The 12 Bad Habits That are Killing Your Back

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5. You Live at Your Desk

Sitting puts as much as 40 percent more pressure on your spine than standing does. However, when you have a ton of work to do, the last thing you are thinking about is your posture. Although you know you should get up and do regular stretching, when you are up against a deadline, well, it just isn’t going to happen. Simply leaning back at a 135 degree angle can help to reduce the compression of the spine. So try leaning back slightly in your chair when you can, such as when someone stops by your office to chat or when you are on the phone.

Speaking of the phone, talking on it might be a good chance to stand up and pace. Your head should be straight forward when you look at your computer screen, not bent up or down. Your chair should support your lower back. Try to get up at least every 30 minutes and walk for a few minutes. If you don’t have a reason to get up, make one up!

6. Your Purse Weighs More Than Your Cat

Believe it or not, that huge designer handbag can cause more back damage than many sports injuries. Keeping that heavy bag on your shoulder causes your body to become off balance by raising the shoulder with the heavy bag, which will throw your spin out of whack. Be certain that you bag weighs no more than 10 pounds, maximum. Try to alternate shoulders as you walk or split your things into two bags.

7. You Don’t Know How to Chill

It’s true, chronic stress can be a direct link to back pain. When you feel as if you are constantly under the begun, your entire body tenses up, including your neck, shoulders, and back. Our bodies are designed to clench and then relax, but when we are constantly under stress, we never relax those muscles and they pull your back out of whack, causing pain.

Sometimes just realizing that you are under stress can cause you to relax. Listening to music has been shown in studies to both relieve stress and ease back pain. You should find ways to reduce your stress and learn to relax those muscles if you ever want to be free of back pain.

8. You Love Junk Food

Or fast food, or sugar or processed foods. Although research has shown again and again that healthy eating habits are good for the body (including your back) people choose again and again to eat crap. Researchers in Finland found that subjects how suffered from back pain were much more likely to have clogged arteries to the spine than those in the healthy control group. Blood circulation brings nutrients to the spine and removes waste tissue. If this does not happen, inflammation can occur and inflammation means pain. Wean yourself off of the junk foods and eat more anti-inflammatory foods and herbs.

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