It is no secret that most of us end up complaining about back problems as soon as we cross the 25-year mark, with 80% of Americans experiencing back pain at some point in their life. Over time, back pain and injuries just keep increasing, making our lives all the more difficult and unhappy.
We end up with back pain, whether chronic or temporary, due to several reasons, but disc injuries tend to be the most severe. Despite having some idea about what disc injuries are like, most of us don’t have a full understanding of them. We need to understand some basics about disc injuries to be able to avoid or treat them.
What Is a Disc Injury?
The first question that comes to mind is fairly predictable. What is a disc injury? A disc injury relates to damage or trauma to the cartilaginous joints between spinal vertebrae that act as shock absorbers and binders. There are a total of 24 discs located along the length of your spine, and injury to any of them can result in health problems.
Types of Disc Injuries
Disc injuries can be of several types, although the term has become largely associated with Slipped Disc or Herniated Disc, the most common disc injury. Below are some of the most well-known types of disc injuries:
1. Slipped Disc
2. Bulging Disc
3. Sciatica
4. Degenerative Disc Disease
Each type is different with some unique and some overlapping symptoms.
7 Things You Need to Know About Disc Injuries
Disc injuries can result due to strenuous physical activity, lack of physical activity, obesity, aging, etc. Health issues associated with physical inactivity at work have especially received a lot of traction due to the increase in cases recently.
In general, below are the seven important things you need to know about disc injuries:
1.You will feel pain in other parts of your body, not just your back.
Disc injuries can affect a range of body parts. The most common areas to be affected are your neck, buttocks, and thighs. More serious cases of the slipped disc have also been known to affect bowel movements.
2.Only resting won’t cure your disc injury.
There is a common misconception among people that disc injuries can be healed with the right amount of rest. This is entirely false because disc injuries need to be properly diagnosed and treated to heal. Just resting will not help and might make matters worse since simple walking is recommended for patients who have sustained it.
3.A slipped disc is not the same as a sprained back.
Sprained back is the result of injury or trauma to a muscle or tendon in the back. In contrast, disc injuries happen due to damage to the disc within the spinal cord. While some of the symptoms may appear to be similar, these are two completely different conditions with separate treatment plans.
4.Your age and weight affect your spinal health.
Like most other parts of our body, spinal discs also deteriorate with time, leading to degeneration and eventual injuries. Disc injuries are also common in people who struggle with obesity or are overweight.
Since one of the most prominent reasons for obesity nowadays is a sedentary lifestyle, most health professionals advise people to include physical activity in their routines. Staying physically active can help you stay fit and strengthen your body to keep it from sustaining injuries easily.
Staying fit also helps slow down degeneration due to aging, further preventing disc injuries.
5.There are various non-surgical treatments for treating disc injuries.
Disc injuries do not necessarily need surgery. Surgery becomes necessary only in the most severe cases, and even then, doctors try to find a non-surgical solution.
Most disc injuries are treated through physiotherapy, medicines, exercise, rest, and posture correction. If none of the other treatments work, doctors suggest spinal surgery to correct the damage and start the healing process.
6.Disc injuries are not always painful, but they need treatment.
Some patients with slipped disks do not feel pain as a result of their condition, but that does not mean they do not need treatment. If your tests reveal that you have a disc injury, consult with a specialist to plan out the next steps for treatment.
7.Your symptoms resolving naturally does not always mean your disc injury has healed.
In rare cases, patients suffering from disc injuries experience their pain naturally disappearing without any treatment. While this makes the condition more bearable, it does not mean that the injury has healed. You still need to consult a doctor and continue with treatments until your scans show that your spine has returned to normal.
How to Avoid Disc Injuries
You can introduce several routine changes in your life to prevent disk injuries, and below are some of the most effective.
1.Maintain Good Posture
Maintaining a good posture can drastically reduce your chances of sustaining a disc injury. Poor posture puts unnecessary strain on the spine and surrounding muscles, increasing the chance of trauma to the spinal disk.
Therefore, always try to maintain good posture within personal and professional environments.
2.Use Ergonomic Furniture
Poor working conditions are one of the major causes of back problems and disk injuries. Since we have to spend at least 8 hours at our desk jobs, it is best to buy ergonomic office furniture. Ergonomic furniture is designed specially to be comfortable, healthy, and extremely effective.
One of the best ergonomic pieces of furniture to help you prevent desk injuries is the Comhar All-in-One Standing Desk.
Recommendation – Comhar All-in-One Standing Desk
The Comhar All-in-One Standing Desk perfectly addresses the health issues associated with physical inactivity at work. It has an ergonomic design to balance posture and prevent you from having to bend at odd angles to manage your work.
Additionally, its ‘standing desk’ feature helps reduce the unhealthy effects of a sedentary lifestyle, especially at work, where you have to spend at least eight hours of your day.
Features
Below are some of the most prominent features that make the Comhar All-in-One Standing Desk the perfect addition to your workplace.
Ü Programmable Height Presets
The Comhar Standing Desk allows you to program 4 presets of your preferred height. This feature is incredibly convenient because it will help you save time adjusting the desk to the right height.
With the preset, you can simply click and have it at the level you want.
Ü Spacious Storage Drawer
The spacious drawer is a convenient add-on to the product because it is extremely helpful in keeping the work desk organized. You will have ample space to arrange your stationery in it to keep it off the top of the desk.
Ü USB Charging Ports
The Comhar All-in-One Standing Desk has USB ports that can be used to charge phones, smartwatches, and tablets. This feature is practical and convenient because it helps clear away the clutter of excessive wires that can be distracting and sometimes dangerous.
Ü Tabletop Options
One of the best aspects is that this standing desk comes with two tabletop options for you to choose between.
* Glass Top
* Wooden Top
Since people tend to be more comfortable with one or the other, you can choose the one that suits you and your aesthetic the most.
Ü Anti-Collision Function
A common problem people have faced with standing desks is making a mess. They place their coffees on the leg and forget to remove them before adjusting the height. The Comhar All-in-One Standing Desk will help you avoid this mishap with its intelligent sensors. The table uses the sensors to detect objects in the path and stops to prevent accidents from happening.
Once it stops, you can remove the object and press the button again to get it to continue adjusting to the height you want.
1.Avoid Overly Strenuous Activities if You Can
Another way to reduce your risk of sustaining a disc injury is to avoid strenuous physical activities when you can. If you do not belong to a profession like construction or loading, try to keep to more manageable weight lifting and exercise. This will help you avoid putting any unnecessary pressure on your spine.
2.Include Walking or Basic Exercise in Routine
Moving away from a sedentary lifestyle is the best way to remain physically fit. Therefore, make time for physical activities to strengthen your muscles and prevent weight gain. Additionally, try to also maintain a healthy diet so that your body receives all the nutrition it needs for growth and development.
Conclusion
To sum up, disc injuries can be a result of physical trauma, sedentary lifestyle, aging, or obesity. Knowing key facts about them will help you recognize your symptoms if you get injured and take necessary precautions to prevent them from happening.
If you are looking for ergonomic furniture, check out the FlexiSpot website. FlexiSpot is known for its ergonomic and technologically advanced designs that help people maintain a healthy lifestyle.
