Back pain is the second most common reason people visit the doctor, second only to the common cold. Most cases of back pain can be prevented, however, and in addition, most cases go away without any high-powered medical intervention, including prescription drugs, physical therapy prescribed by doctors, and especially without surgery.
Johns Hopkins surgeons Ziya Gokaslan, M.D. and Lee Hunter Riley III, M.D., are nationally-recognized leaders in the field of spinal surgery and authors of The Back Book. They give the following eight steps to help your back pain heal quickly or to help make sure back pain never happens at all:
1. Do a 14-day course of NSAIDs. NSAIDs (nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs) include aspirin, Motrin, and Aleve. To completely resolve the inflammation, take daily NSAIDs for two full weeks — even if your back pain disappears earlier.
2. Take a preventive anti-inflammatory. If you usually get a backache pain after leaf blowing, skiing, or snow shoveling, take a NSAID before the activity.
3. Follow a "healthy back" diet. Keep inflammation at bay with plenty of fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and water. Cut down on beef, and avoid high-fat dairy, sugar, and processed foods. Spine-strengthening foods high in calcium, magnesium, and vitamin D include spinach, black beans, broccoli, halibut, shellfish, whole grains, nonfat dairy, sardines, salmon, and soymilk.
4. Stop smoking. Smokers have a much higher incidence of back pain than nonsmokers because nicotine restricts the flow of blood to the discs that cushion your vertebrae.
5. Exercise regularly. People who engage in regular low-impact exercise such as swimming, walking, and bicycling are less likely to have back pain than those with a sedentary lifestyle. Other great back exercises include yoga, which increases flexibility, and Pilates, which strengthens abdominal and back muscles.
6. Lift wisely. Everyday activities such as lifting groceries out of the trunk of your car are the most common ways people "throw their back out." Here are some tips: Place your foot on the bumper for support if it's not too high. Store items in the trunk close to the bumper. Lift items onto the car frame first and then lift them from the car frame to your arms. To reach something located deep inside the trunk, brace yourself on the car with one arm while reaching. When lifting something heavy off the ground, bend your knees, not your back, and use your leg muscles for lifting.
7. Create a back-friendly workspace. Sit in a desk chair with a straight back or low-back support. Keep your knees a little higher than your hips, or use a footstool to prop your feet on. Move your whole body when you turn — don't twist at your waist.
8. Sleep on your side. Lie on your side with both knees bent the same amount, and place a pillow between them. Sleeping on your back puts 55 pounds of pressure on your back.
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