When it comes to managing low back pain, not only is exercise the key ingredient to start improving pain levels, but there are other strategies to be taken into account. What are these strategies? LIFESTYLE strategies.....
The causes of low back pain are numerous, and exercise has a proven success rate at relieving pain, building movement confidence and getting back to activities of daily living. (ADL's).
Lifestyle strategies are all about taking your lifestyle factors in to consideration and working with you to improve your back pain. This can be looking at things like.....
Your workplace.
Desk career? Heavy manual career? Prolonged sitting, prolonged standing, awkward or repetitive lifting patterns, the wrong desk or computer height, seat issues.....
Private life.
Do you have family or friends who understand what you are going through? Are they supportive when you are in real pain? Stress and anxiety are not conducive to back pain recovery as stress and anxiety are often causative or aggravating issues in back pain.
Lifestyle.
Smoking. Do you smoke? Smoking is known to chemically alter blood and not in good way. This slows tissue recovery which is essential in the healing process from low back pain. Nutrition also plays a part. Do you eat healthy or is convenience food starved of nutrients the bulk of your diet? Good nutrition plays a vital role in recovery.
Hobbies and Interests.
Low back pain, contrary to common belief is not just relegated to workplace or lifestyle factors. Many hobbies or physical activities can be the cause of back pain. Posture, reading a book at an awkward angle, bad weight training technique leading to faulty spinal loading.....
The above categories give you some idea of causative factors, but the list here is not exhaustive! Often it can be the case that low back pain is a combination of areas that need improvement on. At your initial consultation, we discuss your lifestyle factors to determine if there is anything that could be detrimental to your recovery, and indeed encourage recovery.
Being aware of this and running an exercise program alongside aims to maximise the best possible outcome for you. You may be involved with an occupational health department who can advise on your workplace if needed, you may be on smoking cessation programme advised by your doctor..... these are all positive pointers to reduce your back pain.
Being more informed about healthier lifestyles mean these will work alongside your exercise sessions where we build weakened muscles and inspire movement confidence. Any queries? Don't hesitate to get in touch for home based and workplace based exercise sessions for low back pain in York.
info@grahamfit.com