Looking for back pain relief in San Diego? The best way to start your journey is by getting to know your condition. Although many people only experience back pain once in a while and may treat it as just a simple inconvenience, for some, it means so much more. It could mean the inability to work, do simple tasks, spend time with family, and engage in social activities. Fortunately, with back pain relief in San Diego, the life-long discomfort and pain can be avoided and resolved entirely.
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Risk Factors for Back Pain
Having one or two risk factors does not automatically mean that you will develop back pain, but several of these put together might indicate a risk for back issues. You cannot control some of these risk factors such as aging or job hazards. However, there are certain things you can do to minimize the risk of back pain.
Genetics
Certain conditions that can cause back pain such as degenerative disc disease may be passed down from your parents.
Aging
More wear and tear are put on our joints, including our spine, as we age. As we get older, we also increase our risks for conditions such as degenerative disc disease, spinal stenosis, or osteoarthritis that can lead to back and neck pain.
Job hazards
Jobs that require heavy lifting and excessive bending, such as those of nurses or people who work in construction, are more prone to back pain. Those who work in awkward, unnatural positions and sit or stand for long periods, such as dental hygienists and hairdressers, are also at risk.
Poor posture
Poor posture, whether sitting, standing, or lying down, can cause back and neck pain. Daily habits that we often overlook such as slouching over a keyboard, holding the telephone between your ear and shoulder, sleeping on your stomach with the neck turned to one side, and rounding your shoulders forward while standing can lead to back problems.
Smoking
The obvious risks of smoking are lung and heart diseases, but did you know that it can also increase the risk for back pain? Smoking damages the blood vessels that deliver nourishment to the discs and joints of the spine, which can cause degenerative conditions that can bring about back pain.
Obesity
The extra weight of our body can stress the skeletal system that has to support it. The lower back gets more strained if you are overweight. Your other joints like the hips and knees also endure more stress. If you don’t keep tabs on your weight, it becomes even more difficult to achieve back pain relief in San Diego.
Sedentary lifestyle
People who do not exercise and are mostly inactive are at risk of having or increasing the severity of back pain.
Pregnancy
Throughout the months of pregnancy, the pelvis and lower back adjust to compensate for the growing fetus. The ligaments are also loose in preparation for the birthing process, and thus may contribute to the development of back pain.
How to Improve Back Pain
Quit smoking
Quitting smoking not only helps your heart and lungs, but it can help your back as well. It’s a great start if you want to experience lasting back pain relief in San Diego. Getting off nicotine can help ease back pain by decreasing the constriction of blood vessels on the spine. This way, nutrients are delivered to the discs and joints properly, which eases back pain.
Keep exercising
As mentioned, a sedentary lifestyle is a contributing factor in developing back pain; thus, exercising is one of the best ways to improve this risk. It doesn’t need to be heavy exercising. You can start with simple movements such as walking or pedaling on a stationary bike. However, it is also important to avoid extremely strenuous exercise or actions that could worsen your pain, like twisting and bending down your body.
Limit bed rest
Even though you might want to stay in bed all day when your back hurts, it will aggravate the problem. Taking more than just a couple of days to recover can cause more pain in the long run, so go back to your usual activities as soon as you can.
Improve your flexibility
Muscle tension and imbalances can also lead to back pain, so enhancing your flexibility can help ease your discomfort. An excellent way to do it is to take yoga classes or formulate a regular stretching routine at home. It’s a simple yet effective option for back pain relief in San Diego.
Take care of your spine
Naturally, taking good care of your spine is a vital part of avoiding back pain. The spine is a combination of bones, muscles, and ligaments that work hand in hand to ensure your comfort and its proper functioning. Misalignment of the spine can cause pain and discomfort throughout the back, and can even radiate to the arms and legs.
Back Pain Relief in San Diego through Upper Cervical Care
Although many people visit a chiropractor when their back hurts, most do not know how upper cervical chiropractic care helps them in achieving relief. When the bones of your upper neck are misaligned, it creates a chain reaction down to the rest of the back. The atlas is responsible for the weight of the head, and if the weight and pressure on the atlas it too much, the shoulders and hips will be off-tilt which causes mid- to lower back problems. Here in Upper Cervical Chiropractic San Diego, we target the root cause of the problem by realigning the atlas beneath the skull. Tis way we can provide quality back pain relief in San Diego. This relieves the strain on the back, which leads to an improvement or even complete resolution of your back pain.
To schedule a consultation with Upper Cervical Chiropractic San Diego, call 858-434-5926 or just click the button below.
If you are outside of the local area you can find an Upper Cervical Doctor near you at www.uppercervicalawareness.com.
