Nutrition

Good nutrition is essential for tissue growth and repair. Aches, aches, and swollen joints can be caused or exacerbated by poor diet and nutritional deficiencies.

Good, low-fat diets, such as those containing olive oil, oily fish, nuts, and seeds, prevent the body from repairing itself quickly and effectively.

Vitamins B, C, D, and K and the minerals calcium, magnesium, copper, and zinc are also essential for the body’s repair process.

Diets low in calcium can also cause osteoporosis, where bones become weak and brittle, losing bone density.

Obesity, caused by poor diet, also puts additional stress on the back, putting the supporting muscles and joints under additional strain.

Try to eliminate nutritionally poor, high-calorie foods like sugars and starchy carbohydrates from refined white flour.

Enjoy a diet rich in fresh fruits and vegetables, protein, and good fats like fish, olive oil, nuts, and seeds.

Water

Between each vertebra in the human spine is a cartilage disc with a fluid center. These discs are the shock absorbers of the bodies with each step we take. They cushion the movement of the spine.

The internal fluid of each disc is predominantly water. If the body is dehydrated, insufficient fluid in the discs will cause additional stress, leaving the body at risk for pain, swelling, and even ruptured or herniated disc.

Some research has even found that pain can be reduced by up to 50% with proper hydration.

Try to drink at least 1 liter of good quality water for every 50 pounds of body weight.

Position

Poor posture can create or aggravate back pain, especially in the lower back.

The ideal postural alignment should see the ankle, knee, hip, shoulder, and ear on top of each other. The more deviations from this correct posture, the more likely it is that pain syndromes will develop in the spine.

Practice correct postural position in the mirror, until your body learns to correct the position. Stand with your feet hip-width apart and your knees “soft.” Keep the front of the legs long and the butt slightly tight. Keep your torso upright, with your shoulder blades back, to prevent it from slipping forward, making sure your head does not move forward.

Changing positions regularly when you are sitting, standing, or lying down can also help. Since it prevents muscle groups from straining and assuming too much load for long periods of time, especially when the body is in poor posture.

Stretch

Many postural problems can be caused by tension in key muscle groups, which misalign the body.

Our sedentary lifestyles create imbalances between key muscle groups in the body.

For example, tight hip flexors in the front of the thighs, often caused by prolonged periods of sitting, can pull the body forward. This can have a more detrimental effect on posture, as muscles in key groups such as the glutes can weaken, putting additional strain on the back in key movements. Also, the pull of the tight hip flexors pulls down on the front of the pelvis, bringing the body into an anterior tilt, leading to lordosis, a common factor that contributes to low back pain.

Higher up the spine, sinking forward can strain the pecs and other muscles like the anterior delts, pulling the body to collapse forward and inward, weakening the muscles in the middle of the back.

In addition, the repetitive tasks of using the mouse and / or keyboard, carry the upper back muscles (upper trapezius and levator scapulae) through small ranges of motion, this subsequently produces toxic waste products such as lactic acid and urea. Without enough circulation, stimulation, and exercise in the middle and upper back, waste products can build up, causing knots and general aches and pains. A massage will help, but it simply treats the symptom, not the cause.

Try to stretch your pecs, quads, and hip flexors daily to help your body adopt good posture.

Pectoral stretch: Stand with one arm against a door frame or the corner of a wall, step forward until you feel a good stretch in the front of your shoulder / chest. Hold for 10 to 15 seconds.

Quadriceps and hip flexors are stretched: stand on one leg, the other leg bent from the knee, grab the foot from behind. Keeping your knees aligned, squeeze your butt to propel your pelvis forward and hit your hip flexors. Hold for 10 to 15 seconds.

Strengthen

When the muscles may have been strained due to poor posture or lack of exercise, and a sedentary lifestyle, the opposing muscles may weaken, leaving parts of the back weak or putting too much strain on it.

For example, if the tight hip flexors are pulling the pelvis into an anterior tilt, this can prevent the gluteal muscles from working; Instead, the lower back is overworked, tense, or over-easy, leaving it prone to strains and injuries.

Try a simple glute activation exercise, lying on your side, pushing your entire back against a wall. Bend your knees inward, keeping your feet against the wall. Squeeze your butt to open your upper leg, pulling your knee toward the wall. Hold for 10 seconds before lowering leg, repeat 5 times. Then do ten reps, holding it at the top for just one second at a time. Note – If your lower back is overactive, make sure your back does not move away from the wall, thus preventing it from “interfering” or taking over the movement. This exercise works very well, after the previous stretches, giving the body room to achieve these movements.

For mid-back weakness, lie on your stomach with your forehead supported in line with the rest of your spine with a pillow. Stick your arms out to the sides and away from the body in a “crucifix” position. Keeping your head still, raise your arms behind you, squeezing your shoulder blades back. Repeat 20 to 30 times.

Mobilize

Increased mobility of the spine can help relieve common back aches and pains, gentle spinal twists can provide immediate relief as well as long-term benefits. Lack of mobility of the spine in one area of ​​the back can lead to pain syndromes in other areas of the spine. Try yoga or Pilates lessons to help increase spinal mobility. Simple twists that you can try at home are lying on your back with your arms out to your sides. Bend your knees with your feet still in contact with the ground. Bring both knees to the right and gently turn your head to the left. Rest here for a few moments, before repeating on the other side.

Note: It is always advisable to seek medical advice before embarking on a new exercise or diet regimen.