“The most successful way to prevent back pain is to be active,” advises Helga Freyer, a physiotherapist from Wittelsberg. “Bringing more movement into everyday life is not so difficult. You just have to do it.” As a strategy, the physiotherapist recommends checking the daily sitting marathon to see when movement is avoided out of comfort.
Back training under professional guidance
Those who have not been active for a long time, however, should start sporting activities with caution. “For many people, their own body awareness has been lost over the years. As a result, incorrect movement patterns have often crept in,” Freyer has observed. That’s why movement and muscle training should first be trained under professional guidance. Your back will thank you for it!
4 tips against back pain
- When doing sedentary work, make sure the chair you sit on is the right height. Your legs should be firmly on the floor and your knee joints should be at a right angle. A straight posture when sitting, walking and standing lowers the pressure load on the spine.
- The spine must also be well taken care of during sleep. A firm base with flexible mattress helps prevent back pain. In general, when lifting heavy loads, bend your knees and lift from the knees. Do not lift by bending the back!
- Regular back exercises, which are also offered by health insurance companies, train your muscles and relieve the spine. In addition, sports helps against tension and stress.
- With baths and ointments that have a warming, circulation-enhancing or analgesic effect, you can quickly loosen up tense back muscles. Light painkillers and anti-inflammatories can also be used in the short term. They also help to relieve cramps and tension.
Man is not made to sit
What was once the privilege of kings and princes of the church has become the common disease of our days: Sitting. Man was not made to sit. After all, according to his evolutionary history, he is actually a quadruped. One that has straightened up over the course of time and keeps its spine more or less in balance. And that’s not all. The less a person moves, the weaker the muscles of the torso, which should actually provide support for the back. Instead, it is also permanently tensed in the wrong way when sitting. “The most stupid invention in our Western culture is the chair,” says Dr. Günter Vogel, anthropologist and expert on sitting behavior. Nevertheless, statistically speaking, every Western European has no fewer than 50 places to sit – including park benches, office, church, theater and prison chairs. And they are used diligently. On average, a person spends 14 hours of the day sitting. According to doctors, sitting has now become a collective punishment of civilized mankind. The consequences: 80 percent of all Germans suffer from back pain at some point. None of this would have to be the case if people would get more exercise and learn how to sit properly. Because sitting is a science in itself, according to the latest findings. “Even in childhood, a lot is done wrong,” explained Prof. Eduard Schmitt, senior consultant in orthopedics at the Homburg/Saar University Hospital. “Only 17 percent of school children sit on suitable school furniture,” criticized Dr. Dieter Breithecker, head of the Federal Working Group for Posture and Movement Promotion in Wiesbaden. The development of a child’s spine is also disturbed by a lack of movement and too much sitting. “Instead of playing and romping in their free time, children often sit at the computer or in front of the TV for four to five hours in addition to their lessons,” says Prof. Schmitt. “This is fatal for the musculoskeletal system.”
Let children fidget
But there is help. For children, the motto is: children must be allowed to fidget, tilt their chairs and give in to their urge to move. Adults in sedentary jobs should get into the habit of “dynamic” or “moving sitting,” according to medical experts: This means constantly alternating between working while sitting, standing or even walking. Slouching, lounging and sitting on the edge of a chair are also permitted from time to time.The main thing: do not remain in the same sitting position for hours on end
Exercise against back pain
This is because the intervertebral disc, the shock absorber between the individual vertebrae of the spine, is a gelatinous cushion that can only be supplied with necessary nutrients by alternating pressure and relief. The muscles of the supporting and retaining apparatus are also used, loosened and nourished by sitting in motion. In addition, it is important to engage in active leisure activities that include endurance sports such as walking, jogging, tennis or swimming, as well as strength exercises in the gym, aerobics or gymnastics. To prevent back pain, there are now special exercise programs to strengthen the back muscles and stabilize the spine.
Back-friendly products
The seal of approval from Aktion Gesunder Rücken e.V. (campaign for a healthy back) offers useful help. It only recognizes everyday products that have proven their back-friendly design before an independent test committee of experts from medicine and science. It is also important to positively influence one’s own behavior. A back school – under professional guidance – is very helpful here.
