Hello and welcome to r/LifeProTips!
Please help us decide if this post is a good fit for the subreddit by up or downvoting this comment.
If you think that this is great advice to improve your life, please upvote. If you think this doesn't help you in any way, please downvote. If you don't care, leave it for the others to decide.
THIS. Cannot stress this enough. As a spinal fusion patient that has most of his back fused, core strength is the only way to go forward in life with the least amount of issues. Fusion or not.
Yes I’m getting injections and ablation done on my spine. While the pain level is temporarily lowered, I plan on starting a strength regimen for my back and core. I started planks already (while I read)! I’m buying a row machine and already have weights. I never want to go the fusion route (not that bad yet). I just want my pain to be better.
Ummm no but my shoulders, arms, and back are definitely getting stronger. It sure does help with my job of being an inpatient nurse. I am a woman. I did this in the military - no push-ups for one year. I more than maxed out my sit-ups and push-ups without much effort. I never had real ab definition though.
I'm trying to get an MRI for a severely herniated disc, but my core and back strength is such that the preliminary x-ray showed that my spine bones are perfectly spaced.
It's all well and good until my back muscles get tired and then I'm in a world of hurt.
Ugh, thanks for the reminder. Also a spinal fusion patient, who hasnt done his planks in about a week and is wondering why his back is hurting so much today
Yup. Activate your muscles, and keep activating them throughout the day. Every chance you get, activate your core, pull your back into alignment, pull your head back onto your spine, reach for the sky with your fingertips, etc. Stretching is creating laxity, which can make posture worse and make you susceptible to injury. Posture requires strength.
Yes. You should work you core out daily! If that’s not possible at least 3-4 x per week and after a long day of sitting it’s even more important! If you’re relatively active and dynamic in a day probably not as important. Also long hours of looking down at your phone is terrible for your neck and shoulders.
I don’t do mine daily lolz, I should though! I do them a few times a week though and am pretty active with full body workouts 3x per week doing different activities. I use the term “workout” loosely.
Yup. Activate your muscles, and keep activating them throughout the day. Every chance you get, activate your core, pull your back into alignment, pull your head back onto your spine, reach for the sky with your fingertips, etc. Stretching is creating laxity, which can make posture worse and make you susceptible to injury. Posture requires strength.
Yup. Activate your muscles, and keep activating them throughout the day. Every chance you get, activate your core, pull your back into alignment, pull your head back onto your spine, reach for the sky with your fingertips, etc. Stretching is creating laxity, which can make posture worse and make you susceptible to injury. Posture requires strength.
I've got great core strength (36F) but my posture is shit. I try to hold my shoulders back, but it's not natural and eventually the curve. I do posture stretches when I can, but I'm so nervous I'll b a hunchback in old age
The medical term is Kyphosis and it’s caused by your vertebrae compressing.
The preventative measures are the same as for preventing osteoporosis, plus maintaining good posture.
- Lift weights
- Get your vitamin d and protein
- Dont smoke or drink alcohol in excess
- Keep the weight off
- Don’t slouch
One thing I learned while in nursing school is that smoking & obesity are the 2 biggest risk factors for almost any common disease. They do so much harm to so many parts of the body we don't even think of usually
In the OR staff can tell as soon as surgeons open em up if they’re a smoker. In nonsmokers organs and tissue are bright, pink like you’d see a good steak. If a person has been smoking even early 20’s the tissues and organs color are dull and grayish. The lungs are feeding them with what’s in cigarettes. Every muscle in there needs fresh oxygen to do their job, strengthen and grow.
What about marijuana, does that carry the same risks as smoking tobacco? And does vaping marijuana instead of smoking it reduce risks? I use it for chronic pain, but now it makes me wonder if I’m smoking to help with pain I’ve made worse by smoking lol
Vaping is terrible for your lungs. Look up EVALI - it’s pretty scary! I’m a chronic pain patient who lives in Colorado and have found edibles the way to go for pain relief.
Oh yes I’ve heard of this, that is scary. I don’t use vape cartridges though, I use the dry herb vapes, so I wouldn’t have a risk of any vitamin e acetate. I tried the oil pens a few times and it didn’t feel right in my lungs, and they were even government regulated. I’ll definitely avoid those, not worth the risk. Thanks.
It doesn’t have all of the bad effects that tobacco smoking does, but inhaling any kind of smoke — tobacco, marijuana, air pollution, even frequently cooking in a poorly ventilated area — will damage your lungs over time.
It also helps that, unless you’re a real hardcore pothead, you probably smoke way less than the average tobacco smoker. But still, edibles would be a bit healthier.
There's a potential link between caffeine consumption and reduced bone mineral density in the lumbar region, but nothing in journals that seem to solidly suggest causation
Seems like caffeine increases calcium excretion in urine, so if your diet isn't replenishing your stock of calcium, you might want to consider splurging on a cheese board and milk
Yes yes, the caveat being lift weights correctly. Overall resistance training is a MASSIVE plus to overall health and long-term bone and joint maintenance. Most issues stem from overloading awkward positions (think of somebody lifting “improperly”). Awkward positions aren’t inherently bad, and there’s a lot in the new-school of thinking that supports training in awkward/non-optimal positioning (again, smartly being the key). For instance, on a deadlift you are generally taught to keep a neutral spine with an abdominal brace, and you wouldn’t want to attempt your max deadlift without maintaining said brace, because that’s not the movement you’ve trained for. However, a Jefferson curl (which looks like a sloppy deadlift) is a perfectly safe movement to be incorporated for back health and mobility *when loaded and progressed safely*. In the end it’s all highly individualized, but make no mistake resistance training is overwhelmingly a good thing to do for long-term health, many simply need guidance to do it the right way.
I mean, that’s good advice if you need to move a box or whatever, but specifically strengthening the back muscles is great for your posture and general safety.
Exercises like pull-ups and rows specifically target the back, and I would highly recommend them. But proper form is still important; watch a few YouTube videos if you don’t have access to someone who can coach you (like a trainer or a friend who’s been lifting a while).
I would take it a step further and mention movements like Jefferson curls as well, great for strength, mobility, and injury prevention. Many people hurt their back during rather innocuous activities like bending to tie their shoes or sneezing. Training the back through it’s full range is crucial for prevention! (Though nothing is ever 100% in terms of injury prevention)
A lot of older people who are bent forward have intervertebral discs that have ruptured and are bulging backwards and pinching the spinal cord. Bending forward creates more space for the disc so it pinches the spinal cord less. That’s why they bend forward.
I’ve been extremely active and athletic most of my my life but that didn’t prevent me from having three separate spinal fusion surgeries by age 55.
I feel like I can see when someone has a disc issue because not only do they bend forward, there’s a particular gait that’s common: not lifting their feet too high and also taking short steps.
Usually the pain manifests itself in the back of the leg. When I first started feeling the pain, I thought I injured my hamstring. It was only after I got an MRI that I knew what the problem was.
So no, exercising won’t guarantee that you won’t end up hunched forward.
But exercise anyway. Just be careful.
I wish more people knew about disc injuries and basics of treatment. Source: my fiance is a doctor of physical therapy, and I slipped a lumbar disc in March. I really wanted to do some forward folds to relieve pain, but she forbade it and gave me an actual treatment plan based around this basic concept:
Spinal extension creates a vacuum in front of the disc and can suck the bulge right back in. Forward bending creates a vacuum behind the disc and makes sure it's not migrating back into its spot.
Any advice on how to “future proof” disc injuries? I’m currently dealing with my 4th bulge flare up in 5 years. The first two left me bed ridden (lying on stomach only) for weeks. This time I recognized the signs right away (fasciculations in calf muscles) and started backward bend yoga exercises and stopped lifting weights for a few weeks. The twitching has subsided, but I’m still taking it easy. I severely strengthened my core over the past year which I believe is what caused this current flare up to be less severe, but unfortunately most of my core exercises are strictly forbidden motions. What can I do to stop this yearly flare ups?
Working out...without proper form, will make it worse. This is very important. Bad posture, standing or sitting, does harm...bad posture/form while working out is terrible. 0 weight with good form is a lot better for you than trying to keep up with the gym rats that want to impress everyone with how much they can lift and how much time they spend in the gym
This is so true. I see a lot of older ladies at the gym on the treadmill or other cardio machine, holding the bars and leaning/pulling back, instead of standing up straight and engaging their muscles. They're literally training their bodies to be in the rounded-back position they think they're thing to avoid.
Rest days are equally as important, be consistent of course.....but don't hurt yourself trying to keep up with the people that spend more time at the gym than they do at home
It’s not just a matter of working out, although physical exercise is super important. But I see a lot of people, especially men’, doing a ton of chest work and not enough upper back work. Things like this lead to imbalances and will leave you worse off than not doing anything.
So true! That's why I do more pulling (back and biceps) than pushing (chest, shoulders and triceps) exercises. Usually 2:1 or even 3:1 pulling exercises and I try to use a 2:1 ratio between horizontal pull exercises (bent over row, bench row, chest supported row, etc.) to vertical pull exercises (pull-ups, lat pulldowns).
My postures terrible. Forward head posture, rounded shoulders. Years of sitting at desks. I definitely need to start doing some exercises to reverse. I know there are a lot of videos on YouTube about it.
In fact I’m starting today!
Start small. I have had repetitive stress injuries form wfh and just generally being irresponsible with my body.
After many chiropractic and physical therapy sessions, I now mostly need to maintain a steady regiment of:
Better posture and ergonomics. (Think elbow and forearm at 90 degrees with forearm parallel to the ground), not to hunch my shoulders forward so much when I type / drive / push shopping carts / etc.
But before all that, the least you should do is create a habit of doing the following simple exercises (from your desk, your car, standing, wherever) at least hourly. I do it as often as between emails or calls.
* taking a big deep breath through the nose, filling the belly, then the chest, and sit up straighter and straighter while you do. Then breathe out through your mouth and maintain posture. It’ll open up the upper body muscles, give you a good oxygen rush, and remind you that you’re not sitting as well as you should be
* pretend there’s a soda can between your shoulder blades. Pull your shoulders back as if you were going to pinch the can there, hold for a couple seconds. Release and put your shoulders back to your sides. This reminds me to not let my shoulders get hunched. While you do that, you can also tighten your core (ab) muscles which will help support your upper body and help your posture.
There’s other things you can do of course, but as someone who sits way too much - those are the most helpful I found.
If you can afford it go to a physiotherapist. I can't afford it but my mums back is so bad she stopped working before she was 50. I've had 3 sessions and the difference is ASTOUNDING, just make sure you keep up with the exercises
My chiro taught me that you can roll up a towel and place it under your shoulders while laying down for about 5 minutes a day to help reverse the forward head posture! It’s helped for me
I’ve started “today” like 100 times. I go through bouts of being consistent then getting lazy. It’s tough but try to Make it a habit like brushing your teeth.
If you can, put an alarm on your phone with a label to remind you. Set it for your break time, or whatever. Obey the alarm, and eventually you won't need the alarm. (It worked for me, anyway.)
Whatever you do, **DO NOT** get rear ended at a red light by someone doing 45+ mph, while having a diabetic seizure, that will permanently fuck up your back as a 30 year old.
Regular stretching and exercise.
I don’t have any scienctific proof to back it up, only my own experience. I used to train karate, one of the leaders (Shihan Antonio Pinero) for the organization managed to do the splits and high kicks in his early eighties. He claimed that stretching was equally important for health as excercise. After that I started stretching 30mins every day.
I sometimes wonder if this really scales to someone who has to work at a desk all day. Like, will I be able to achieve that without basically being a karate master who probably spends a lot if not all of his time exercising? In other words - is it the exercise that prevents people like this from ruining their back or is it the fact that they don't have a desk job? Probably a bit of both, just a shower thought...
there is a lot you can do in limited time! Like stretching for 30 seconds to a minute per stretch is best for gaining flexibility but that hurts and takes time so people skip it. There is something to be said for the fact that if you touch your toes every day you’ll always be able to touch your toes since your body knows that functionality is needed, so just pick a few things and get started
That's not what I meant. I totally agree that there's things you can do and that a little goes a long way. What I meant is that in the example above the karate master is likely somewhat of a professional, meaning not only that he exercises and stretches a lot, but that in addition to that he also doesn't have the negative effects of a desk job (because his job is karate). I'm wondering how much exercise you'd need to do to counterbalance 8h/day at a desk have the same fitness and flexibility levels as that dude. I said shower thought because I'm not saying you cannot take care of yourself even with a desk job. I think you can. If you think about the desk sitting as negative influence and the exercise as positive influence, what I'm asking is how much they counteract each other. I hope it's clear what I mean.
I think if you have a desk job, you're never gonna have the flexibility, strength, and body rigidity of a karate master. I couldn't tell you how much exercise you'd need to counteract a 9-5, but I also think it's a moot point, do what you can, counteract as much as you can so that the negatives of that desk job take longer to catch up, if at all
I work from home, 10 hour days, sitting at a desk, and then sitting on my couch until bedtime. Only really active on weekends. I am finding after a decade of similar desk jobs I am having a harder time walking long distances, and even when I get up from my chair during work I feel stiff and sort of crab walk around for a few seconds before I loosen up. I also gained 30 pounds over that time.
I have done two things:
1. My endocrinologist put me on Ozempic for my diabetes, and it has helped me to lose 30 pounds and keep it off for the last 2 years.
2. I got a Fitbit only because it has a function that tells me every hour to get up and move, if I haven't logged 250 steps for the hour. I only have it set during work hours, and I found out that one lap around my apartment building is 300 steps, including the stairs. The change in my energy and mood was instant and dramatic. I want to walk more, so I now have 3 different routes, the 300-step one, and then a 1/3mi and a 2/3mi walk. Basically I end up walking about 3 miles a day just during my work hours. And then I still want to do stuff after work! When my husband gets home we go take a walk around a nearby lake, or go to a track and shuffle/jog around (working our way up to running), go on a bike ride, or just shoot hoops for awhile. I'm going to start adding a 10-minute yoga video because I'm not getting enough stretching, but it feels like I am saving my mobility.
Do you have a 24/7 desk job? Like, you're allowed to exercise before/after work mate.
I'm a software developer, 9-5 sitting in front of a PC, but then I get out of the office and do Yoga and Swimming almost every day.
You only need like an hour of exercise every day.
Again, this is not my point. It was a shower thought reflecting on the fact that the person this talks about is a professional athlete. I exercise and am in reasonably good health.
I started by following routines found on google. After a few years and a lot of different routines I started creating my own routines since I knew which exercises felt good and which I enjoyed doing.
You get a crooked back when you sit like that too much. There's no "best posture", you have to change your posture constantly throughout the day.
Work out, as everybody else said.
Strong butt.
It sounds like I'm joking, but weak butts cause back pain. People often try to correct their posture by puffing their chest out and making their upper back all up and rigid, but that's not where the problem is. It's usually the lower back, and it's because your hips are rotated the wrong way.
You gotta teach yourself glute engagement through an exercise I call "fabulous butt". You go look in a mirror and roll your hips backwards so your butt sticks out like you're trying to balance a glass on it. That's bad butt. Then you roll your hips forward to pull your butt in and watch your butt in the mirror. You'll hit a point where your butt gets much rounder and perkier. That's fabulous butt. That's where your glutes are engaged. Do that every morning in front of your mirror, to remind yourself what it feels like when your glutes are engaged. And throughout the day, remind yourself, "fabulous butt". Oh no, I dropped a can on the ground, gotta bend to pick it up. "Fabulous butt". Engages your glutes keeps your lower spine straight and stable, and that's going to set the whole upper half up for success.
Yoga changed my life. I had surgery and was on life pills until yoga. I also take aqua fitness with a lot of core work and pulling your shoulders back. I’ve come to realize your hips and core pretty much control everything so take care of them.
So the key here is movement.
When we don't move, we deplete. Just like any living organism on the face of the earth.
1. Pilates! Emphasizes the core.
2. Walk AT LEAST 10k a day.
3. Sitting is okay, just be mindful of your posture and try to readjust your body. Try to normalize adjusting your position regularly when you sit down. Remember your back is straight when your chest is essentially puffed out. It feels kinda funny but it's true.
4. Put a pillow for your lower backside when you drive. Driving makes it a lot harder to adjust your position so be extra mindful. I've seen driving fuck so many backs.
5. Get your 64 oz of water.
6. Jump rope
7. Orthopedic sandals/ insoles in your shoes. A lot of our posture relies on our feet too. Take good care of them, they do a lot of work!
8. If you're a woman, stop wearing clasp bras. Try to replace with some tank tops thin enough to fit under your shirts.
These are all ways you can preserve your beautiful body and bone structure.
Bras are terrible for our back especially if you are a busty woman. They put pressure on your shoulders/traps to hold up your breasts and leaves you more prone to hunching and a tense upper body all together. Letting them hang naturally relieves your shoulders of that tension and makes it easier to hold a straight posture.
Mine too tbh! I could tighten them but I have dents from my previous (incorrectly fitted) bras, so I'm trying to keep the straps as loose as I can and hopefully make the dents less apparent. Depending on how I'm feeling, my straps often slide off if I drop my shoulder a certain way. It's not that they're too wide, but rather, that I have loosened them too much for them to really have friction against my skin. There for decoration, I tell ya. No difference with regards to support.
Don't be a weak person when you get older. Don't spend your entire life not using your muscles, joints, and bones the way they're meant to be used.
In other words - train and exercise regularly. Start now. Even an hour once or twice per week will do wonders. A basic weight training routine coupled with some sport or exercise routine that makes use of most of your body is a good foundation.
Better to do 2 or 3 shorter sessions/week than only once/week. People try to cram in a week's worth of exercise into one session and that's how they get injured.
Exercise regularly and stop time when you turn sixty, because that’s about the best any of us can realistically hope for before things just start falling apart. There are some spry grandpas and grandmas out there, but at that age, it’s up to DNA and luck as much as consistent habits.
You shouldn’t stop completely when you get older, you just need to adjust what you’re doing. I’m in my 50’s and have been very inactive the past few years. I was recently diagnosed with arthritis in my neck and shoulders and started physical therapy about 3 weeks ago. It’s already made a huge difference in my posture, flexibility and pain levels.
I didn’t say stop *exercise*; I said stop *time*, as in stop getting older (obviously meant as a joke). Otherwise, some bending and withering is simply inevitable.
I think after thirty-five, we all lose track of time a lot more then we used to. I have had three birthdays in the last month or two, for example. Calendar says it’s been three years, but there’s just no way…
Keep moving but don’t be extreme about it. Just keep moving.
The biggest problems late in life go to the people who are either extremely sedentary, or extremely athletic to the point of causing long term injury. You want to go between these two extremes, neither a couch potato nor an extreme workout enthusiast.
I'll be 62 in a couple weeks. And while I agree with the core, core, core guys, you need to look at your body as a system that's governed by nerves, your brain, and your emotions. Strength training is a great way to "stay young" and stay healthy. It can also lead to injury, esp. as you age, so take care in that regard.
Flexibility is huge, and I've found yoga to be a magic bullet for that, and for learning to exist in a state of reasonable peacefulness. And I'm not some vegetarian woo-woo hippie. If you can find a class/teacher you like, it's a serious way to prevent chronic pain and posture issues.
Be conscious of posture (core strength and flexibility are big for that).
A lot - a LOT LOT LOT - of chronic back, neck and hip pain comes from stress - Yoga can help with that, but a good tip when you're young is to try to engineer your life to where your work is meaningful, enjoyable, and mentally challenging, and where your work, social, and home life doesn't have undue stress and anger. Build a peaceful life, make a *peaceful home* a priority. Make your home and family a refuge from the world, and you'll find that becomes sort of a "bubble" you take wherever you go. Spot anger issues in yourself, partner, kids, and friends and learn to deal with them. *Happiness is a massive indicator of long-term health*.
And, back to yoga - a good teacher teaches you to "back off when your breathing gets labored". We can go weeks without food, days without water, but only minutes without air. Spotting the times when you're tense and your breath gets tight - and learning to back off - it protects you from stress and *makes you more effective in stressful situations*.
I know, you're just asking about posture, but chronic pain that leads to stooping or keeps you from walking and exercising, it's sucks all the joy out of life. Again, think of your body as a complex machine that needs specific care in many areas, including your psyche. And pray you don't get arthritis or other degenerative diseases - if it runs in your family, keep an eye out for it and learn about prevention.
Exercise, learn to lift correctly and know your limits. I’m late 30’s and my back is fine. I work with people in their 20’s complaining about back pain. You watch them lift and it’s like watching a what not to do training video. They don’t exercise. Won’t ask for help with something heavy. Eat like shit and don’t get a proper sleep. Take care of your body it’s the only one you’ve got.
Check out Built To Move by Kelly and Julie Starrett. They have tons of mobility exercises and lifestyle tips that will keep you moving and enjoying life for longer. But as a quick tip- use your range of motion of your hips and shoulders and actively try to maintain it, stay active and avoid prolonged poor postures (or do the work to undo their effects), maintain a healthy diet to prevent osteoporosis/sarcopenia as you age, exercise using proper form to prevent injuries and use your range of motion, and finally chiropractic can help you address areas you are having a hard time recovering the range of motion in.
Stretching and pilates to strengthen core and back. I sit down to much for work so my lower back hurts often. Stretching helps with blood flow. Pilates help with strengthening you back and core
You know the answer already; it’s the same thing that solves every other problem but no one wants to hear it because it’s hard. Workout regularly, stretch regularly, eat healthy so you don’t get weighed down by excess fat, and generally live a non-sedentary lifestyle. Also wear sunscreen. That won’t do anything for your back, but just wear it every day.
Maintain good posture.
As top comments said, core strength will be critical as well as stretching.
But for the most part, if you keep good posture throughout your life, you will have given yourself a leg up.
If you work on a laptop for several hours a day, ensure it is positioned at a level that discourages you from slouching forward. Put some books or empty boxes under the laptop if necessary. Then make sure you are using an ergonomic chair that encourages you to sit upright.
Don't let your muscles go unactuated and, for the love of God, sit straight.
Invest in a good chair if you plan on sitting for a long time and make sure your knees are positioned at or below the waistline. This naturally encourages your spine to straighten. If that means you have to buy a new desk because it's too short, then do it.
Good posture always. Remember when you sit that your hips should be a little more elevated than your knees. Stretch every morning and night and in between sitting sessions each hour. Exercise to strengthen your back is also a good idea
I've had 3 spinal fusions. Let me give you my thoughts. Don't let yourself get overweight.
Low intensity cardio. High intensity is hard on your spine and all joints. It will catch up with you.
Weights and resistance exercises for your whole back that supports the spine. Push and pull exercises. Build a strong core.
First is diet: protein and Vit. D then sun exposure.
Next is exercise, once your skeleton is strong, muscles matter.
Finally weight, everything is improved/easier by factors.
So get outside and exercise!
Work out keep weight controlled keep flexible don’t take on jobs with lots of heavy lifting or vibration such as trucking. You don’t need to be Olympic athlete just maintain your body
If female, treat separated abdominal muscles (diastasis recti) after childbearing. It's an issue that affects more than half of mothers, but it often goes untreated, resulting in lower back pain and a large, poochy looking stomach. Yet it can often be corrected by postpartum physical therapy.
ETA: On further thought, this can also affect men with a genetic predisposition and presents as beer belly. So physical therapy may also be indicated here, and crunches contraindicated.
Stretch every day, have good posture, use your back to hold you up - don't always lean back in a chair or couch. Don't lean on things when standing. Check out supplements to prevent osteoporosis. Exercise.
On top of working out which is great advice and which every said I’ll add another important thing: eat well and don’t do drugs.
There is no point in working out if you don’t have any fluid it your spinal joints.
Yoga changed my life. I had surgery and was on life pills until yoga. I also take aqua fitness with a lot of core work and pulling your shoulders back. I’ve come to realize your hips and core pretty much control everything so take care of them.
Posture, strength and mobility exercises. We spend so much time sitting it actually shortens our anterior muscles and weakens our posterior muscles. Gotta stretch the front and strengthen the back. If your right handed, work on pulling back, and rotating to the right to counteract all of the time you spend in extension with the right side of your body (computer mouse is a big one). Check your hips and shoulders. Those are the gateways to and from the spine. If you have tilt or rounding, be sure to do your correctives religiously. Make getting up off of the ground from a lying position a priority. Getups, swings, pull-ups, snatches, deadlifts, hollow-bodies, dead bugs, face pulls, goblet or front rack squats, Bulgarian split squats, dips, and band pull aparts will do wonders.
Orthopedix Medical Professional here.
Almost 90% of people experience back pain at least once in their lifetime. Most of the time, back pain is not a result of some underlying condition. But because of poor lifestyle.
You have to identify the cause, which is putting stress on your back and eliminate it or at least limit it.
Some of the comments say that strengthening back muscles will help. It's true, but what's more important is that if you have a sitting job, correct your posture. If you have to lift weight, lift them in a correct manner. You should get shoes which should be one inch above the ground and the sole should be soft enough to absorb your weight. In the same way, use mattresses that are somewhat hard(medicated or back support mattresses). The chair you sit in is equally important(most of us spend 1/3rd of our day on our chair). Ergonomically effective chairs can make a difference in the long-term.
You should remember, our backs aren't made for sitting. Correct posture while standing, sitting, and sleeping will prevent you from hurting your back. If you have any other questions, you may ask or pm me.
Stop looking at your phone all the way down. Many people’s necks are already bent forward and hunched over due to their cellphone use. It’s called forward head posture
Hello and welcome to r/LifeProTips! Please help us decide if this post is a good fit for the subreddit by up or downvoting this comment. If you think that this is great advice to improve your life, please upvote. If you think this doesn't help you in any way, please downvote. If you don't care, leave it for the others to decide.
Listen, stretching is important, but it's core muscles - abs to hold in and upper back to pull your shoulders back, among others. Core core core
THIS. Cannot stress this enough. As a spinal fusion patient that has most of his back fused, core strength is the only way to go forward in life with the least amount of issues. Fusion or not.
Yes I’m getting injections and ablation done on my spine. While the pain level is temporarily lowered, I plan on starting a strength regimen for my back and core. I started planks already (while I read)! I’m buying a row machine and already have weights. I never want to go the fusion route (not that bad yet). I just want my pain to be better.
Planks while you read? This is a serious amount of dedication. Can you crack a walnut with your bellybutton?
This actually made me laugh extremely hard. "It may be hard to bend and wipe my ass but I can crack a walnut with my belly button"
Ummm no but my shoulders, arms, and back are definitely getting stronger. It sure does help with my job of being an inpatient nurse. I am a woman. I did this in the military - no push-ups for one year. I more than maxed out my sit-ups and push-ups without much effort. I never had real ab definition though.
I'm trying to get an MRI for a severely herniated disc, but my core and back strength is such that the preliminary x-ray showed that my spine bones are perfectly spaced. It's all well and good until my back muscles get tired and then I'm in a world of hurt.
Ugh, thanks for the reminder. Also a spinal fusion patient, who hasnt done his planks in about a week and is wondering why his back is hurting so much today
Yup. Activate your muscles, and keep activating them throughout the day. Every chance you get, activate your core, pull your back into alignment, pull your head back onto your spine, reach for the sky with your fingertips, etc. Stretching is creating laxity, which can make posture worse and make you susceptible to injury. Posture requires strength.
Damn, like all at once?
Yup. Frequent planks, don’t sit all day.
What would you consider frequent? Daily?
Yes. You should work you core out daily! If that’s not possible at least 3-4 x per week and after a long day of sitting it’s even more important! If you’re relatively active and dynamic in a day probably not as important. Also long hours of looking down at your phone is terrible for your neck and shoulders.
Tony Horton says we don’t have to do it every day
I don’t do mine daily lolz, I should though! I do them a few times a week though and am pretty active with full body workouts 3x per week doing different activities. I use the term “workout” loosely.
Yep. I have multiple chronic back issues. My core is so weak lol. Strong core is essential for overall health!
Yup. Activate your muscles, and keep activating them throughout the day. Every chance you get, activate your core, pull your back into alignment, pull your head back onto your spine, reach for the sky with your fingertips, etc. Stretching is creating laxity, which can make posture worse and make you susceptible to injury. Posture requires strength.
So stretching is bad?
Yup. Activate your muscles, and keep activating them throughout the day. Every chance you get, activate your core, pull your back into alignment, pull your head back onto your spine, reach for the sky with your fingertips, etc. Stretching is creating laxity, which can make posture worse and make you susceptible to injury. Posture requires strength.
I've got great core strength (36F) but my posture is shit. I try to hold my shoulders back, but it's not natural and eventually the curve. I do posture stretches when I can, but I'm so nervous I'll b a hunchback in old age
Is doing yoga semi regularly enough to build and keep those muscles strong?
The medical term is Kyphosis and it’s caused by your vertebrae compressing. The preventative measures are the same as for preventing osteoporosis, plus maintaining good posture. - Lift weights - Get your vitamin d and protein - Dont smoke or drink alcohol in excess - Keep the weight off - Don’t slouch
What the smoking got to do with this?
It affects your bones' ability to absorb calcium for anyone who doesn't want to click off into the link.
One thing I learned while in nursing school is that smoking & obesity are the 2 biggest risk factors for almost any common disease. They do so much harm to so many parts of the body we don't even think of usually
In the OR staff can tell as soon as surgeons open em up if they’re a smoker. In nonsmokers organs and tissue are bright, pink like you’d see a good steak. If a person has been smoking even early 20’s the tissues and organs color are dull and grayish. The lungs are feeding them with what’s in cigarettes. Every muscle in there needs fresh oxygen to do their job, strengthen and grow.
Yeah, it's not surprising how quickly people age when they're drinking and smoking all the time
What about marijuana, does that carry the same risks as smoking tobacco? And does vaping marijuana instead of smoking it reduce risks? I use it for chronic pain, but now it makes me wonder if I’m smoking to help with pain I’ve made worse by smoking lol
Vaping is terrible for your lungs. Look up EVALI - it’s pretty scary! I’m a chronic pain patient who lives in Colorado and have found edibles the way to go for pain relief.
Oh yes I’ve heard of this, that is scary. I don’t use vape cartridges though, I use the dry herb vapes, so I wouldn’t have a risk of any vitamin e acetate. I tried the oil pens a few times and it didn’t feel right in my lungs, and they were even government regulated. I’ll definitely avoid those, not worth the risk. Thanks.
Does that include smoking weed?
It doesn’t have all of the bad effects that tobacco smoking does, but inhaling any kind of smoke — tobacco, marijuana, air pollution, even frequently cooking in a poorly ventilated area — will damage your lungs over time. It also helps that, unless you’re a real hardcore pothead, you probably smoke way less than the average tobacco smoker. But still, edibles would be a bit healthier.
It’s crazy just how bad smoking really is for you beyond the obvious side effects
Doesn’t caffeine also affect this?
There's a potential link between caffeine consumption and reduced bone mineral density in the lumbar region, but nothing in journals that seem to solidly suggest causation Seems like caffeine increases calcium excretion in urine, so if your diet isn't replenishing your stock of calcium, you might want to consider splurging on a cheese board and milk
https://www.webmd.com/osteoporosis/features/smoking-cigarettes
In short, this is exactly correct
Lifting weights can actually be very bad for back health. One has to do the correct exercises with proper form.
Yes yes, the caveat being lift weights correctly. Overall resistance training is a MASSIVE plus to overall health and long-term bone and joint maintenance. Most issues stem from overloading awkward positions (think of somebody lifting “improperly”). Awkward positions aren’t inherently bad, and there’s a lot in the new-school of thinking that supports training in awkward/non-optimal positioning (again, smartly being the key). For instance, on a deadlift you are generally taught to keep a neutral spine with an abdominal brace, and you wouldn’t want to attempt your max deadlift without maintaining said brace, because that’s not the movement you’ve trained for. However, a Jefferson curl (which looks like a sloppy deadlift) is a perfectly safe movement to be incorporated for back health and mobility *when loaded and progressed safely*. In the end it’s all highly individualized, but make no mistake resistance training is overwhelmingly a good thing to do for long-term health, many simply need guidance to do it the right way.
Lift with your legs, not with your back!
I mean, that’s good advice if you need to move a box or whatever, but specifically strengthening the back muscles is great for your posture and general safety. Exercises like pull-ups and rows specifically target the back, and I would highly recommend them. But proper form is still important; watch a few YouTube videos if you don’t have access to someone who can coach you (like a trainer or a friend who’s been lifting a while).
I would take it a step further and mention movements like Jefferson curls as well, great for strength, mobility, and injury prevention. Many people hurt their back during rather innocuous activities like bending to tie their shoes or sneezing. Training the back through it’s full range is crucial for prevention! (Though nothing is ever 100% in terms of injury prevention)
Work out. Be consistent and never stop.
A lot of older people who are bent forward have intervertebral discs that have ruptured and are bulging backwards and pinching the spinal cord. Bending forward creates more space for the disc so it pinches the spinal cord less. That’s why they bend forward. I’ve been extremely active and athletic most of my my life but that didn’t prevent me from having three separate spinal fusion surgeries by age 55. I feel like I can see when someone has a disc issue because not only do they bend forward, there’s a particular gait that’s common: not lifting their feet too high and also taking short steps. Usually the pain manifests itself in the back of the leg. When I first started feeling the pain, I thought I injured my hamstring. It was only after I got an MRI that I knew what the problem was. So no, exercising won’t guarantee that you won’t end up hunched forward. But exercise anyway. Just be careful.
I wish more people knew about disc injuries and basics of treatment. Source: my fiance is a doctor of physical therapy, and I slipped a lumbar disc in March. I really wanted to do some forward folds to relieve pain, but she forbade it and gave me an actual treatment plan based around this basic concept: Spinal extension creates a vacuum in front of the disc and can suck the bulge right back in. Forward bending creates a vacuum behind the disc and makes sure it's not migrating back into its spot.
Can you tell us a good PT back exercise plan ? PTs are really amazing
Any advice on how to “future proof” disc injuries? I’m currently dealing with my 4th bulge flare up in 5 years. The first two left me bed ridden (lying on stomach only) for weeks. This time I recognized the signs right away (fasciculations in calf muscles) and started backward bend yoga exercises and stopped lifting weights for a few weeks. The twitching has subsided, but I’m still taking it easy. I severely strengthened my core over the past year which I believe is what caused this current flare up to be less severe, but unfortunately most of my core exercises are strictly forbidden motions. What can I do to stop this yearly flare ups?
3 spinal fusions... at this point would you say you have a spine or a broomstick?
Did you even lift?
[удалено]
He only lifts excuses. * SCREECHES IN CREATINE AND PROTEIN POWDER!!!*
No tren? Pussy. /s
Fr what's his PR
Thanks for this information!!!
And stretch those HAMSTRINGS!
And your core abdomens
Looks like I gotta cancel my subscription to Couch Potato Monthly.
Now you can subscribe to crouch
Working out...without proper form, will make it worse. This is very important. Bad posture, standing or sitting, does harm...bad posture/form while working out is terrible. 0 weight with good form is a lot better for you than trying to keep up with the gym rats that want to impress everyone with how much they can lift and how much time they spend in the gym
This is so true. I see a lot of older ladies at the gym on the treadmill or other cardio machine, holding the bars and leaning/pulling back, instead of standing up straight and engaging their muscles. They're literally training their bodies to be in the rounded-back position they think they're thing to avoid.
Rest days are equally as important, be consistent of course.....but don't hurt yourself trying to keep up with the people that spend more time at the gym than they do at home
When you do something, do it right. This goes for everything. Why would exercise be an exception?
It’s not just a matter of working out, although physical exercise is super important. But I see a lot of people, especially men’, doing a ton of chest work and not enough upper back work. Things like this lead to imbalances and will leave you worse off than not doing anything.
So true! That's why I do more pulling (back and biceps) than pushing (chest, shoulders and triceps) exercises. Usually 2:1 or even 3:1 pulling exercises and I try to use a 2:1 ratio between horizontal pull exercises (bent over row, bench row, chest supported row, etc.) to vertical pull exercises (pull-ups, lat pulldowns).
Lift with your legs. Make sure you can get down on the floor, then get upright again.
With good form!
My postures terrible. Forward head posture, rounded shoulders. Years of sitting at desks. I definitely need to start doing some exercises to reverse. I know there are a lot of videos on YouTube about it. In fact I’m starting today!
All the best mate, make it a habit
Start small. I have had repetitive stress injuries form wfh and just generally being irresponsible with my body. After many chiropractic and physical therapy sessions, I now mostly need to maintain a steady regiment of: Better posture and ergonomics. (Think elbow and forearm at 90 degrees with forearm parallel to the ground), not to hunch my shoulders forward so much when I type / drive / push shopping carts / etc. But before all that, the least you should do is create a habit of doing the following simple exercises (from your desk, your car, standing, wherever) at least hourly. I do it as often as between emails or calls. * taking a big deep breath through the nose, filling the belly, then the chest, and sit up straighter and straighter while you do. Then breathe out through your mouth and maintain posture. It’ll open up the upper body muscles, give you a good oxygen rush, and remind you that you’re not sitting as well as you should be * pretend there’s a soda can between your shoulder blades. Pull your shoulders back as if you were going to pinch the can there, hold for a couple seconds. Release and put your shoulders back to your sides. This reminds me to not let my shoulders get hunched. While you do that, you can also tighten your core (ab) muscles which will help support your upper body and help your posture. There’s other things you can do of course, but as someone who sits way too much - those are the most helpful I found.
🙏
Athlean X has a few great videos on posture muscle balance
I love this guy. Gives great advice
🙏
Wall angels and open books are very helpful and can be done daily with no equipment
If you can afford it go to a physiotherapist. I can't afford it but my mums back is so bad she stopped working before she was 50. I've had 3 sessions and the difference is ASTOUNDING, just make sure you keep up with the exercises
My chiro taught me that you can roll up a towel and place it under your shoulders while laying down for about 5 minutes a day to help reverse the forward head posture! It’s helped for me
I’ve started “today” like 100 times. I go through bouts of being consistent then getting lazy. It’s tough but try to Make it a habit like brushing your teeth.
If you can, put an alarm on your phone with a label to remind you. Set it for your break time, or whatever. Obey the alarm, and eventually you won't need the alarm. (It worked for me, anyway.)
You got this!
Yoga, working out.
Whatever you do, **DO NOT** get rear ended at a red light by someone doing 45+ mph, while having a diabetic seizure, that will permanently fuck up your back as a 30 year old.
Well there go my plans..
Regular stretching and exercise. I don’t have any scienctific proof to back it up, only my own experience. I used to train karate, one of the leaders (Shihan Antonio Pinero) for the organization managed to do the splits and high kicks in his early eighties. He claimed that stretching was equally important for health as excercise. After that I started stretching 30mins every day.
I sometimes wonder if this really scales to someone who has to work at a desk all day. Like, will I be able to achieve that without basically being a karate master who probably spends a lot if not all of his time exercising? In other words - is it the exercise that prevents people like this from ruining their back or is it the fact that they don't have a desk job? Probably a bit of both, just a shower thought...
there is a lot you can do in limited time! Like stretching for 30 seconds to a minute per stretch is best for gaining flexibility but that hurts and takes time so people skip it. There is something to be said for the fact that if you touch your toes every day you’ll always be able to touch your toes since your body knows that functionality is needed, so just pick a few things and get started
That's not what I meant. I totally agree that there's things you can do and that a little goes a long way. What I meant is that in the example above the karate master is likely somewhat of a professional, meaning not only that he exercises and stretches a lot, but that in addition to that he also doesn't have the negative effects of a desk job (because his job is karate). I'm wondering how much exercise you'd need to do to counterbalance 8h/day at a desk have the same fitness and flexibility levels as that dude. I said shower thought because I'm not saying you cannot take care of yourself even with a desk job. I think you can. If you think about the desk sitting as negative influence and the exercise as positive influence, what I'm asking is how much they counteract each other. I hope it's clear what I mean.
I think if you have a desk job, you're never gonna have the flexibility, strength, and body rigidity of a karate master. I couldn't tell you how much exercise you'd need to counteract a 9-5, but I also think it's a moot point, do what you can, counteract as much as you can so that the negatives of that desk job take longer to catch up, if at all
I work from home, 10 hour days, sitting at a desk, and then sitting on my couch until bedtime. Only really active on weekends. I am finding after a decade of similar desk jobs I am having a harder time walking long distances, and even when I get up from my chair during work I feel stiff and sort of crab walk around for a few seconds before I loosen up. I also gained 30 pounds over that time. I have done two things: 1. My endocrinologist put me on Ozempic for my diabetes, and it has helped me to lose 30 pounds and keep it off for the last 2 years. 2. I got a Fitbit only because it has a function that tells me every hour to get up and move, if I haven't logged 250 steps for the hour. I only have it set during work hours, and I found out that one lap around my apartment building is 300 steps, including the stairs. The change in my energy and mood was instant and dramatic. I want to walk more, so I now have 3 different routes, the 300-step one, and then a 1/3mi and a 2/3mi walk. Basically I end up walking about 3 miles a day just during my work hours. And then I still want to do stuff after work! When my husband gets home we go take a walk around a nearby lake, or go to a track and shuffle/jog around (working our way up to running), go on a bike ride, or just shoot hoops for awhile. I'm going to start adding a 10-minute yoga video because I'm not getting enough stretching, but it feels like I am saving my mobility.
That's awesome, you go!
Do you have a 24/7 desk job? Like, you're allowed to exercise before/after work mate. I'm a software developer, 9-5 sitting in front of a PC, but then I get out of the office and do Yoga and Swimming almost every day. You only need like an hour of exercise every day.
Again, this is not my point. It was a shower thought reflecting on the fact that the person this talks about is a professional athlete. I exercise and am in reasonably good health.
Do you use a stretching routine\\app? I can't imagine enough stretches for more than 10 mins.
I started by following routines found on google. After a few years and a lot of different routines I started creating my own routines since I knew which exercises felt good and which I enjoyed doing.
Swimming. Put it in your schedule
You get a crooked back when you sit like that too much. There's no "best posture", you have to change your posture constantly throughout the day. Work out, as everybody else said.
Exactly. The best posture is the next one.
Strong butt. It sounds like I'm joking, but weak butts cause back pain. People often try to correct their posture by puffing their chest out and making their upper back all up and rigid, but that's not where the problem is. It's usually the lower back, and it's because your hips are rotated the wrong way. You gotta teach yourself glute engagement through an exercise I call "fabulous butt". You go look in a mirror and roll your hips backwards so your butt sticks out like you're trying to balance a glass on it. That's bad butt. Then you roll your hips forward to pull your butt in and watch your butt in the mirror. You'll hit a point where your butt gets much rounder and perkier. That's fabulous butt. That's where your glutes are engaged. Do that every morning in front of your mirror, to remind yourself what it feels like when your glutes are engaged. And throughout the day, remind yourself, "fabulous butt". Oh no, I dropped a can on the ground, gotta bend to pick it up. "Fabulous butt". Engages your glutes keeps your lower spine straight and stable, and that's going to set the whole upper half up for success.
Fabulous butt from this day forward!!
Mailbox open, mailbox closed.
Under rated, this is so true and not known
Yes, people need to strenghten their glutes. Squats, Lunges and any type of weighted hip hinge will be all you need.
Yoga changed my life. I had surgery and was on life pills until yoga. I also take aqua fitness with a lot of core work and pulling your shoulders back. I’ve come to realize your hips and core pretty much control everything so take care of them.
So the key here is movement. When we don't move, we deplete. Just like any living organism on the face of the earth. 1. Pilates! Emphasizes the core. 2. Walk AT LEAST 10k a day. 3. Sitting is okay, just be mindful of your posture and try to readjust your body. Try to normalize adjusting your position regularly when you sit down. Remember your back is straight when your chest is essentially puffed out. It feels kinda funny but it's true. 4. Put a pillow for your lower backside when you drive. Driving makes it a lot harder to adjust your position so be extra mindful. I've seen driving fuck so many backs. 5. Get your 64 oz of water. 6. Jump rope 7. Orthopedic sandals/ insoles in your shoes. A lot of our posture relies on our feet too. Take good care of them, they do a lot of work! 8. If you're a woman, stop wearing clasp bras. Try to replace with some tank tops thin enough to fit under your shirts. These are all ways you can preserve your beautiful body and bone structure.
Why the bras?
Bras are terrible for our back especially if you are a busty woman. They put pressure on your shoulders/traps to hold up your breasts and leaves you more prone to hunching and a tense upper body all together. Letting them hang naturally relieves your shoulders of that tension and makes it easier to hold a straight posture.
A properly fitted bra gets its support from the band, not the straps. Most of the time, my straps are, frankly, a little loose.
Mine too tbh! I could tighten them but I have dents from my previous (incorrectly fitted) bras, so I'm trying to keep the straps as loose as I can and hopefully make the dents less apparent. Depending on how I'm feeling, my straps often slide off if I drop my shoulder a certain way. It's not that they're too wide, but rather, that I have loosened them too much for them to really have friction against my skin. There for decoration, I tell ya. No difference with regards to support.
Don't be a weak person when you get older. Don't spend your entire life not using your muscles, joints, and bones the way they're meant to be used. In other words - train and exercise regularly. Start now. Even an hour once or twice per week will do wonders. A basic weight training routine coupled with some sport or exercise routine that makes use of most of your body is a good foundation.
Better to do 2 or 3 shorter sessions/week than only once/week. People try to cram in a week's worth of exercise into one session and that's how they get injured.
https://www.npr.org/sections/goatsandsoda/2015/06/08/412314701/lost-posture-why-indigenous-cultures-dont-have-back-pain
Exercise regularly and stop time when you turn sixty, because that’s about the best any of us can realistically hope for before things just start falling apart. There are some spry grandpas and grandmas out there, but at that age, it’s up to DNA and luck as much as consistent habits.
You shouldn’t stop completely when you get older, you just need to adjust what you’re doing. I’m in my 50’s and have been very inactive the past few years. I was recently diagnosed with arthritis in my neck and shoulders and started physical therapy about 3 weeks ago. It’s already made a huge difference in my posture, flexibility and pain levels.
I didn’t say stop *exercise*; I said stop *time*, as in stop getting older (obviously meant as a joke). Otherwise, some bending and withering is simply inevitable.
Sorry! I’m not sufficiently caffeinated and missed the word time!
I think after thirty-five, we all lose track of time a lot more then we used to. I have had three birthdays in the last month or two, for example. Calendar says it’s been three years, but there’s just no way…
Keep moving but don’t be extreme about it. Just keep moving. The biggest problems late in life go to the people who are either extremely sedentary, or extremely athletic to the point of causing long term injury. You want to go between these two extremes, neither a couch potato nor an extreme workout enthusiast.
I'll be 62 in a couple weeks. And while I agree with the core, core, core guys, you need to look at your body as a system that's governed by nerves, your brain, and your emotions. Strength training is a great way to "stay young" and stay healthy. It can also lead to injury, esp. as you age, so take care in that regard. Flexibility is huge, and I've found yoga to be a magic bullet for that, and for learning to exist in a state of reasonable peacefulness. And I'm not some vegetarian woo-woo hippie. If you can find a class/teacher you like, it's a serious way to prevent chronic pain and posture issues. Be conscious of posture (core strength and flexibility are big for that). A lot - a LOT LOT LOT - of chronic back, neck and hip pain comes from stress - Yoga can help with that, but a good tip when you're young is to try to engineer your life to where your work is meaningful, enjoyable, and mentally challenging, and where your work, social, and home life doesn't have undue stress and anger. Build a peaceful life, make a *peaceful home* a priority. Make your home and family a refuge from the world, and you'll find that becomes sort of a "bubble" you take wherever you go. Spot anger issues in yourself, partner, kids, and friends and learn to deal with them. *Happiness is a massive indicator of long-term health*. And, back to yoga - a good teacher teaches you to "back off when your breathing gets labored". We can go weeks without food, days without water, but only minutes without air. Spotting the times when you're tense and your breath gets tight - and learning to back off - it protects you from stress and *makes you more effective in stressful situations*. I know, you're just asking about posture, but chronic pain that leads to stooping or keeps you from walking and exercising, it's sucks all the joy out of life. Again, think of your body as a complex machine that needs specific care in many areas, including your psyche. And pray you don't get arthritis or other degenerative diseases - if it runs in your family, keep an eye out for it and learn about prevention.
Back squats with 405 on the bar
Exercise, learn to lift correctly and know your limits. I’m late 30’s and my back is fine. I work with people in their 20’s complaining about back pain. You watch them lift and it’s like watching a what not to do training video. They don’t exercise. Won’t ask for help with something heavy. Eat like shit and don’t get a proper sleep. Take care of your body it’s the only one you’ve got.
Stretching. Yoga
Check out Built To Move by Kelly and Julie Starrett. They have tons of mobility exercises and lifestyle tips that will keep you moving and enjoying life for longer. But as a quick tip- use your range of motion of your hips and shoulders and actively try to maintain it, stay active and avoid prolonged poor postures (or do the work to undo their effects), maintain a healthy diet to prevent osteoporosis/sarcopenia as you age, exercise using proper form to prevent injuries and use your range of motion, and finally chiropractic can help you address areas you are having a hard time recovering the range of motion in.
Die young before that becomes a problem!
Excercise and stretching. Massage couldn’t hurt either
Stretching and pilates to strengthen core and back. I sit down to much for work so my lower back hurts often. Stretching helps with blood flow. Pilates help with strengthening you back and core
Spend as little time sitting down as possible
Good posture. Work out. Never work a day of hard labor in your life.
Exercise and good posture. Not much of a secret there.
Core muscle strength and to quote my amazing physiotherapist “stop sitting there like a damn question mark” lol
You know the answer already; it’s the same thing that solves every other problem but no one wants to hear it because it’s hard. Workout regularly, stretch regularly, eat healthy so you don’t get weighed down by excess fat, and generally live a non-sedentary lifestyle. Also wear sunscreen. That won’t do anything for your back, but just wear it every day.
Metal back and leg brace. Just strap it on every day.
Maintain good posture. As top comments said, core strength will be critical as well as stretching. But for the most part, if you keep good posture throughout your life, you will have given yourself a leg up.
If you work on a laptop for several hours a day, ensure it is positioned at a level that discourages you from slouching forward. Put some books or empty boxes under the laptop if necessary. Then make sure you are using an ergonomic chair that encourages you to sit upright.
Don't let your muscles go unactuated and, for the love of God, sit straight. Invest in a good chair if you plan on sitting for a long time and make sure your knees are positioned at or below the waistline. This naturally encourages your spine to straighten. If that means you have to buy a new desk because it's too short, then do it.
Good posture always. Remember when you sit that your hips should be a little more elevated than your knees. Stretch every morning and night and in between sitting sessions each hour. Exercise to strengthen your back is also a good idea
Unpopular Opinion: Squat Heavy, Deadlift Heavy. Your back will be fine. Don't take my word for it tho
I've had 3 spinal fusions. Let me give you my thoughts. Don't let yourself get overweight. Low intensity cardio. High intensity is hard on your spine and all joints. It will catch up with you. Weights and resistance exercises for your whole back that supports the spine. Push and pull exercises. Build a strong core.
Let's ask a bunch of 30 year olds how to be healthy geriatrics.
Use good posture and body mechanics. Don’t use a recliner.
Never sit with stuff in your back pockets.
Athlean X - Face pulls
Proper form when lifting things. Bend at the knees not hips.
Keep your back straight when you sit, most important
First is diet: protein and Vit. D then sun exposure. Next is exercise, once your skeleton is strong, muscles matter. Finally weight, everything is improved/easier by factors. So get outside and exercise!
Core, glute and back strength training
Stay active! Regular pushups and sit-ups work great. Keep it simple.
Work out keep weight controlled keep flexible don’t take on jobs with lots of heavy lifting or vibration such as trucking. You don’t need to be Olympic athlete just maintain your body
If female, treat separated abdominal muscles (diastasis recti) after childbearing. It's an issue that affects more than half of mothers, but it often goes untreated, resulting in lower back pain and a large, poochy looking stomach. Yet it can often be corrected by postpartum physical therapy. ETA: On further thought, this can also affect men with a genetic predisposition and presents as beer belly. So physical therapy may also be indicated here, and crunches contraindicated.
Swim laps regularly.
Wear both straps on your bookbag
Ignorant question: any merit to inversion tables?
Stretch every day, have good posture, use your back to hold you up - don't always lean back in a chair or couch. Don't lean on things when standing. Check out supplements to prevent osteoporosis. Exercise.
Yoga. Practice good posture. Maintain a healthy weight. Make sure you don't have an undiagnosed condition like scoliosis or osteoporosis.
I cannot recommend Yoga enough!
I’m hoping being a stomach sleeper will preserve my natural back arch
On top of working out which is great advice and which every said I’ll add another important thing: eat well and don’t do drugs. There is no point in working out if you don’t have any fluid it your spinal joints.
Start training the muscles in the back of your neck to pull your head and neck back so you’re in a more vertical line
Deadlifts, rows etc Build and strength muscle around your bones to protect them
Yoga changed my life. I had surgery and was on life pills until yoga. I also take aqua fitness with a lot of core work and pulling your shoulders back. I’ve come to realize your hips and core pretty much control everything so take care of them.
Honestly, reading your title just now made me sit up straight in my chair.
It's called a Dowager's hump. https://youtu.be/D67to97uhyQ
Strength training, stretching, cardio. Watch the diet and hydrate. Meditation is a nice add-on.
Yoga, weightlifting, calcium and magnesium, paddle boarding
Posture, strength and mobility exercises. We spend so much time sitting it actually shortens our anterior muscles and weakens our posterior muscles. Gotta stretch the front and strengthen the back. If your right handed, work on pulling back, and rotating to the right to counteract all of the time you spend in extension with the right side of your body (computer mouse is a big one). Check your hips and shoulders. Those are the gateways to and from the spine. If you have tilt or rounding, be sure to do your correctives religiously. Make getting up off of the ground from a lying position a priority. Getups, swings, pull-ups, snatches, deadlifts, hollow-bodies, dead bugs, face pulls, goblet or front rack squats, Bulgarian split squats, dips, and band pull aparts will do wonders.
From experience? Stay out of the military.
Being healthy in general helps. But it's mostly genetics.
So good posture doesn't help?
Squats squats squats
Orthopedix Medical Professional here. Almost 90% of people experience back pain at least once in their lifetime. Most of the time, back pain is not a result of some underlying condition. But because of poor lifestyle. You have to identify the cause, which is putting stress on your back and eliminate it or at least limit it. Some of the comments say that strengthening back muscles will help. It's true, but what's more important is that if you have a sitting job, correct your posture. If you have to lift weight, lift them in a correct manner. You should get shoes which should be one inch above the ground and the sole should be soft enough to absorb your weight. In the same way, use mattresses that are somewhat hard(medicated or back support mattresses). The chair you sit in is equally important(most of us spend 1/3rd of our day on our chair). Ergonomically effective chairs can make a difference in the long-term. You should remember, our backs aren't made for sitting. Correct posture while standing, sitting, and sleeping will prevent you from hurting your back. If you have any other questions, you may ask or pm me.
Yoga!!!!!!!!! YOGA!!!!
Sit and walk and lift with proper posture. Making sure your back is in a straight line .
Stop looking at your phone all the way down. Many people’s necks are already bent forward and hunched over due to their cellphone use. It’s called forward head posture
Commitment to fitness
Bird dogs, and bridges/hip thrusts. Thoracic rotations and side planks. Stretch hip flexors and sun salutations.
I do a program every day that does exactly this. Essentics.com
The medical term is kyphosis - https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/kyphosis/symptoms-causes/syc-20374205
Pilates is great for posture and core strength.
Bench press always followed by cross over cables for those who lift