As you've grown older, has it seemed like your back pain has gotten worse?
As we age, back pain develops as a result of how you live your life.
So, if you lead a very healthy lifestyle, then you will most likely remain pain-free longer. That makes sense.
But as we age, our bodies can eventually go through a lot, and pain is sometimes unavoidable.
Living a healthy life and taking precautions now to protect your health in the future gives us the best chance to stay pain-free.
The decisions we make when we are younger can result in long-term benefits for your back, among many other things.
Our spines are exposed to years of wear and tear over the years, so it comes as no surprise that the bones and discs will start to degenerate at some point.
This is what causes the natural aches and pains you may experience in your back during your golden years.
This process may seem unavoidable, and back pain is inevitable, but there are quite a few precautions you can take in your early life to help deter and potentially prevent back pain in your later years.
In the article below, we will discuss the precautions you should take while you are younger to prevent back pain as you age.
Table of Contents
- Healthy Lifestyle Practices
- Maintain a Healthy Diet
- Exercise Regularly
- Practice Good Posture
- Contact The Arrowhead Clinic of McDonough
Healthy Lifestyle Practices
Living a healthy lifestyle is vital to living back pain-free.
Aging is the number one cause of back pain in later life, so it seems like there's nothing you can do.
Applying these three easy tips into your everyday life could prevent age-related back pain or even prevent it entirely!
Maintain a Healthy Diet
It is becoming more and more common for Americans to be overweight.
Many children and young adults are already developing back pain because of it.
Typically, degenerative changes and arthritis are symptoms that are only commonly seen in adults and the elderly.
But now, younger people are displaying these inflammatory processes because of being severely overweight.
However, being thin does not automatically equate to being healthy.
In addition to maintaining a healthy weight, it is essential to eat nutritious foods and a well-balanced diet.
Eating a balanced diet will ensure that you are receiving all of the vitamins and nutrients your body needs to keep it healthy.
Building healthy bones is not impossible if you eat the right foods.
The type of food you eat will strengthen your body and help prevent bones, like your spine, from degenerating with age.
Exercise Regularly
Regular exercise is just as beneficial for your body as your diet.
Exercising can reduce the stress that causes tension in your back and neck and keep your body loose and flexible and your muscles strong.
Although exercising is hugely beneficial for your back and body, overdoing it can be very harmful.
Attempting to do exercises that are too difficult or lifting weights that are too heavy can damage your muscles and cause soreness in your lower back.
You can also overtrain by working out too much, but this typically happens with professional athletes and weightlifters.
Just remember to treat your body like a temple, because it's all you've got.
Being reckless when you are young will make life harder when you're older.
Practice Good Posture
To keep your back healthy as you age, you absolutely need to practice proper posture.
If we aren't lying down, we are either sitting or standing, so posture is critical.
If we are practicing poor posture for the bulk of our lives, our muscles will quickly become accustomed to this and adjust accordingly.
So, for example, if you sit in a slouched position, your muscles will become shorter and shorter.
The tightness of your muscles will pull your body forward, which can lead to the remolding of your back, ultimately resulting in pain.
That's why you need to be mindful of your posture so that you can be sure you aren't sitting or standing in a way that is harming your body.
Contact The Arrowhead Clinic of McDonough
If you are already experiencing back pain, don't give up just yet, because back pain is treatable at any age and should not be ignored.
Chiropractic care is an amazing way to treat and prevent back pain, no matter how old you are.
If you live in McDonough, GA contact Dr. Robbyn Keating with Arrowhead Clinic today.
Dr. Keating offers free consultations to all of her first-time patients.
To set up a Free Consultation with Dr. Keating, Our McDonough Chiropractor, click the button below so she can help you improve or prevent back pain as you age!