Welcome
Lifestyle Modification
Many patients find that modifications to their lifestyle can help them avoid surgery, recover more quickly from surgery, avoid reinjury or reduce chronic pain. Lifestyle modification choices may be a complete treatment strategy or be a component of a larger treatment or recovery plan.
Change of Employment
Patients in high-risk careers or industries or who are in physical jobs with repetitive or unusual strain to the back and spine may want to explore a change of employment. At the very least they should make sure they are taking adequate precautions for safety, practicing good body mechanics and taking adequate rest periods during work hours. For some jobs, a back brace or ergonomic adjustment may be warranted.
Change of Activity
If specific activities seem to bring the onset of back pain or seem to worsen it, consider reducing or eliminating that activity for a period of time. Discuss the activity with your doctor to explore how that activity may be causing or contributing to your back pain, and what might be done to temporarily relieve the condition, and how to strengthen your body so you can return to activity. Sedentary patients will probably benefit from an increase, rather than a decrease, in activity.
Weight Reduction
Weight can put an incredible strain on your back. Many people experiencing back pain find significant pain relief, as well as major health benefits, from weight loss and control.
Nutrition
Good nutrition is about more than losing or maintaining weight. Eating well, drinking a lot of water, and getting adequate calcium gives your body the elements it needs to build and maintain strong bones, cushion joints, absorb impacts and stresses, and flush toxins and waste from the body.
Exercise
Exercise has the triple benefit of helping your back heal, preventing recurrence of injury and pain and contributing to weight loss (if appropriate.) It's important to make exercise a regular part of your schedule and to choose the stretching, strengthening and low-impact aerobic exercise appropriate to your condition and your goals. See also Exercises for Your Back.
Stress Reduction
There are many theories about how stress can cause or contribute to back pain, but most everyone agrees that psychological and emotional factors can affect physical change in the body, resulting in back pain. This frequently becomes a stress-related cycle in which stress results in pain, which results in concern or fear, which limits function and activities, which leads to reduced physical condition, which in turn leads to the potential for more back pain.
The key is finding the stress reduction activities appropriate to you and your current physical condition. Activities that can help to reduce stress are varied, but might include down time away from work and family, exercise, counseling, meditation, relaxation therapy, or time for reading, music, or pursuing a favorite hobby. See also Tips for a Healthy Back.