Lifestyle Tips to Prevent Back Pain

 

Preventing back pain generally requires the adoption of a healthy lifestyle and making choices that can help support your back's overall well-being. Dr. Jay McClanahan and his staff of professionals at Dr. J Chiropractic & Wellness Center in Nitro, WV offer these lifestyle tips to help you prevent back pain -

Lifestyle Tips to Help Prevent Back Pain

While most people know that it is important to practice proper posture when sitting, standing, and walking, most people tend to slouch, especially when tired. Remember to avoid back pain and poor posture; keep your back straight, shoulders back, and head and spine aligned. In addition, consider these other lifestyle suggestions to prevent avoidable discomfort and pain -

• Engage in regular physical activity (i.e., walking, swimming, and yoga), as this helps strengthen your abdominal (core) and back muscles, supporting/stabilizing your spine and reducing injury risk.
• Work in an environment that is ergonomically optimized, as this helps to minimize back strain. It is recommended that you select an adjustable chair and desk that allows you a comfortable seated position with a neutral wrist position when typing.
• When lifting, bend with your knees - engage your leg muscles rather than your back and avoid twisting or awkward motions when lifting.
• Maintain a healthy weight to avoid excess back strain – which generally includes eating a well-balanced diet and getting enough regular exercise. Additionally, stay hydrated to prevent back pain.
• Stretch regularly – as this helps to reduce muscle tension and improve flexibility. Avoid sitting for extended periods when possible, but get up and stretch if you do sit for prolonged stretches.
• Choose to wear comfortable footwear that offers sufficient arch support – high heels can lead to back pain.
• Invest in quality pillows and a mattress – restful sleep is incredibly important in support of recovery and staying healthy.
• Learn/practice stress reduction methodologies to minimize muscle tension – which may include meditation, four-square breathing, yoga, etc.
• Quit smoking – the thousands of chemicals in cigarettes have been shown to be toxic and reduce blood flow to the spine and other body parts – ultimately hindering your capacity to heal issues that may cause back pain.
• Avoid activities that require high-impact movements – these types of activities (awkward or abrupt motion) can place excess strain on your back, causing a temporary or chronic issue.

Contact Our Leading Chiropractor in Nitro, WV

If you experience persistent or severe back pain, contact Dr. McClanahan or a member of our professional staff at Dr. J Chiropractic & Wellness Center at 304-776-1520 or online. We look forward to customizing guidance and exercises to help relieve current pain and prevent reoccurring pain.

Beat Back Pain by Strengthening Your Core

At Dr. J Chiropractic & Wellness Center in Nitro, WV, we find that the majority of our patients with back pain lack core stability. A weak core can increase the risk of disc bulges and nerve damage. There are numerous exercises that can be done, even in the comfort of your own home with little to no equipment needed, to steadily build your core, relieve back pain, and ultimately prevent future back pain.

Some core-building exercises include:

-Plank

-Clamshell

-Bird Dog

-Glute Bridge Single-Leg Progression

-Pelvic Tilt/Glute Bridge

-Side Plank

-Tabletop Leg Press

-Superman

-Dead Bug

-Cat Stretches

-Reverse/Forward Lunge

These exercises help with balance, function, stability, and limit the chances of getting seriously injured. Dr. J wants to inform his patients with new knowledge about their back pain and how they can treat it with an at-home regimen on days when they do not come into the office. However, it is important to remember that if any of these exercises increase pain, numbness, or weakness, you should immediately stop doing them and speak to your chiropractor.

Strengthen your core to prevent back pain! We are happy to address any questions or concerns that come up as well. Dr. J Chiropractic & Wellness Center is located at 642 Cross Lanes Drive in Nitro, WV 25143. For more information or to schedule an appointment, please visit drjbackdocwv.com or call the office at 304-776-1520.

Workout Mistakes That Are Hurting Your Back

Exercising is important for your health, and at Dr. J Chiropractic & Wellness Center we encourage all our patients to be active. There are simple mistakes we can make exercising that causes more pain, so keep these in mind while exercising so your workout truly benefits you! 

Not warming up, or replacing a warm-up with a lot of stretching, is not the right way to start exercising. Light warm-up exercises will raise your heart rate and increase circulation, providing better blood flow to muscles.  Even five minutes of light cardio exercise and some easy stretching can have this effect. It is most important to stretch after a workout. When muscles have been warmed up and worked out, stretching will feel easier and can prevent soreness by releasing lactic acid built up in the muscles.

Even people who exercise regularly can experience strain if they don’t train their core. Core and abdominal strength are essential for supporting the spine, and abdominal muscles should be trained with every workout.  No matter which muscle group is being exercised, proper form and good posture are important to avoid injury.  The most common mistake people make working out sounds very simple but is critical: going too far.  This includes pushing the limits in term of any weights you lift, too much twisting of the spine, and exercising excessively.  Listen to your body’s response and slowly build strength rather than pushing yourself over the limit. Come see us for help correcting your workout routine to make sure you are helping, not hurting yourself with exercise.

To learn more about proper workout form and all the services provided at the practice, visit www.drjbackdocwv.com for more information. To schedule an appointment with Dr. Jay McClanahan of Dr. J Chiropractic & Wellness Center in Nitro, WV, call 304-776-1520.

Lifting Safety

People whose jobs require lots of physical labor are aware that there’s a right way and a wrong way to lift something. But people who have to carry heavy loads less frequently may not be aware of how to keep themselves safe. We see a lot of preventable injuries at the Dr. J Chiropractic & Wellness Center in Nitro, and while we’re always happy to help people get back on their feet, we want our patients to understand how to keep themselves in good condition.

The first step of lifting safety is to never lift anything unless necessary. If you’re carrying something heavy for work that isn’t normally a part of your job, request the use of a dolly. If you must carry something, get a feel on it first to determine its center of gravity. Clear your path of obstructions, prop open all doors, and have a plan for where you’re going to set the object down and which way it will be facing.

When you lift the object squat down in front of it and use your leg muscles to lift yourself up. Keep your head up and position the object so that it is at mid-chest level. As you walk, rotate your entire body around corners; do not just twist your torso. Use your legs to crouch down again while depositing the object, slowly sliding your fingers out from under it.

Dr. Jay McClanahan operates the Dr. J Chiropractic & Wellness Center at 642 Cross Lanes Drive, Nitro, West Virginia, 25143. To schedule an appointment, visit Dr J Back Doc WV or call 304-776-1520.

Diabetic Neuropathy and Chiropractic

November is National Diabetes Awareness Month. As one of the Charleston area’s leaders in pain management, we at the Dr. J Chiropractic & Wellness Center see a lot of people suffering from nerve damage. In the spirit of the month, we want our patients to understand how diabetes may be related to their pain and what whole-body treatment can do to help.

Chronic or recurring pain is often the result of damage to nerves, also known as neuropathy. It can result from elevated levels of blood sugar. Although it is most commonly felt in the lower limbs, it can also affect the digestive, reproductive, and circulatory systems, and the eyes. When people’s hips are affected, they may adjust their gait in a way that puts pressure on their spinal column, increasing their risk of developing lower back pain. Negative emotions often distress the nerves further, resulting in more pain.

Our office offers a number of holistic treatments as part of pain management. Among them are therapeutic massages, which can relieve pressure on nerves and help the blood to deliver nutrients, and therapeutic exercise, which relieves pressure on joints and tendons. We also offer weight loss programs, which remove a lot of the pressure on nerves and joints and include nutritional advice that will help people with diabetes to control their blood sugar. We can also determine whether a patient can receive an adjustment for damage done to their spine by compensating for problems in the lower limbs.

Dr. Jay McClanahan operates the Dr. J Chiropractic & Wellness Center at 642 Cross Lanes Drive, Nitro, West Virginia, 25143. To schedule an appointment, visit Dr J Back Doc WV or call 304-776-1520.