Why It’s So Important to Take Care of Your Back

We totally take our back for granted these days. We work it hard, don’t rest enough, don’t listen to it when it hurts, and eventually we just give up altogether. But in order to understand why everyone tells you to be kind to your back, you need to understand why it’s so important.

For starters your back is almost always in use. When you are sleeping, your laying on your side or back or stomach, but it affects your spine and your spine’s alignment as you rest. If you’ve ever woken up with neck pain you’ll realize quickly it may have been that your pillow is going flat or you just had your neck twisted an awkward position while you slept.

We also use our back to hold us up when we sit, help us balance when we walk, and of course when you’re moving and exercising your affecting your back.

So how can you take better care of your back and why should you? Well…


Keep moving

Obviously if you have an issue like a bulging disk, you should rest until you can move again without pain, but in the meantime work out the other parts of your body that don’t require you to use your spine as much. But if you stop moving altogether, your body will start degenerating. Why else do you think they tell people with arthritis to keep active or have people recovering from surgery start physical therapy right away? It’s important to keep your body limber and fit so you must use it. There are lots of cardio exercises and weight lifting exercises that will affect your back in a positive way.

Address your issues

When someone thinks they have sciatica, they shouldn’t just go on about their life. It’s important to speak to a professional about your pain and what issues you have so they can work with you to develop a plan of healing. They may show you exercises, stretches, or perform bodywork on you. It’s important to NOT ignore a problem because that will only make it worse. It’s crucial to catch stuff in the beginning.

Wear the right gear

If you have a job that involves lifting heavy things, wear a back brace. Don’t be stubborn and refuse to take the proper precautions. If you don’t sleep in a great position, buy leg pillows, a great head or neck pillow, and read about the right way to align your body. This is an important part of self care. If you do sports or work out make sure you stretch afterwards and warm up beforehand. Also make sure you wear any necessary safety equipment.

Listen to your body

When you have pain, it often means you need to slow down, address it, and then be more cautious in the future. You should ALWAYS listen to your body’s pain, as it’s the only way to really understand what you need. Too often we ignore how we feel and push on and that’s definitely not the right way to handle it.

I hope after this post, you will be more mindful with your body, especially your back.

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