At New Century Spine Centers in San Diego, the chiropractors perform nutrition and back stretching classes once a month for their patients. Back pain affects many people. Up to eighty percent of all adults will have at least a single episode of back pain during their life. 50% of those people will never find out the cause of their pain. The most common cause of back pain is a muscular strain or sprain. This is the culprit in around 85% of the cases. Many people will try a variety of home remedies for their back pain, some with very limited success. Others may go to the doctor, however, they will find that the doctors think that 80-90% of all episodes of back pain will clear up on their own, usually in six to twelve weeks time. Sometimes, however, back pain can lead to long term disability.
Each area of the back can have pain that is changed by different reasons and mechanics. For example, upper back pain can be caused by stress or strain. In older women, upper back pain can be related to osteoporosis. Upper back and shoulder pain can be also seen in women with large breasts, especially if they do not have properly fitting bras to support the weight, leaving the muscles in these areas to compensate. There are a number of reasons that people end up with back pain. Some of these include organic reasons like problems with the spine and the muscles that surround and support it as well as other problems including being overweight or having poor posture, a bad mattress or shoes that don't fit correctly.
Lower back pain is often caused by weight and by a sedentary lifestyle and is best affected by lifestyle change, including weight loss, a new mattress and better posture. Yoga is also beneficial in helping with back pain. Lower back pain may be caused by arthritis, kidney infection and disease, premenstrual syndrome and from sitting too many hours in a poorly designed or poorly fitting chair.
Back pain is not always related to age and everyone does not always get it. There are many athletes and active seniors who never have any back pain at all. They accomplish this by reaching and maintaining a healthy weight and by making sure that they keep the back area strong and supple with exercise and stretching, including but not limited to yoga and other sports. They also make sure that they are getting good nutrition so that the body has the building blocks that it needs to be strong and resilient no matter what age it is or what it is going through.
The role of nutrients in the body is also an important factor in preventing back pain. They all work together to provide the energy that the body needs to move around and to stay active. There are three macronutrients, fat, carbohydrates and proteins, which should be included in a healthy and well-balanced diet. All foods, no matter what they are, can be classified as one of these three. There are good choices and bad choices in all three categories. It is important to make sure that you are getting enough food to keep your body healthy and strong. You need to make sure that you are getting the right nutrition so that you are well and able to be active. It is important that you lose any excess weight, not only to protect your back from pain but to protect yourself from a number of diseases and conditions that can be directly related to being overweight. It starts with knowing how much food you should actually be eating every day and then knowing how to divide that amount amongst each of the nutrients. It is also important to know what a good choice is for each of the nutrients and what is not.
