New Year, New You: 7 Resolutions for a Healthier Back in the New Year

After savings and vacations, health improvements are high on the list of popular New Year’s resolutions. If back pain is plaguing you, perhaps the new you for the new year is to pursue a pain-free life. 

At Florida Pain Management Institute in Delray Beach and Boynton Beach, Florida, we can help with personalized pain management plans based on your condition and symptoms, and there’s much you can do to be proactive about your own back health. 

We’ve gathered seven lifestyle practices that can become easy-to-follow resolutions and turn into habits. Take a look and incorporate the tips that you can adopt most easily into your busy life.  

1. Hit the ground moving

Every day, you have a new opportunity to improve your physical health, and sometimes it’s as easy as committing to stretches, particularly your back, neck, hips, and legs, immediately after getting out of bed. It’s a time when you may feel aches, pains, and stiffness. 

You can help by activating the ligaments and muscles in problem areas. Stretches and movements stimulate blood flow and lubricate key joints before the day's demands. 

2. Pay attention to posture

If you think of posture as sitting or standing up straight, you’re not wrong. However, your body maintains posture every second of every day, both when active and when stationary, and every posture can be balanced or unbalanced. 

When you have back pain, maximizing balanced postures can be key. Consider adding a 30-minute timer to remind you to reset your body to a balanced state. While it’s a little thing, it’s an important one. 

3. Meet the activity baseline

For fundamental health, 30 minutes of moderate, low-impact activity, five days a week, is a generally accepted baseline. This could be swimming, walking, biking, or any activity you enjoy that’s easy on your joints and stimulates blood flow and a healthy heart rate. 

4. Throw movement at pain

It’s natural to rest when your back hurts. However, your body’s repair mechanisms depend on movement to heal efficiently. Of course, refrain from any activity that aggravates your pain, but staying mobile is key to reducing pain levels. 

5. Add a knee pillow

Whether you’re a back or side sleeper, adding a pillow under or between your knees can reduce strain on your lower back overnight. Though it may take some time to embrace the habit functionally, your first pain-reduced morning will convince you. 

6. Add hot and cold

When you have a new episode of back pain, apply an ice pack to reduce inflammation and relieve pain. When you’re sore and stiff, it’s time for the heating pad. 

7. Manage your body mass

Extra weight adds force to your spine, and the load isn’t a 1:1 ratio. In fact, for every pound of weight you add, you place an additional four pounds of compression force on your spine. 

The good news is that a moderate weight loss of, say, five pounds relieves about 20 pounds of force from your back. Forget making 20, 30, or 50-pound weight loss goals. Start small and stay effective. 

When home care isn’t enough, contact Florida Pain Management Institute by phone or online to schedule a back pain exam and assessment. Plan your visit today.