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Avoid Decompression

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If you are like me, one of the unlucky 8 out of 10 people that will experience some form of back pain in your lifetime maybe you should read on. The amount of pain felt is different in each person, ranging from an inconvenience felt once in a while to consistent debilitating pain. Although your back pain will often go away on its own, 80 percent of all back pain is recurrent if not properly treated. When you are feeling back pain and it lasts for more than a week it is time for you to consult your health care provider. Even if you are thinking that it’s only a little pain in your back, you are better safe than sorry as these little aches can lead into major issues that become more difficult to manage if left unchecked. Caring for your back now will help you avoid possibilities such as missing work, painful spine decompression therapies, and neck or back surgeries.

If you follow these ten tips, you should be able to keep your back young and healthy.

1. Posture:
   Maintaining a proper posture as often as you can will help to avoid excessive stress being placed on the wrong areas of your spine.
2. Stretching:
   Before and after any activity it is recommended to stretch and warm up the muscles in your back.
3. Keep your bags lighter:
   If you have everything and the kitchen sink in your backpack or your shoulder bag, you are putting to much pressure on your spine. Remember that the lumbar region of your spine also has to should the burden of the majority of your body’s weight so significant additions to this weight will place much unwanted weight on your back.
4. Further neck posture:
   Cradling a phone or other object in the nook of your neck (between your neck and shoulder) puts your neck in an unhealthy position for much to long of a time. Over time this can lead to disc slippage, herniation or bone spurs.
5. Sleeping posture:
   It is proven that sleeping on your back or on your side is healthier then sleeping on your stomach.
6. Quality of comfort:
   Invest in your back! Put a little bit of money into your back by purchasing a good chair, good pillows and a good mattress for yourself. Sleeping on a soft mattress is not good for your back; a medium firm mattress is often the best choice. When looking at purchasing a chair, be sure it is ergonomically correct with strong lumbar support.
7. Exercise, exercise, exercise:
   Regular exercise is one of your best defenses for your back! Be sure not to neglect your back when exercising as building strong lumbar and abdominal muscles adds more stability to your spine.
8. Eat right:
   One of the leading causes of back strain comes from being overweight. The reason behind this (as already touched on earlier) is that the lumbar region of your back shoulders almost all your weight and is directly affected by the majority of your movements. By making sure that you weigh a reasonable amount less stress is put on your back making it a more stable region.
9. Lift Properly:
   Be sure that when lifting and transporting objects (yes even the light ones) that you following safe lifting and carrying practices.
10. See your doctor regularly:
    It is good practice to see your doctor on a regular basis so that not only can he check the condition of your spine and surrounding area but other health issues can be monitored or watched for. It is recommended that you have a yearly physical examination.

Following these ten tips should keep your back healthy and help you avoid time consuming and costly neck surgery, back surgery or therapies such as spinal decompression.