Is Your Lower Back Pain Holding You Back?

The human body has been described as a true engineering marvel. The manner in which the bones interlock with each other and the way that the muscles hold it all together, is truly amazing. Unfortunately however, most of us take our bodies completely for granted and choose to take the easy and sedentary way out. Then we compound our problems by ignoring all the niggling aches and pains which is actually our bodies telling us that we need to make some changes. Lower back pain could be crippling and could easily have you bedridden. The Human Backbone- The human backbone consists of a series of vertebrae that interlock into each other to form the spinal column. It is the single most important structure in our bodies as it keeps us upright and contains the spinal chord. The backbone provides an anchor point for our ribs that enclose and protect out heart and lungs. Our back bone restricts our bending to forward and backward bending and allows us to carry weights. The Importance of Posture- Our posture is the single most important factor that determines the health of our backbone. Our bodies are designed in such a way if that we carry ourselves upright, with out shoulders pushed backward, our centre of gravity stays fairly low and we do not fall easily. Our posture is important at all times. When we are standing, sitting, lying, especially if we are going to maintain the posture for a couple of hours, we should be aware of our posture at all times. Hunching our shoulders is not only ugly but also tends to prevent our lungs to expand to their full capacity. When sitting, we should try to keep our feet planted firmly on the ground and our thighs should be parallel to the floor. rnSimple Precautions- The most important thing is to first maintain proper posture no matter what you are doing. Take special care of posture when you are lifting something heavy. Divide the weight between you arms, back and knees, by bending your knees to lower yourself and keeping your back straight. Then slowly straighten your knees while holding the object that has to be carried. Bending straight forward to lift something, puts tremendous strain on your back and could easily cause you to strain your back and have you longing for back pain relief. Try and sleep on a firm mattress and carry yourself straight when you are standing, walking or sitting.