Back pain has become an epidemic most of us have dealt with at least once in our lives3. It can plague anyone, especially office workers and manual laborers. But what’s the root cause of your aches and pains and what can you do to mitigate the symptoms?
Why Do I Have Back Pain? And What Can I Do?
It can be difficult to pinpoint what caused your back pain without some history. Maybe you fell, but your back wasn’t hurting until now. Or it’s possible you lifted something heavy without proper form and strained the muscles in your back. Another determining factor could be your posture5. Or it could be a combination of all these!
Think back to when your discomfort began and try to home in on what the culprit could be. For example, if you work in an office, chances are that you’re not shoveling piles of rocks, but rather sitting for a majority of the day2. Being hunched in front of a computer screen for 8 hours, 5 days a week is not good for your overall spinal health. That’s why it’s extremely important to practice proper posture when sitting and it’s worth investing in a lumbar support for your office chair. According to spine-health.com, most people naturally slouch forward when sitting for prolonged periods of time, which effects the natural curvature of our spine, thus leading to back pain4. But what about the blue-collared work force?
If you’re in a more laborious career path, then you’re more than likely suffering from back pain due to constant bending, squatting, lifting, etc. With so much movement that involves your spine, you’re much more prone to suffer from back pain. At laspine.com, they recommend 5 prevention methods to avoid this pain when engaging in manual labor6:
- Increase blood flow by stretching/warming up before work
- Avoid repetitive tasks that use the same muscle group (Mix up your tasks throughout the day to give muscle groups a break)
- Wear foot attire that provides proper support
- Consider purchasing a back brace that’s been recommended by your doctor
- Exercise in your free time
Following these 5 steps may be easier said than done but can prevent/reduce the risk of your back pain and set you on a better path to spinal health. Another method people often incorporate to alleviate their pain is heat therapy, more specifically, infrared heat therapy.
Infrared Heat Therapy for Back Pain
Infrared waves are enormously helpful when it comes to easing pain associated with muscles. Why? Because unlike other traditional heat therapy methods, infrared penetrates the skin and reaches the muscles, generating heat from within your body. Imagine applying direct heat to your aching or spasming back muscles. Sounds good, right?
There’s even scientific backing where George Gale from the Rothbart Pain Management Clinic and others tested infrared and how well it works treating chronic low back pain. In their study, “The IR [infrared] therapy group showed a progressive decline in pain levels of approximately 50%, which was greater toward the end of the seven-week study period.” It’s difficult to argue against infrared therapy with results like those. If you find yourself constantly under the agony of back pain and nothing you try seems to work, then you should consider asking your doctor about infrared heat therapy. It could be a viable option that you’re missing out on.
Where Can I Partake in Infrared Heat Therapy?
Wondering where you can take advantage of this amazing technology? At JNH Lifestyles, we offer personal infrared saunas that are easy to assemble and fit into any residence. You won’t have to suffer from your back pain while commuting to a gym or spa for treatment. Our mission is to provide our customers with a joyful, natural and healthy (JNH) lifestyle at an economical price tag, while making the whole purchasing process as convenient as possible. If you have any questions regarding the technology or our products, please feel free to send us a message through our website or call us at (866) 661-3240.
References
1Gale, George D., et al. (2006). “Infrared Therapy For Chronic Low Back Pain: A Randomized, Controlled Trial.” Ncbi.nlm.nih.gov, National Center for Biotechnology Information, 2006, https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2539004/.
2McIntosh, James. (2017). “What Is Causing This Pain In My Back?” Medicalnewstoday.com, Healthline Media, 23 February 2017,17 December 2003, https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/172943.php#causes.
3Thomson, Helen. (2019). “The Back Pain Epidemic: Why Popular Treatments Are Making It Worse.” Newscientist.com, New Scientist Ltd., 28 August 2019, https://www.newscientist.com/article/mg24332450-600-the-back-pain-epidemic-why-popular-treatments-are-making-it-worse/.
4Triano, John PhD. (2003). “Types Of Lumbar Support And Ergonomic Office Chairs.” Spine-health.com, Veritas Health, LLC., https://www.spine-health.com/wellness/ergonomics/types-lumbar-support-and-ergonomic-office-chairs.
5(2018). “Back Pain.” Mayoclinic.org, 4 August 2018, https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/back-pain/symptoms-causes/syc-20369906.
6“5 Ways To Prevent Back Pain When Doing Manual Labor.” Laspine.com, The Spine Institute, https://www.laspine.com/prevent-back-pain-manual-labor/.
