Back pain is an extremely difficult physical condition to deal with and we are certain you have been seeking solutions for yours. Back pain is one of the most common conditions affecting people with over 80% of Americans experiencing back pain over their lifetime.
The good news is, you are not alone, but that probably doesn’t make your back pain any better. A common misconception among people suffering from back pain is that they will need to get surgery for it to go away. The sheer anticipation of pain makes them not seek any help at all to correct it.
However, 95% of all back pain cases can be treated non-surgically and only 5% need surgical intervention. Before we look at the different non-surgical ways in which back pain can be treated, let’s first consider the reasons you may have back pain.
Reasons You May Develop Back Pain
Back pain can be a result of either medical or non-medical conditions and can make it extremely difficult for a patient to find relief. Outside of medical conditions like Sciatica, Osteoarthritis, or disk degeneration, below are some of the reasons you may have back pain.
1. Poor Posture
Poor posture is a leading cause of back pain in people. Additionally, studies have proven that lack of posture awareness is a major reason for people not realizing the extent of impact posture has on the spine and muscles.
2. Uncomfortable Office Chairs
The past few decades have seen a drastic increase in desk jobs with about 86% of Americans reportedly sitting for several hours in their office chair during work hours. Aside from making people sedentary, which is not healthy, desk jobs also do not have an ergonomic setup for avoiding back pain at work most of the time.
As a result, people with desk jobs are highly likely to develop back pain.
3. Smoking
Smoking prevents oxygen from getting properly absorbed by blood. Thereby, reducing the supply of oxygen and nutrients to tissues. Without enough oxygen to help with cell recovery and growth, body muscles start to weaken and result in back pain.
4. Choice of Mattress
This is probably one of the most obvious yet overlooked reasons for back pain. Mattresses directly support our backs when we lay down to sleep or rest, making them extremely important for our physical well-being and spinal health. Using the wrong mattress can negatively affect your posture while laying down, causing back pain.
5. Lifestyle
Our sedentary professional life has seeped into our personal life as well, making us less physically active. Additionally, the shift towards newer sources of entertainment, like TV, video games, and smartphone, have further promoted our sedentary habits, further increasing health risks.
Our muscles require routine activity to become stronger, and the shift towards the opposite can lead them to weaken drastically. Lack of outdoor activity also reduces our intake of fresh air, which causes further deterioration.
The combination of these reasons leads to health problems like obesity that puts pressure on the spine and other parts of the body, resulting in chronic pain.
Non-Surgical Ways to Treat Back Pain
Treating back pain at the right time is incredibly important to avoid the problem from escalating to chronic pain. Now that we know the main reasons for people experiencing back pain, we are in a position to discuss the non-surgical ways in which we can alleviate it.
Following are some of the most popular ways through which you can solve your back problems without getting an incision in your body:
1. Lifestyle Changes
Since our sedentary lifestyle poses a huge health risk, making changes to our lifestyle is the best way to relieve our suffering. As mentioned above, several elements in our lifestyle make us inactive. To make the right changes, we will have to find a solution for each of them.
1. Desk Jobs
The best way to get around the limitation of our desk jobs is to get a standing desk. A relatively recent concept, standing desks allow us to work standing up so we can become more inactive and burn more calories. Some of the best options in the market like the Comhar All-in-One Standing Desk is technologically advanced and has an ergonomic design making them the perfect fit for this purpose.
2. Entertainment
The only way to adopt a healthier lifestyle is to start relying on more active mediums of entertainment. Instead of cozying up on the sofa to read a book, get a standing desk for home and read it standing up. You can also sign up for activities like swimming, aerobics, yoga, and marathons to help you enjoy yourself in a less sedentary manner.
Aside from these two major parts of professional and personal life, we can also develop a healthier lifestyle by organizing a schedule. Allocating dedicated time for activities can help you track how many active hours you are getting each week, making it more objective. You can even set goals for yourself to help you feel a sense of accomplishment from it.
2. Physiotherapy
If you have severe back pain, you can also undergo physiotherapy to help relieve it. Physiotherapy involves medically testing the patient for their problems and prescribing targeted activities to help their weakened muscles and tissues recover.
You can either choose to go for physiotherapy sessions to a hospital or clinic or get them arranged at home if it is difficult for you to take time out to go attend them elsewhere. Physiotherapy is always done under the supervision of a medical professional, so you will need to get an appointment for it.
3. Ergonomic Office Furniture
As previously discussed, desk jobs are a major reason for our persistent back pain. However, sometimes, the core reason isn’t the sedentary lifestyle. Despite there being extensive awareness, very few organizations have shifted to a more ergonomic setup for avoiding back pain at work.
If your problems are a result of the uncomfortable chair you have to sit in for hours at work, the best solution is to switch to an ergonomic chair. Ergonomic chairs are designed to maximize comfort and minimize stress on the spine.
Several people who chose to switch reported a noticeable reduction in lower back pain with the ergonomic chair, further proving their value. There are several options for ergonomic chairs in the market but a few stand out due to their exceptional performance. The Soutien Office Chair is one such option and is incredibly effective in alleviating back pain.
4. Dietary Changes
Lastly, dietary changes can also have a huge positive impact on your health. We have gotten accustomed to eating a lot of junk food that causes disproportional weight gain, putting pressure on our spinal cord and legs.
Furthermore, our diets are not always nutrient-rich, making it impossible for our bodies to receive the nutrition they need to stay healthy. Switching to a healthier diet and lifestyle can make a huge difference, and drastically reduce your back pain, providing some much-needed comfort.
Conclusion
To sum up, back pain is a commonly occurring condition most of us face in our lifetime but there are several non-invasive ways to reduce it. You can make lifestyle and dietary changes, get physiotherapy, or get an ergonomic setup for avoiding back pain at work.
If you are looking for ergonomically designed office furniture, check out the FlexiSpot website. FlexiSpot has multiple products that are designed to optimize health and comfort, and are highly recommended.
