As we know, back pain is one of the most common occurrences in todays society, and can affect any one of any age. It can vary from a mild annoying discomfort to a severe debilitating pain that can even travel down to the hip and the leg!
Back Pain is the second most common area of pain experienced in Singaporean residents.
In our first article, we introduced the idea that there is intact, a long term, almost permanent ‘fix’ for back pain. Or any muscle or joint pain and injury.
Here’s the first thing we need to know about staying healthy and pain free for the rest of our life.
#1. Actually be healthy:
As we mentioned in the post ‘Any cure or back pain‘, there is no “cure” for back pain. We can get pain relief. We can feel better. We might even be pain free for weeks, months, or even years. However, Health is not something we ‘have’. It is a dynamic, reflection of our body’s ability to cope with our daily lives. If we over work our body, demand more than it can handle, it will breakdown. So to stay healthy, and to eliminate back pain (or any other body aches, pain, or illness like a headache, migraine, cold or flu) we need to work hard to keep our health. Make sure its strong – through our choices, habits, and lifestyle. Only then can we start to ‘cure’ our pains, illnesses and medical conditions in the long term.
Like the red light that lights up when the petrol in your car is low, our body also has inbuilt alarm systems to alert us that our health is getting low (compromised). These alarms serve to save us from the biggest trouble when our car completely runs our of petrol, or when our body runs out of health!
Building a connection between our brain and our body will help us heal.
Our body alarm may alert us subtly, like giving us muscle tension, or a mild headache.
It could tell us more obviously, causing more pain (rather than aches), causing gastric problems, or making us feel unwell, fatigued and unable to concentrate.
Or your body could scream at us for over working it and not taking care of it. That’s usually when we realise that their body is in trouble. When we finally feel like our health is not good. When the obvious symptoms arise – The severe back pain that makes it hard to stand straight, walk or sit for long. The sharp neck pain that hurts so bad we don’t want to move our head. The pain that becomes constant, when before it used to just come and go. The pain that doesn’t go away when you rest or lie down. The stress, lack of life enjoyment, consistent unhappiness, anger and impatience, the flu, cold, cough and sinus problems that don’t seem to go away, stomach upsets, insomnia, anxiety, heart attack, depression or other scary illnesses that surface. These are the final alarm bells.
The Solution: Be proactive. Here’s 5 things you can do right now!
1. Watch what you eat. Not too much sugar, (including carbohydrates in any form) and processed foods. (See how bad processed foods like ham and sausages are!) Eat whole foods – Foods that don’t need an ingredients list. Minimise coffee and alcohol intake – everything in moderation.
Whole foods and foods with the least number of ingredients are best.
2. Keep moving. Don’t be sedentary. Include bits of physical activity any time during the day by taking the stairs, or getting off one bus stop earlier, walking to the food court rather than taking motorised transport. Do some stretching. Be aware of how long you have been sitting at your desk for. Get some exercise into your weekly routine.
Including incidental physical activity in everyday life is good. Scheduling exercise in your busy schedule is even better.
3. Sleep and water are super important. We need a lot of it! And there are endless benefits to getting enough of both of these things, including looking younger, feeling energetic, having less tense muscles, having better skin, and losing weight!
50%-75% of your body is water. If you are dehydrated, 50%-75% of your body is suffering and not working properly. Drink more water!
4. Wear proper footwear. We commonly wear unsupportive, hard, and rigid shoes. And almost always walk on hard surfaces. Many people have bad feet – flat foot or high arched. Combine those 3 things with the more important loss of “functionality of the foot” and we get a recipe for pain in any part of our body. It could be heel pain (heel spurs and plantar fasciitis), knee pain, hip and back pain, scoliosis, neck and shoulder pain or more!
How your foot moves, adapts and responds when you stand and walk is critical. Most people’s feet have ‘decayed’. The muscles and nerves are not sensitive. They don’t shock absorb. They transmit too much force up the leg to the pelvis and back, causing more problems higher up. Get your foot scanned. Get a proper insole – a custom-made orthotic. If you wear slippers / thongs / flip flops, get a pair of equilibras. (The only casual slipper that is an Australian and American approved neurophysiological medical device with inbuilt triple arch support and great shock absorption)
Triple Arch Support, Mid-foot locking, Rear-foot control, two-direction shock absorption, anti-fatigue matting and more come as standard in the new equilibras Gen 2!
5. Get your body checked. Not just those medical check ups. (Although if you’ve not done one, its always good to do so.) Like a car, get your body serviced. Check the alignment. Check the engine, and all the different parts to make sure they are not grinding, or being over worked. Check if something is too tight, or too loose. Check if something is wearing out, and get it fixed so it prevents it from being worn out further. Check if anything is rusty. If anything is stuck. If anything is rubbing against something else. If anything is making noises it shouldn’t be making. Get checked by your chiropractor. If you send your car for service before it breaks down, it usually won’t break dow. It lasts longer, and generally has less problems. Same goes with your body. Get your whole body checked, and serviced. Catch small things before the become problematic. Find and fix those parts so they won’t break down. That will help get rid of back pain, neck pain, headaches AND boost your health.
Getting checked and understanding how to improve your body’s capacity is the only way to better health and wellbeing.
Chiropractic Works 