Are you sitting uncomfortably?

Most of us spend large amounts of our waking hours sitting down, largely in a slumped posture because our chairs are poorly designed. This is a major cause of postural strain. People whose work involves a lot of sitting show a high incidence of back pain. Here’s what to look for in a good chair:

• a firm seat (to help you move frequently with ease)
• a sloping foward edge to minimise pressure on the blood vessels of the legs
• a seat height that means you can plant your feet firmly on the ground
• tipped down seat, so your knees are lower than your pelvis
• a seat length no more than two-thirds the length of the thigh, so your lower back can be in contact with any lumbar support
• firm support for the lower back.

For more advice on seats and how to protect yourself when sitting, see a chiropractor.

Protecting your back during the day

There is much truth in the old adage about never standing when you can sit, and never sitting when you can lie down.

If you have to stand, move around as much as you can.  Keep the time spent still to a minimum and intersperse it with movement.

When you sit, make sure your chair allows your knees to be lower than your pelvis, and try to chose furniture that is the right size for you – not too high/low or long/short.

For advice on lying down, see the other entries in this blog regarding emergency help and sleeping posture.

Since back ache is often aggravated by the postural strain of standing, it’s worth taking time to see a professional, such as a chiropractor or osteopath, for an assessment of your posture and advice on how to stand to protect your back.

Protecting your back while you sleep

When you sleep, your back is vulnerable to injury because your muscles relax and so are less able to protect the ligaments and joints. So having a good bed is important to protect your back. The qualities of a good bed are that it should be firm enough to allow you to change position easily and to prevent your spine ‘sagging’.

The position you sleep in is important. On the whole, side-lying is best, as it prevents the neck twisting involved with sleeping on your front, and the overarching that sometime accompanies sleeping on your back.

Because of the muscle relaxation overnight, the first 15 minutes of the day are a vulnerable time for any back. Recommended actions include rising from the bed by rolling onto your side and pushing yourself up, rather that sitting straight up, avoiding heavy lifting first thing, and having a routine of simple back stretches (think how a cat stretches), to ease your spine back into movement.

For more detailed help, see a chiropractor.

How fit is your back?

Some people are predisposed to back problems from birth, either through spinal defects or because they are designed to be tall and thin, which makes them liable to postural strains and back injuries.  However most people acquire back problems as a result of their lifestyle.  Here are some of the main factors that predispose people to back problems:

• Work involving repeated bending, twisting, heavy lifting and load carrying
• Being overweight
• Lack of flexibility (try touching your toes with your knees straight)
• Driving more than 160km a week regularly
• Smoking
• Back ache in the past, particularly before age 20
• Poor posture (overarched lower back, forward head position)
• Tall and thin build
• Weak abdominal muscles.

 If you’re not sure about your posture, ask advice from a professional such as a chiropractor, who can help you understand how to correct any weaknesses.

Why pain is just the ‘tip of the iceberg’

Being in pain means you’re ill – right? Well, not necessarily.  Pain is your body’s warning system – it’s an alarm call to tell you there is something wrong. However that something could be physical, psychological or social. Similarly, you can be very ill and not be in pain.

The human body is tremendously adaptable. That’s why we are able to do things – drive at high speeds, go into space – that our bodies have no evolutionary business to be doing. However the adaptability also means we can cope with stresses without necessarily experiencing any negative symptoms.

Pain tends to arrive when the body can no longer adapt. It’s the bit of the iceberg above the waterline, while the problem remains below. This also means that when pain arises, the problem causing it may be been part of your life for a long time.

Getting your spine checked regularly by a chiropractor is a step you could take to protect your health before you get pain.

Why your posture when you’re young could matter when you’re old

The stooped back, forward head posture of so many office workers not only looks unattractive but it has implications for your long-term health. Recent studies have demonstrated that the posture is associated with increased mortality (you die younger), functional disabilities (you’re less able than your peers to cope as you get older) and greater risk of fractures as you age.

Think about getting your posture checked now by a chiropractor.

Chiropractic can help when you’re not in pain

Most people consult chiropractors because of pain, usually back or neck pain. However some people find the therapy beneficial to enhance health. Athletes, for example, may consult chiropractors for help in preventing injury. The correction of pre-symptomatic misalignments can help athletes avoid damaging themselves, and can help increase career longevity. Indeed most American football teams in the National Football League have chiropractors on their staff for this purpose. Chiropractic has also been found to improve co-ordination and reaction times, and so benefit athletic performance.

And it’s not just athletes. There is evidence that regular chiropractic adjustment can help slow the rate of degenerative change in joints, and increase levels of anti-oxidants within the bloodstream, thus helping protect the person from disease. It can put life in your years, and years on your life.

My back hurts but the X-ray says there’s nothing wrong

This is a common problem. Although X-rays are useful tools in many circumstances, they are not always relevant or appropriate for back pain. Firstly, X-rays are designed to image bone. So if you have had an accident and have fractured a bone in your back, an X-ray will reveal this. However most people’s back pain is not the result of a broken bone. It is a soft tissue problem, and X-rays do not detect these.

Secondly, X-rays look at the structure of bone only, where as most back problems relate to function. Whether a joint is moving correctly is a greater indicator of whether you will have back pain than what the joint looks like when it’s static.

Why does my knee hurt as well as my back?

The knee is the most pain-sensitive structure in the lower limb. Knee pain can be the result of damage to the knee itself, or referred pain from the hip, lower back, or more rarely the foot.

Referred pain occurs when nerves supply more than one joint. As every nerve root has branches to supply joints of the spine, pain originating from the spine joint can be perceived as pain from other joints supplied by the same nerve. Put simply, the brain misinterprets the source of the pain.

For this reason, chiropractors will often evaluate areas of your spine other than those where you are feeling pain, to ensure they deal with the cause of the problem which may not be in the same place as your symptoms.

Back pain – what to do in an emergency

So your back is hurting and you cannot easily or quickly get to a professional? There are two positions you can adopt that are stable and should mnimise further damage. Lie on your back, knees bent, head resting on a small cushion. Alternatively, same position but put your feet and lower legs up on a chair. Maintain this position for no more than half an hour at a time. Being still, especially bed rest, is not generally recommended. When you move from lying to sitting, roll onto your side before sitting up. If walking is too painful, try crawling on all fours. It’s a relatively stable position for you to be in and will minimise stress on your back. Try to remain active while seeking help.