Guest Author - Carolyn Chambers Clark, ARNP, EdD

Keeping your back healthy is key to avoiding pain and aging.

Carrying or Lifting Heavy Items Can Harm Your Back

*Many women, and some men, carry heavy bags on their shoulders or in their hands. This puts a constant strain on the back and can lead to pain. Find a smaller bag and only put the essentials in it. If you must carry more items, use a fanny pack or back pack, but those can present problems, too, if not used correctly. (Follow manufacturer's directions). But before buying either one, consider why you need to carry so many heavy items and what it's doing to you back.

*Do you lift heavy items without using good body mechanics? Mothers and others often lift their children or heavy items without considering body mechanics. It's better to ask the packers in stores to make lighter bags and carry more of them into the house. Think about pain vs. convenience. Never lean over without first bending your legs and then use your legs as levers to help you lift. Avoid using only your arms to lift.

*Purchase a trochanteric belt that goes around your hips. You can find them at home repair stores. They are usually black or dark blue, slip over your shoulders and are made of elastic fibers that expand and contract to hold your back in place when you move. You can tighten the belt right before lifting something heavy and strengthen the supporting ligaments.

Use Correct Sleeping Dynamics for a Healthy Back

If you're sleeping on your stomach, you may be harming your back. Sleep on your side with a small pillow between your knees, or better yet, on your back.

Specific Exercises Can Keep Your Back Strong

Stretching is the best preventive and pain-reduction act you can take. Here are some to do twice daily. Remember to breathe throughout each exercise.

*Stand with your feet together or a couple of inches apart. Raise your left arm straight up over your head and pull your right arm straight down toward your knees. Stretch both arms a little farther and keep breathing. Your hands should start to tingle if you're doing it right. Gradually move your left arm over the top of your head to the right of your body. You should feel a stretch along the left side of your body. Hold, keep breathing and stretch a little more and hold. Keep your head in a straight line with your neck, don't let it roam forward. Repeat with right arm up and left arm down.

*Stand with your feet a foot or more apart. Reach your left arm across your chest and past the right side of your body while bending your knees. You should feel the stretch all across the left side of your body and in your right hip, too. Now reach your right arm across your chest and past the left side of your body while bending your knees. Avoid leaning forward and push left and right with your fingers.

*Stand with feet a foot or more apart. Use what's comfortable for you. Bend your arms at the elbows and twist at the waist gently to the left and then to
the right, while bending your knees slightly.

*Stand with feet and knees together and make circles with your knees.

*Stand with feet a foot or more apart and make circles with your hips. Go in one direction up to 10 times and then in the other direction. (This is also very good after you have been leaning forward working in the garden, watching a tense program or TV or lifting incorrectly, just go slowly and gently.)

*Get on your hands and knees and round your shoulders and then straighten your back. This is called the Cat in yoga. You can also sway your hips from side to side while raising and lowering your back. Work up to 20 each side. (This one can be done on the bed prior to sleep and can relax you for slumber.)

*Lie on your back with your left leg bent. Clasp your right knee to your chest. Repeat with other leg. Work up to clasping both knees to chest. Avoid clasping the lower leg.

*Sit in a straight-backed chair and lean forward, reaching toward your feet. Relax your back and enjoy the stretch. If you have an active disc syndrome this position will be difficult for you.

Other Complementary Procedures Can Help Keep Your Back Healthy

*Yoga is a terrific way to lengthen your back and keep it flexible. That way if you do pick up something wrong, your back will be better able to handle it. Investigate yoga classes on TV or at your local community center.

*Massage can help regenerate degenerated muscle cells and supporting tissue to build a stronger back.

What to do if you injure your back

*The best treatment is ice. Use an ice pack for 10 to 12 minutes per hour, repeating hourly as often for the first 24 hours. Never leave ice on for more than 12 minutes at a time.

*Avoid bed rest. Instead, vary your postures from lying on one side, to sitting, to kneeling, to standing, to walking, to lying on your back with your legs over a chair.

*Most over-the-counter pain killers may reduce pain, but they can interfere with the healing process. Try topical cremes and salves that create a cold or hot sensation on the skin. You can also try peppermint essential oil. Rotate these salves and see what works best for you.

*Don't exercise right after an acute episode of back pain and stop exercising if it causes any pain lasting more than a few seconds. Gradually start doing the exercises described above to regain strength and reduce pain.

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This article is for information purposes only. For treatment, consult your health care provider.