Weight Loss For Lower Back Pain Relief
June 4, 2009 by Mohamed
Filed under Living Large
Lower back pain affects many people for a variety of reasons – perhaps it was an injury at work or lifting incorrectly – whatever the reason, back pain can have long term consequences.
If you are overweight, you probably deal with lower back pain even more.� The reason for this is simple – your stomach (which is probably sticking out) is pulling against your back putting your spine into a curve.� Pregnent women go through the same thing, but once they’ve delivered it is that much easier on their back.
There are a few solutions available to help with back pain if you are overweight.
First off – how are you sleeping?� If you’re all over the bed then your back won’t get better anytime soon.� If you sleep on your back, you should put a couple of pillows beneath your knees this helps keep your back straight.� As well, ensure that you are not using too many pillows on your head – two might be too many if they are thick so try one – remember the idea is to keep your neck and back straight.
If you are�a side sleeper, then there should be a pillow between your legs – again this is to help keep your back straight.
Quick Sleeping Tips For Low Back Pain Relief
- Sleep so that your back is in a neutral position. The neutral position keeps the back in its natural three front-to-back curves that give the spine an “S” shape.
- Place a pillow under your knees when sleeping on your back. You may also want to try using a towel roll to support your lower back.
- Place a pillow between your knees when sleeping on your side.
Getting Up From Bed If You Have Lower Back Pain
- Roll onto your side and bend both knees.
- Drop your feet over the side of the bed as you push with both arms to sit up.
- Scoot to the edge of the bed and position your feet under your buttocks.
- Stand up, keeping your back in the neutral position.
Although it may seem like there is a lot to remember, once you’ve followed some simple steps for a few weeks it will become second nature and you will notice improvement with your back as well.
Next to consider is the type of bed you are using.� When you are looking for a bed to help control your lower back pain, spend the time to shop around not only for the best price but for comfort.� Most people will keep their beds between 5 and 10 years – that’s a long time to sleep on something you are not comfortable with and that aggravates any back issues you have.� Also be prepared to spend good money on a good bed – beds that I purchased have cost between $1,000 and $2,000 but they lasted 10 years and even when we got rid of them they were still in very good condition.
Here are some tips for you:
- Personal preference – try the beds out.� Most retailers will allow you to test drive mattresses either in the store or at home (based on their return policies).� Being a bigger guy, I prefer medium-firm mattress but your preference might be for a firm.� Try them out in the store, and if you find one you like – buy it and try it out at home.� Enquire with the store about their return policies and any restocking fees.
- Learn about mattresses – when I bought my first “real” mattress, the sales person told me more than I ever knew about mattress construction, such as coils and springs, padding, pillow top versus regular, materials and even construction type.� The more you know the better prepared you are to make an informed purchase.
- Does the mattress provide back support?�
- Try and pick a bed that balances back support with comfort.
When do you buy a new bed?� You will know but the mattress sags visibly in the middle or is no longer comfortable, it is probably time to purchase a new one. Putting boards under a sagging mattress to keep it from sagging in the middle is only a short-term fix for the sagging; a new mattress is still needed.
When you go shopping for a new mattress – shop for value and quality, not price!� A $300.00 mattress is giving you a certain amount of quality versus a $1,000 mattress.� Remember most people spend almost a third of their life sleeping and the average person keeps their bet for betwen 5 and 10 years – $100 or $200 per year over 5-10 years is�a worthwhile investment and if you’ve taken care of your bed you might be able to resell it or give it to charity instead of the landfill.
Be aware of advertising gimmicks such as orthopedic or medically approved.� I’m not aware of any long-term studies that would pit one bed against another.� Ask questions!
IMPORTANT TIP – To help preserve the quality of a new mattress, it should be repositioned every six months to ensure that the mattress is evenly worn. This includes rotating 180 degrees and flipping the mattress lengthwise on a regular basis.
There are several key components to a good mattress:
- Mattress springs and coils
- Mattress padding
- Middle padding in the mattress
- Insulation mattress padding
- Mattress ticking and quilting
So we have looked at the beds, and how you sleep – what else do you do?�
There are several types of products that you can purchase in health stores, such as the Dr. Ho’s Muscle Therapy System – this is similar to what a physiotherapist uses when they stick those gel pads on your back and turn the vibration on.� I’ve not tried this, but have been tempted to buy it as I do suffer from lower back pain.
I purchased a support brace for my back, but it also helped to keep my stomach closer to my body instead of sticking out – this helped me keep my back straight.� I couldn’t find an exact image of the belt that I have (but will take a picture of it and post it later) but here is what it looks like (in fact – as I look at it closer, this is exactly what I am using).
Now this will sound goofy but as I wore this brace as because it did compress my stomach I also ate less.� Will that work for you?� Don’t know, but it did work for me.
These braces are not cheap – they start around $50.00 and work up to over $100.00 – mine was $80.00 about 6 years ago but is still in great condition.� The belt is made from spandex, so it is stretchy but has several strips of a semi-hard plastic that forces you to keep your back straight.� The advantage with this design is that if my back was feeling especially sore I would be able to put some ice on it and the belt would support it.
If you decide on this type of belt, make sure the size is correct — too small, and it won’t work — too big and there is no support.� Most stores will let you try it on on the outside of your clothes.
My belt has velcro that joined the two halves together in addition to two flaps that overlap to provide greater support and compression.
�In addition to all that we’ve talked about up to now, there are some even simpler things you can try:
- Lose weight!
- Exercise your lower back/back and in general to strengthen your muscles and your back muscles.
- http://www.bigbackpain.com/back_exercises.html�(no images)
- http://www.healthlinkbc.ca/kbase/as/tr5948/how.htm�(images open in smaller window)
- Aerobic exercise includes walking, swimming, running, and biking. Non�weight-bearing exercise, such as swimming, tends to be a better choice if you have back pain. Walking in water up to your waist or chest is also good aerobic exercise.
- Proper posture.
- http://www.bigbackpain.com/posture.html�(no images)
- http://www.wcb.ab.ca/pdfs/public/back_basics.pdf�(EXCELLENT – GOV’T AGENCY)
- Stand TALL – don’t slouch and put more stress on your back.
If you are an larger person, you may not find everything you need for daily living at most retailers as theywill not carry larger sizes – but you can check out LivingXL as they do carry products for larger people – such as exercise equipment, scales, heating pads, health monitors, and mobility aids.� They even sell an industrial back support belt.� In addition to healthy living products you will find chairs, furniture, outdoor living and fitness, clothing and shoes, bed and bath, home and kitchen and personal care items — all catered towards larger living.
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Do you have any tips you can share?� Feel free to comment on this post!
Resources:
- http://www.backactive.ca/Default.aspx?tabid=668�(EXCELLENT – GOV’T AGENCY)
- http://www.viewpoints.com/Mattresses/guides/Mattress-for-Back-Pain-Your-Guide-to-Buying-a-Mattress-for-Back-Pain
- http://www.spine-health.com/wellness/sleep/choosing-best-mattress-lower-back-pain
- http://www.ehow.com/how_2197908_belt-modsevere-low-back-pain.html
Here is to your health!
Mohamed
