Nine out of ten persons in the world are going to suffer from back pain sometime in their lives. It is the most widely prevalent discomfort causing phenomenon a person usually suffers from. It is also a common cause of lost manhours by both the organized and non organized industry. At a young age one is able to overcome it most of the time but in older ages it can be a serious problem.
Many years ago the famous American weekly Time had devoted an entire issue to back pain. One of the observations it reported was " that back pain can be triggered by any physical activity ". Little did I understand it, till one day in a library, during the simple act of bending down to pick up a book from the bottom rack I heard a click sound in my lower back. With difficulty I could straighten myself. For the next few days I was advised rest but the pain only gradually subsided. Another time I just felt like stretching myself sideways and again triggered a pain in my back. Agian I had to take a few days of rest.
Another time I changed from a stationery chair to a revolving chair and it also triggered back pain. The doctor advised me to either go back to the old chair or use a small pillow between my back and the back of the chair.The latter gave me comfort. But I developed a dull back pain most of the time. After some time my office purchased ergonomically designed chairs. These had a curving shaped back and it put a counter pressure on my back. After some days I found my back ache had gone. In my car also I started using a small pillow to support my back.
Through interactions with my doctor and other friends I came to know that most of the time the back pain is due to inflammation in the muscles surrounding the spinal chord cartilages, caused by bad sitting posture or sudden movement.The usual treatment is to apply pain relieving balms or apply hot/cold pads or get massaged or take bed rest. All these are fine but give temporary relief. From my personal experience I want to share a few simple measures which are successfully preventive in nature.
One should keep one's back as straight as possible while sitting.This avoids putting stress on the back and does not stretch the muscles and inflammation is also avoided. However most of the time most of us have a habit of sitting in a slouched manner. This causes stress and results in constant back pain.
In order to help keep the back straight the use of a small, say 8" by 8" pillow should be invariably done. This will go a long way in reducing posture related back pains. Looks simple but is very effective. Not only in office chairs but small pillows can also be used while driving vehicles.
If one can afford one should go for an ergonomically designed chair which are today available from leading office furniture suppliers. These chairs are scientifically designed and help in keeping the back straight without fatigue. Even if one has to spend more, it is worth it because it keeps the back pain away.
The above simple measures are proven and can be safely adopted without any side effects. Once they are regularly resorted to it will become a welcome habit. The benefit is a painless back which is what millions want and spend a fortune to get rid of it.
( However these are not going to help in pains that arise due to nerves getting pressed between cartilages of the spine.That will call for medical attention.)