Preventing Back Pain – The Basics

In this article, I'm going to go over basic "common knowledge" info with some facts, causes and prevention. Finding back pain and sciatica relief can be a journey and the goal of this article is to make sure you have the basic information.

Almost every person has back pain at least once in their life at some point or another.  85% of the population suffers from repeated back pain attacks periodically.  30% suffer from constant back pain known as chronic back pain.

What's causing so many people to suffer?

Most of the time back pain is a result of the human factor meaning, we cause ourselves back pain.

The most prevalent reason for back pain that doesn't originate from anatomical damage (meaning a preexisting physical problem) is muscle spasm (muscle contraction) from incorrect movement patterns:

Let me illustrate for you how back pain can typically happen:

At the outset, what triggers back pain can be an event like an injury or it can be from other causes such sitting or standing with poor posture, inappropriate footwear and lack of body movement.  

The constant pressure on the muscle slows the flow of blood to the muscle tissue and capillaries that nourishes your muscles. In this state of reduced blood flow, the muscle receives fewer nutrients, less oxygen and less of the elimination of waste (toxins) from the cells in the muscle. 

This, in turn, contracts the muscle causing it to spasm and the situation usually goes downhill from here. Enter "chronic" back pain.  Check out the diagram below:

What you can do to prevent this from happening altogether?

Keep in mind these key points to maintain a healthy back and prevent back pain:

Remember to keep your back straight standing, sitting and walking.

• Make sure you're sitting with correct posture: Keep your back upright, lying against the back support of the chair. Make sure both feet together to the floor. Keep the back of your neck long pulling upward with your chin downward. Your chair should be positioned at knee level with the back support supporting the small of your back.
• Try to avoid prolonged sitting or any other condition where the body is motionless for long a relatively long period of time. If you're working in an office environment, it's always a good idea to get up and stretch for a few moments every half hour to promote circulation.
• Be aware of your body. Avoid making any sharp or sudden turns or movements. Many people report that right before an injury they felt uneasiness in the body. Listen to your body. When your body talks to you, you can be sure that it's more reliable than mind talk.
• Use leg muscles flex while bending is important to be respected movement while bending the knees and feet.
• Lift heavy objects correctly by bending your knees and keeping a straight back. While lifting, keep heavy object close to your body and refrain from lifting them above shoulder height.
• Stay active with physical activity you enjoy doing.
• Wear shoes with shock absorbers on long walk or during sports activities.
• Sleep on a hard mattress that supports the entire body, it's recommended to sleep on your back

What do I do if I'm already in "The Circle of Chronic Back Pain"?

The PorcuPad is especially designed to break the circuit. The points on the PorcuPad press up against the muscle tissue. This increases the blood circulation in the muscle allowing it oxygenate and eliminate toxins. It also sets off a release of endorphins which causes the whole body to experience deep relaxation.

Written by Ariel Appel