Avoid Back and Neck Pain with These Tips
from Murfreesboro Chiropractic Clinic

Providing healthy, pain-free living is part of the mission of Rutherford Clinic of Chiropractic, and we fulfill our mission in various ways. Our Murfreesboro chiropractor Dr. Wesley Stewart offers many services that alleviate pain and correct the underlying cause of pain. We also strive to educate patients on lifestyle changes and habits you can use to keep pain at bay in the first place.

Pain Prevention Starts with a Strong and Healthy Back

Exercise can help prevent back pain by increasing endurance, strength and muscle function. Low-impact aerobic exercise supplemented by core-strengthening exercises are ideal choices. Achieving and maintaining a healthy weight can also take a lot of stress off your back as it helps reduce the pressure that excess weight causes.

Standing, sitting and lifting are three activities that require proper support and alignment. Standing with your pelvis in a neutral position helps distribute your weight, while sitting on a chair with solid lower back support and arm rests can do the same. Proper lifting posture involves keeping your back straight and using the power of your legs to hoist up the load, bending at the knees and holding the lifted item as near to your body as possible.

Chronic neck pain often comes from chronic poor posture, while other neck pain can come from keeping your neck in a static or awkward position. If you spend hours driving or staring at your computer screen, you can help avoid pain with regular breaks. Getting up to walk around can help, as can stretching your neck muscles by shrugging your shoulders, pulling your shoulder blades back, and keeping your shoulders square while stretching your neck to either side. Our chiropractor advises keeping computer screens at eye level so you can keep your head and directly over your spine instead of hunched forward. Scrunching your neck to support a telephone and sleeping on your stomach can also cause pain by adding stress to your neck.

What other pain-prevention tips can you share?