Educate Yourself with the Help of Central Ortho

Back Care…

The following provides some helpful preventative care guidelines and suggestions for maintaining a healthy back.

Sitting
Use a hard chair and put your back up against it. Try and keep one or both knees higher than your hips. A small stool might help. For short rest periods, a contour chair gives great support.

Standing
Try to stand with your lower back flat. When you work standing up, use a footrest to help relive swayback. Never lean forward without bending your knees. A note for the ladies: shoes with moderate heels strain the back less than worse with high heels. Avoid platform shoes.

Sleeping
Sleep on a firm mattress. Put a bedboard (3⁄4 plywood) under a soft mattress. Do not sleep on your stomach. If you sleep on your back, place a pillow under your knees. If you sleep on your side keep your legs bent at the knees and at the hips.

Driving
Get a hard seat for your car and sit close enough to the wheel while driving so that your legs are not fully extended when you use the pedals.

Lifting
Make sure you lift properly. Bend your knees and use your leg muscles to lift. Avoid sudden movements. Keep the weight close to your body and try not to lift anything heavy higher than your waist.

Working
Don't overwork yourself. If you can, change from one job to another before you feel fatigued. If you work at a desk all day, get up and move around whenever you get the chance.

Exercise
If you do have a mild backache, get regular exercise (walking, swimming, etc.) once your backache is gone. But start slowly to give your muscles a chance to warm up and loosen before attempting anything strenuous.

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