Getting Heavy, Cervical Arthritis, and How Not To Hurt Your Back

Weight gain will effect how your back feels. Gaining weight during the holidays will cause back pain next year. A whopping 60% of people surveyed said that it takes them 10 months to lose the weight they put on during the holidays. Losing the weight is too hard for some people. The New England Journal of Medicine published a study that shows most people take 10 months of dieting to lose the weight gain put on during Halloween, Thanksgiving, and Christmas.

As the spine struggles to carry the extra weight, it can become overworked. When you are carrying around extra pounds it increases the chance of back injury. If you do injure you back, it will make it much more difficult to lose that holiday weight, which is a bad cycle that feeds back into the chronic back pain. Research has shown that being overweight can cause osteoarthritis and spondylolisthesis.

You Need to Know This About Spondylosis

Spinal arthritis is also known as Spondylosis. Spondylosis is a common medical condition. Spondylosis is a degenerative condition of the spine and can hurt the cervical, thoracic, and lumbar regions of the back.

The type of spondylosis that affects the facet joints in the spine is called osteoarthritis. All types of spondylosis are degenerative disorders which means they worsen with age.

With relatively new technologies, spondylosis can be detected early with an MRI scan. The MRI will allow your doctor to measure the space between adjacent vertebrae to see if they are narrowing. If they are, you have spondylosis.

Cervical arthritis is another name for cervical spondylosis. Usually the only symptom of cervical spondylosis is neck pain. Some nerves in your back that lead to your arms or legs might be compressed due to cervical spondylosis. If you have spondylosis and you have pain in your arms or legs, it is probably due to these compressed nerves in your spine.

If your pain is severe from cervical spondylosis, the doctor will order bed rest with a traction on the neck. If you have cervical spondylosis, inflammation of your neck or upper back, and are in a great deal of pain, a cervical epidural block might be beneficial to relieve your pain.

If inflammation exists, anti-inflammatory drugs can be used for treatment. Gentle manipulation may provide further relief for patients.

Avoiding Back Pain

You can avoid getting an aching back by exercising and using proper body mechanics.

Exercise your back:

Exercise. Gentle exercises like aerobics will allow your back muscles to function better.

Swimming is also a great exercise that will soothe your aching back. Check with your doctor about which type of exercise works best for you.

Build muscle strength and flexibility. Work on strengthening your abs and back muscles. In physical therapy, these are known as core-strengthening exercises. Increasing flexibility in your upper legs and hips helps align your pelvic bone and will make your back feel better.

Maintain a healthy weight. Being overweight puts strain on your back muscles. If you're overweight, trimming down can prevent back pain.

Watch how you move your body:

Good posture is not just for sitting. When standing, maintain a neutral pelvic position. If you have to stand for long periods of time, alternate placing your feet on a low footstool to take some of the pressure off your lower back.

Use a good posture when sitting by having a chair with lower back support. You may need to place a rolled up towel in the small of your back to maintain your back's normal curve.

Use good posture when lifting. Your legs should do the work, not your back. Do not twist when you are lifting.

Sleep on a firm mattress and use a cervical neck pillow or foam pillow for support. Do not use a pillow that forces your neck upward at a steep angle.

Article Source: Main Articles

Edward Mullen is a back pain relief expert and is a writer on back pain treatments. When are you going to get tired enough of back pain to do something about it? Do something about your back pain right now, go to No More Chronic Back Pain ,which is the better way to get back pain relief.

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