How to Prevent Back Pain: Five Simple Tactics that Work

If back pain has you hobbling around the house and wobbling around the workplace, it's time to learn how to prevent those aches and pains. These five simple techniques can help:

1. Halt the All or Nothing Mentality. Feeling as if the weeds in the backyard have to be conquered all at once? If so, you just might find yourself sidelined the next weekend! I've done it myself: spent hours one weekend bending over, twisting and turning as I attempt to conquer every weed in the back yard. As a result, I wake up the next morning barely able to move, whimpering and whining the entire week as my back's aches and pains make me miserable.

Or maybe you decide to run the city's marathon one weekend - and you have only been walking around the block once in awhile. You might finish the race in triumph, only to spend the rest of the week in agony as your back aches and goes into spasms from sudden overuse. Start small: weed for 30 minutes, not 3 straight hours; go for daily walks, increasing your speed and including occasional jogs in your walks.

2. Avoid bending over and twisting or turning when you garden or do housework. Instead, squat, kneel on a "gardener's pad," or sit when you garden. When it comes to housework, move with the vacuum rather than bending over and twisting or turning. It's all too easy to strain your back or pull a muscle with incorrect movements.

3. Make several small trips rather than try to lift something too heavy in one move. You're so excited about the new garden stepping stones that you want to get them all into the back yard as soon as possible. So you grab an armload from the car and try to make it to the backyard. You try to set them down, bend over, twist...and ouch! That twang in your back results in major pain for a week or more! Break it up into small trips, and use proper lifting technique, getting close to the object, using your legs to lift it, and lifting up rather than twisting or bending.

4. Keep your back in good shape. Many hospitals and community recreation centers offer back care classes or seminars. They will help you learn simple exercises to do at home to keep your back limber. You may also want to consider yoga or "core" exercise classes at a local gym to keep your back strong.

5. "No pain, no gain" is a myth! Whether you're taking a yoga class, weeding in the back yard, or taking the dog for a walk, any type of pain is a sign to STOP. Your body is sending you a message; listen to your back, and avoid more intense pain that could linger.