-in to a lifestyle that keeps you sitting, consider investing in an ergonomically designed work chair that minimizes postural stress. ‘Zero-gravity’ reclining chairs are also an excellent choice for relaxing and reducing the stress of sitting upright all day.  While recliners are very helpful, relieving your spine of the compressive force of gravity is achieved primarily through sleep. If you are a restless sleeper, or sleep for only short durations, you may find that you have morning back or neck pain. You may profit from investing in a new bed and pillows that provide proper support as you sleep.

Your specialist at ‘The Better Back Store’ has a full range of products that will allow you to sit and sleep in a healthier way. A good chiropractor, along with some intelligently designed, properly supportive furniture can help make a better fit for your ‘square peg’ body in this physically stressful ‘round hole’ world!

Seiler Chiropractic Clinic
Eric L. Seiler D.C.
30651 U. S. 19 N
Palm Harbor, Fl 34684
727-787-3991