Lower back pain is a villain that captures almost every one of us. Only a small bunch of people can escape from its clutches. The fact that this disease doesn’t have any symptoms that can be seen with the naked eye makes it more dangerous. Are you wondering why? Because when a disease doesn’t have any visible symptoms, people ignore it unless it affects their daily needs.
Yes, you do. You ignore and dismiss back pain unless it becomes physically impossible for you to ignore it. And guess what? It would be too late when you decide to pay attention to it. It will prevent you from meeting your daily needs. This situation often makes people feel helpless, which can make them depressed.
Looks like a lot, right? I get it. Back pain is not something that screams I need immediate attention. Moreover, it has become so common that almost everyone you meet, irrespective of age, will have it. These factors will make you think that a hot bath, one day of full bed rest etc., can fix your problem. But is that true?
What is back pain?
You will be aware of the important role your back, especially your spine, plays in helping us to move around. So, the system that helps us to do the function of movement in our back will be equally complicated. A human back is a complex structure of muscles, tendons, ligaments, discs and bones.
As it is a complex system constantly engaged because of our movements, many things can go wrong with it. Although it is common and all it does hinders you from efficiently meeting your daily needs, ignoring it can do you more harm than good. Especially because back pain by itself is not a disease but a symptom of the disease. Do you want to know the kinds of back pain that will require immediate medical care?
When should you pay attention to your back pains?
- When you experience sharp pain: An indicator of a torn muscle or ligament, it can also be an indicator of a problem with your internal organ.
- Radiating pain: Pain radiating to your glutes or legs can indicate a nerve compression condition.
- Sudden weakness in the legs: This can indicate compressed nerves in the spine caused by sciatica or spinal stenosis. It can also be an indicator of an impending stroke.
- Incontinence: Back pain combined with the inability to control your bowels or bladder. This can be caused by serious nerve compression or spine infections like discitis or meningitis.
- Numbness or pins and needles in the groin or glutes: Incontinence combined with leg weakness and numbness can be the symptom of Cauda Equina syndrome. This is a serious illness which causes spinal cord nerve damage.
Furthermore, severe back pains can be the symptom of several other medical conditions like Osteoporosis, Sacroiliitis, Ankylosing spondylitis, degenerative disc disease, adult degenerative scoliosis, kyphosis etc.
So, it will be stupid to avoid your back pain, especially when it begins to stop you from taking care of your daily needs. So, prevention is better than cure, right? In this case, you should take care of your bone health before preventing you from achieving your daily needs. If making certain minor changes to your daily routine will help you in the long run, won’t it be a win-win situation? At least you won’t be forced to depend on others to take care of your daily needs, right?
Why do your bones affect your daily needs?
Bones are important organs that enable us to care for our daily needs. If you realize it or not, poor bone health can affect your ability to meet your daily needs. This is because bones aren’t an organ that only helps you in movement. They play a major role in providing a structure to your body, protecting your organs, anchoring your muscles, storing Calcium, and supplying Calcium to the cells and organs of your body.
Are you wondering why bones get weakened? That is because your bones are undergoing continuous changes. Your bone undergoes remodelling every ten years. That means old pieces of bone tissue get absorbed into the blood and are replaced with new bone tissues. This will renew your bones and make them stronger.
This remodelling process can slow down with age due to some other underlying medical conditions or simply because of the deficiency of supplements. It is in such conditions you will develop things like back pain. If not supplemented properly, the remodelling process will be affected, making your bones weak and ultimately preventing you from taking care of your daily need. Now, what can you do to prevent this?
Adjustments that are to be made in your diet to attain good bone health
Increase your calcium intake
Meeting your daily needs for Calcium or increasing your calcium intake is one of the primary measures to take if you want healthy bones. Individuals should consume 1000 to 1200 milligrams of Calcium to meet their daily needs. Hence incorporating foods with calcium content is extremely important. Some good sources of Calcium are dairy products, almonds or nuts in general, broccoli, kale, canned salmon, sardines or sea foods, and soy products.
Increase your Vitamin D intake
Vitamin D is a vital element in the health of your bones. Meeting the daily needs of Calcium in your body may not be enough to maintain bone health. You should also make sure that your body can use it. Vitamin D is an important element that helps your body to absorb Calcium. An individual’s daily need for Vitamin D ranges from 600 to 800 IU. So how can you meet your daily needs for vitamin D?
Oily fish such as salmon, trout, whitefish, tuna etc., are good sources of vitamin D. You can also increase the number of mushrooms, eggs and fortified foods in your diet. Also, make it a point to get at least 5 to 10 minutes of sunlight to meet your daily needs for vitamin D.
Increase physical activity
Physical training, especially weight-bearing exercises like walking, jogging and climbing stairs, can help you to build strong bones and slow down your bone loss. So, make small changes in your daily life to meet your daily physical activity needs. For example, increase the intensity of walking or jogging, do some resistance training and climb stairs whenever you can. Simple right?
Increase the intake of foods rich in Vitamin C
Vitamin C is a highly beneficial antioxidant which helps your body in multiple ways and also helps to improve your bone health. Vitamin C helps in the formation of collagen. This constitutes the fibrous part of your bone and cartilage. So include oranges, strawberries, broccoli and bell peppers in your diet.
Have more Magnesium
Magnesium plays a very important role in the structural development of your bones. So, monitoring whether you have met your daily needs for Magnesium is important. Include food like bananas, legumes, pumpkin seeds and green leafy vegetables in your diet. Even foods like spinach, fenugreek and mustard are great sources of Magnesium.
Lifestyle changes that should be added to your daily needs
- Quit Smoking and avoid excessive alcohol consumption: Excessive alcohol consumption and smoking can lead to bone loss and decrease bone strength. Moderation or abstaining from these habits is beneficial for bone health.
- Sleep with a pillow under your knees: Sleeping with a pillow between your knees help individuals to alleviate pressure on the spine and promote better spinal alignment
- Wear comfortable footwear: Wearing comfortable footwear supports proper alignment, cushions impact, and reduces stress on bones and joints. It prevents foot problems, enhances stability, and encourages physical activity, contributing to overall bone health and reducing the risk of injuries and conditions associated with ill-fitting shoes.
- Correct your posture; avoid slouching: Correct posture improves bone health by reducing strain on bones and joints, promoting spinal alignment, even weight distribution, and proper muscle support. It enhances circulation, balances the body, and reduces the risk of bone-related issues, contributing to overall skeletal well-being.
- Stretch daily and find some time for yoga: Yoga can improve bone health through weight-bearing poses that stimulate bone growth and strength. It enhances flexibility, balance, and posture, reducing the risk of fractures. Yoga’s stress-reducing benefits also minimize bone-damaging cortisol levels, making it beneficial for overall skeletal well-being.
Yup, believe it or not, making sure to include these changes in your daily needs can make a significant difference in your bone health and your back pain. But making sure to meet all these daily requirements, especially making sure to obtain necessary nutrients through your diet, every day can become a task.
I agree that not all of us have time to plan our meals daily. Juggling home and office work by itself is too much for most of us. That’s why I wanted to introduce something that can help you tremendously in the long run.
Nutriplus BoneHealth
This wonderful product contains numerous vitamins and minerals required for your bones’ overall health. The Calcium included in this product is converted into a bioavailable form. This ensures the maximum absorption and utilization of the nutrient. Moreover, it also contains several beneficial components like Magnesium, zinc, Vitamin C and Vitamin D. They help our body maintain bone health and many other functions.
Finally, now you have an effortless remedy in your hand to chase away every kind of backpains. No, the decision is in your hands. Do you want back pain to always hold you back from fulfilling your daily needs, or do you want to enjoy your life? Say your farewell to backpains and choose Nutriplus BoneHealth, an easy remedy to a healthy and pain-free future.