Bye-Bye Back Pain!

Muscle Pain Expert Shares Tips for Treating and Preventing People's Most Common Aches

(CBS)  Four out of five Americans will suffer from disabling back pain during their lifetime, according to the National Institutes of Health.

In fact, says Dr. Norman Marcus, director of muscle pain research at the New York University School of Medicine, people seek medical advice for back pain most than for anything else.

Marcus, founder of the Norman Marcus Pain Institute, says the best way to eliminate back pain is to prevent it.

On "The Early Show," Marcus shared the tips below for on treating and preventing back pain:

1. Your bed does matter. Your muscles require movement to stay healthy and some tossing and turning at night is actually good for you. A sagging mattress that's lost its resilience inhibits the body's normal inclination to gently move around during sleep and should be replaced.

2. What you do in bed matters, too, says Dr. Marcus. He strongly advises against reading or watching television while lying down. He points out that when you lift your head to view the screen--or raise your arms to hold a book -- you generate contractions that can strain your muscles and can cause pain in your neck, head or shoulders. He says the correct way to watch TV or read in bed is to sit up, with your back supported by the headboard and your knees bent.

3. Don't just sit there. "Our muscles are meant to move," says Dr. Marcus. Sitting at a computer for hours, or staying in any position for too long, stresses the postural muscles in your body. Try to remember to change positions frequently, even if only briefly, so that your muscles have a chance to move and recover their strength and flexibility.

4. Cross your legs. In a theatre or during a meeting where you realize you've been sitting for a long period, and it may not be possible to stand or move around, just cross a leg. And a bit later cross the other. Simply crossing your legs moves many back and hip muscles, which can be major contributors to low back pain.

5. Around the house: Muscles work best when they are not totally contracted or totally lengthened. So, to avoid straining your muscles while performing household chores, minimize your bending and stretching movements. Keep your most frequently used household items on easily accessible shelves and when cleaning the bathtub or low shelves, kneel or squat, rather than bending over. Use an upright vacuum cleaner rather than a canister, and stand straight.

6. Watch where you put your wallet. Men who sit with their wallet in their back pocket risk severe low back and leg pain by putting undue pressure on nerves and back muscles. A wallet pressing into muscles can seriously irritate them, causing them to tighten up and resulting in chronic pain that can be excruciating, even incapacitating.

7. Just say no. If something appears to be too heavy for you to lift, it probably is. There's no shame in asking for help to avoid straining or seriously damaging muscles. Rather than lift anything that's too heavy for you to handle, says Dr. Marcus, "Ask for help, wait for help, hire help -- or walk away."

8. When you do have to lift a heavy object, bend with your knees and hips -- not your back. Bring the object close to your body and use your leg muscles (your most powerful muscles), not your back, to do the heavy lifting. And, whenever possible, push (don't pull) heavy objects, using those leg muscles for power.

9. Shoveling snow. Take a few moments to warm up before you start to shovel. Just walking around for a few minutes will do it. Snow is heavy (one shovelful of wet snow can weigh 25 pounds), so lift with your legs, not with your back, and limit each load by using a shovel with a
smaller blade.

10. For women only. After childbirth, it is important for a woman to lose the weight she's gained and to strengthen key postural muscles (those that keep us upright), particularly the abdominal muscles. Pregnancy stresses low back muscles and stretches and weakens the abdominal muscles, which may cause a sense of heaviness and fatigue in the back.

Shoes: High heels produce an unstable position and may cause a woman to tighten her back muscles. But flats, which may overstretch the calf muscles, are not the answer. A shoe with a low comfortable heel puts less strain on the calf, which makes it easier on the back.

11. Your back pain could originate in your head. There is a direct link between stress and tension and back, shoulder and neck pain, says. Dr. Marcus. "Tension produces predictable patterns of muscle contractions which, if sustained long enough, can produce pain. If anger or anxiety are weighing heavily on you, stress reduction activities and relaxation techniques may be your best medicine."

12. Of computers, keyboards and laptops. Many people place their keyboards on top of their desks, level with their computers, Not a good idea, says Dr. Marcus: "To avoid neck, shoulder and back muscle strain, your arms should be positioned so that you reach down to use the keyboard, which is the reason keyboard trays can be found under desktops. The problem is even greater with laptops, which, Dr. Marcus told the Wall Street Journal, "are inherently un-ergonomic -- unless you're two feet tall." He recommends a separate keyboard when hours are spent on a laptop.

However, if chronic back pain does occur, it should be taken seriously -- and treated appropriately, says Dr. Marcus. "With the failure rate for the nearly one million spinal surgeries performed in the U.S. each year as high as 50 percent, it is clear that there has to be better way."
Dr. Marcus says he believes that sharing his new approaches to the evaluation and treatment of muscles with his medical colleagues could lead to more effective treatments for the majority of back pain patients.

[EGWC]

It's not about IF you exercise or sit for long periods or exercise your abs. It's all about HOW you do so-- how is your spine aligned when you are sitting? Standing? Walking? Sleeping?

Based on decades of anthropological research & personal experience (including unsuccessful back surgery) Esther Gokhale found the cure to back pain-- good posture and 8 techniques that elongate the spine.

Her book "8 Steps to a Pain-Free Back" outlines how to sit, stand, walk, sleep, bend, and more-- to decompress your spine and maintain healthy, comfortable posture. Her techniques are simple and highly acclaimed by her cult following (just check out the reviews on Amazon!). She doesn't tout long exercises or expensive back products-- she will teach you how to perform everyday movements like your body was designed.

Her research includes studies of traditional cultures, babies, and our American culture pre-1920... all of which have excellent posture and 0% back problems.

Check out "8 Steps to a Pain-Free Back" or the website here: http://www.egwellness.com

[myfacehurts]

I really enjoyed this article, great tips. I also think that stretching everyday is also very significant in helping reduce back pain. I use a G2 Fit back stretch mat each morning before I go to work.

[rafiknasser1]

swiming is the best preventive exercise against back pain. I had 2 back surgeries and and was about to perform the third one. With swiming at least once a week i'm almost have a normal life

[smilinggreenmom]

Yes...I can see how laptops could be a big problem and I never even thought it! I have been having lower back pain since the births of our children and I know I need to do some exercises, strengthening, sit-ups, stretches etc...but it is hard for a busy mom! Ug. I have worried about my use of my laptop and the heights of my desk and chair and appreciate this closer look. Thankfully I have my heating pad and Topricin pain cream though to help my soreness otherwise I do not know what I would do bc I do not want to have to start routine Chiropractic visits.

[PostureMinder]

Some good advice in the article, particularly about the risks of laptops. As is rightly pointed out, laptops are inherently un-ergonomic and I'd echo the call to use an external keyboard and laptop stand for prolonged use. But however short or long you spend on your laptop or other computer, you should do your best to adopt a good posture, move around plenty and, most importantly, avoid sitting in bad postures for prolonged periods. You should also take regular breaks from any computer - don't sit there for hours hunched over your keyboard, then act surprised when your back or neck starts hurting.

Not sure about the comment that you should reach down to your keyboard though - all the evidence I've seen recommends that your forearms should be level and, ideally, supported by your chair's armrests. Reaching down will put strain on your shoulders, whilst reaching up to your keyboard makes it difficult to keep your wrists straight, which is key for avoiding RSI-type conditions.

Changing your posture and working habits is hard - not because there's anything difficult about good posture and healthy working habits, but because when you're concentrating on your computer, you're not consciously thinking about your posture. Little wonder most of us return to our bad old posture habits whenever we're not thinking about how we're sitting.

If you want help to improve your computer posture, either to prevent back pain developing in the first place, or to help you recover from existing back or neck pain, then please take the free 30 day trial of my award-winning PostureMinder software. I've spent the last 5 years developing and refining this tool to help computer users break out of their bad posture habits to treat and prevent back pain and other health problems. Please visit my website at www.postureminder.co.uk for full details and to download your free trial.

[troutfishyman]

Consistent exercise is the key, yet it is not even listed.