Put the Spring Back into Your Step With These Back Care Tips!!!
Now that spring is here many people are getting out in their yards and doing more bending, stooping, and heavy lifting, than their bodies have been used to in awhile, it is important to remember to take care of your back. Prevention is the key. Remember to do plenty of stretching, before, during, and after any strenuous activity. Drink plenty of water to prevent dehydration in the hot outdoors. This will also, help keep the muscle pliable and help to prevent injuries. Regular exercise helps to strengthen the back and adjustments help to keep your spine in alignment to prevent wear and tear and future degeneration of the joints. This can also help prevent injuries. When muscles haven't been used for a long time, they become weak and offer little support. This can lead to misalignment of your spine. When you go and pull and tug adding additional strain on the muscles and joints, it causes an overload on the muscle causing micro tearing of the muscle and swelling in the joints. This is known as the typical Sprain / Strain Syndrome. Typically, a person describes this as I threw my back out. If left untreated it will heal but with scar tissue. This makes the back muscles weaker and tends to return after a period of time. Eventually, it returns and won't go away and can lead to more serious problems like disc and joint disease. In the event that you should injure yourself while working in the yard, make sure to stop and lie down immediately, on your back with your feet up works best. This will take off any pressure on the nerves. While lying in this position, make sure to apply ice, which can be used for 20 minutes on and 40 minutes off. Repeat this process every hour as needed for 24-48 hours. After using the ice, follow-up with Biofreeze, an analgesic pain reliever. If you do not have an ice pack use a bag of frozen vegetables or put some ice in a baggie and wrap with a towel. Call your doctor of chiropractic and make arrangements to go to the office as soon as possible. Do NOT sit in a recliner of any kind, as this will aggravate the condition. Maintain a positive outlook. Under chiropractic care, back injury conditions usually respond favorably.
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