CARING FOR YOUR BACK

Don’t wait until you have back pain or a back injury to begin caring for your back. With conscious awareness and a few key tips to remember, you can prevent excess wear and tear on your back during everyday activities. Four of the most important back tips are outlined below.

1. Keep your back straight. Tighten your abdominals and stick your buttocks out, creating a slight increase in your low back curve (or lordosis). Keep this position throughout all lifting or bending activities.

2. Bend your knees. Use a wide base of support, spread your feet, place one foot slightly behind the other. Bend your knees.

3. Pivot, don’t twist. When you stand with your feet planted and turn your upper body, the fibers of your discs between your backbones become taut. This makes them susceptible to breaking or tearing. Pivoton your feet, as in basketball instead of twisting, keeping allback and hip structures stable, moving as one unit.

4. Keep the object in close. When lifting anything, keep the object close to your body. This willpreventincreasing the stress on yourlow back tenfold.Practice these tips and soon they will becomehabitual. By changing your movements now, and with the added help of keeping yourmuscles strong and flexible, you can prevent aches and pains, or perhaps even something more serious ----- Debbie Wilson