Health Tips

Acute vs. chronic back pain. Acute is short term back pain and chronic is long term back pain. Acute back pain can last anywhere from a few days to a few weeks. Acute pain is often caused by an accident or if you fell. Most of the time acute pain doesn’t need intense treatment. It will go away after a few days. Chronic back pain usually lasts more than 3 months. Chronic back pain is a lot less common than acute back pain. Chronic back pain usually requires surgical treatment, but not always. 

Sleep is very important for your body and health. Many studies have shown that an insufficient amount of sleep can lead to back and neck problems. It’s recommended that you get 6-8 hours of sleep every night. It’s also important that you have a good mattress and pillow that supports your back and neck. The position you sleep in is also important. The best position to sleep in to support your back is on your side. 

It’s very easy to be on our laptops all the time due to how addicting they are and how often they’re used to do work. Using your laptop for long periods of time can lead to back pain. When you’re on your laptop for a while, your head starts to bend forward. This then puts pressure on the vertebrae at the top of your neck which causes headaches, neck pain, and back pain. If you have to use your laptop for a long period of time, try to keep it about 6 inches below your gaze and prop it onto something if your lap is too low. 

Your core muscles play an important factor in maintaining a healthy spine. They help to stabilize and support your spine. Some exercises you can do to strengthen your core muscles are yoga, pilates, and planks. Abdominal muscles help to prevent back pain by maintaining proper spine curvature and a neutral pelvic tilt. When your abdominal muscles contract, pressure is increased on your abdominal cavity which helps to lift weight and pressure off of your spine. 

Smoking is a terrible habit to have because it is very unhealthy for your body and spine. Smoking accelerates spondylosis, a condition that causes wear on cartilage and bones, which can then lead to inflammation and pain. Smoking can also lead to intervertebral disc disease which is when one or more of the discs that separate the bones of the spine degenerates. Smoking can be even worse for your spine if you do it after back surgery. Smoking affects your bones healing and the success rate of spinal surgery. If you’re having trouble quitting smoking, contact Spine Docs today.