Daily Habits to Decrease Chronic Pain
This content was medically reviewed by Baher S. Yanni, MD, on January 6th, 2017.
We’ve talked about vacationing with chronic pain, but what about everyday life?
As it turns out, there are little habits you can use to make your overall days better. In today’s blog, we want to explore some of the good habits you can go after, especially if you suffer from back pain!
Eat well
Make sure you give your body the tools it needs to reduce the pain for you. For instance, red grapes contain resveratrol, which can slow down tissue deterioration. You can also eat blueberries and cranberries, which are rich in resveratrol. They can easily be combined with any meal. There are also other foods that help to bring inflammation down. You can find more about that in our blogs about foods that are good to eat when you have arthritis.
Travel lighter
Take a minute to evaluate what you carry around with you. If you have a purse, go through it and see if there is anything you could do without. If you’re traveling, keeping things light can be a formidable challenge. You can do a lot by making sure your bags are simply designed. Bags with lots of decorations will just weigh you down. It’s also important to keep the weight of your baggage distributed evenly across your body. Make sure the weight of whatever you’re carrying doesn’t exceed 10 to 15 percent of your total body weight.
Wear comfy shoes
Your footwear has a direct impact on your spine. If you have back pain, you can do yourself a big favor by carefully considering what shoes to wear. For instance, though flip flops look casual and comfortable, they are bad for your back. They stress your foot and fail to cushion the impacts of your steps on your back. The stress therefore travels up your legs and into your spine. If you wear
Sit up straight
It doesn’t matter if you’re sitting at your desk at work or you’re relaxing at home; your posture can trigger significant pain in your back. Studies have shown that back pain is worst for college students, who spend hours hunched over books, video games, and desks. If you find yourself in a situation in which you hunch a lot, stretch every few minutes to keep your muscles active. This can help prevent you from getting serious pain.
Speak up
It can be difficult to let people know that you’re having trouble or you need to move more slowly. The problem is, when you keep it all to yourself, you don’t give yourself a chance to find relief. Make sure your family and friends know what you’re experiencing and how they can help you out. Build a talent for asking for help, and turn to your doctor to give you strategies for coping well.
If you suffer from back pain, it’s time to make an appointment with the Spine INA. Our world-class specialists are dedicated to using the best the medical field has to offer to provide you relief. Learn more today!
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