Reducing Low Back Pain

MC Rehabilitation andWellness is encouraging people to reduce onsets of low back pain, by followingthese 5 simple tips! (see pics below as well!)

This articlehas been written by Lawrence McGinn of MC Rehabilitation and Wellness. He is aCertified Athletic Therapist with over 5 years experience. He has worked withseveral professional athletic organizations such as the Hamilton Ti-Cats, andthe Toronto Argos. He strives to help minimize the down time of an injured playeror worker, and keep people doing the activities they love to do.

The back iscomprised of many structures, including a complex network of muscles, tendons,ligaments, nerves, bones, discs, and blood vessels. The purpose of these tipsis to encourage the proper working of these systems; however they are notintended to replace medical care. If you are in moderate to severe discomfort,or your pain persists for more than 24 hours, please contact a healthcareprofessional.

1)      KeepActive

As Hippocratessays, “Walkingis man’s best medicine”. Keeping fit, and being active is a great way to helpreduce the onset of lower back pain. This means a minimum of 30 minutes a dayof moderate intensity exercise. Try to minimize your sedentary time by tryingnew activities, booking arrangements in advance with friends, or ensuring thatyou stick to a routine walking program.

2)      BeMindful of Proper Posture

Posture isincredibly important when it comes to reducing the onset of lower back pain.Slouching or leaning to one side apply excessive tensions to the ligaments thatsupport the spine, and over time, these ligaments stretch.  As the ligaments lengthen, posture generallyworsens, and back pain quickly becomes an issue. It is very important to ensureboth you and your children sit in proper posture. As a general rule; to findproper posture, exaggerate the following posture: sit with your shoulders back,chest out, head level, and earlobe over the center of your shoulder, and thenrelax 10-20%.

3)      AvoidOver Exertion

If something ishurting you: don’t do it, or modify the activity. You would likely imagine thatpeople would strive to limit the amount of pain they encounter throughout theirday. However you hear all the time that people are working through pain tofinish a hardwood flooring project, or to carry all their groceries in withonly one trip. Break large tasks into smaller ones to limit the amount ofweight you have to lift, and spread your workload out over a longer time periodto allow for adequate rest and recovery. Reducing load and ensuring proper restwill help reduce lower back pain by avoiding over exertion.

4)      Stretch& Strengthen

Many ailmentsof the lower back come from a discrepancy between muscle strength, and musclelaxity. Both stretching and strengthening are equally important in reducingyour lower back pain, and improving your general well-being. The most commondysfunction observed is a lack of core strength, combined with excessively tautlower back erector muscles (the thick muscular bands on either side of yourspine).  Below this article I haveincluded some general stretches, and strengthening exercises to help reducethis common dysfunction.

5)      SeekProfessional Advice

Everythingstated in the above 4 tips are general guidelines and do not apply to everyone.Therefore check with your healthcare professional for personally tailoredadvice.

We encourage you to call MC Rehabilitationand Wellness today, and ask for a FREE 5 minute consultation with Lawrence, toclarify any of the above tips, or to begin a formal therapeutic regime to helpalleviate your acute or chronic lower back pain.

Yours inHealth;

Lawrence McGinn

CertifiedAthletic Therapist

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