5 Ways You Can Stop Back Pain from Ruining Your Summer Plans

After the past year and a half, you and your family are desperate to get out and have fun this summer! You make plans to travel, see family, and have plenty of adventures. However, as you go up to the attic to get your luggage, you feel a tweak in your back with a familiar pain. Could back pain keep you from enjoying the perfect summer? Not when you follow these tips!

Visit a Chiropractor Regularly

If you’re prone to back pain, it’s important to stay on track with regular adjustments, even if you aren’t currently experiencing discomfort. By regularly meeting with your chiropractor, your back can remain in healthy alignment; plus, you can learn exercises to stretch and strengthen your core, which helps to stabilize your back and reduce pain.

Use Ice and Heat

Immediately after a back injury, ice is the way to go to fight inflammation and heat can be comforting and draw healing blood and nutrients to the area. At home, you can alternate applying ice and heat to your back to provide temporary relief until you’re able to get to your chiropractor’s office.

Keep Moving

Although it can be tempting to sit and relax all summer long, especially if you have back pain, make sure you’re keeping up an active lifestyle. Movement, even in small tasks like making the bed or walking the dog, can give your back the flexibility and strength you need to prevent injuries in the first place. If you’ve already hurt your back, certainly don’t push yourself and rest a little bit, but don’t allow yourself to become sedentary.

Watch Your Posture

Whether you’re at your desk working or playing a game at home, make sure you’re maintaining proper posture. Repeatedly slumping over for hours at a time can lead to all kinds of back issues that you simply don’t need to deal with. Every hour or so, check your posture and make sure your work setting is ergonomically healthy. That way, you’re less likely to experience back pain in the first place! Posture also matters when lifting an object. Never bend at the waist; instead, always bend your knees and use your legs to bear the added weight.

Manage Your Weight

The more you weigh, the harder your body has to work to stabilize itself. If you’re like many others, your diet choices and exercise routine may have been thrown off by the pandemic, but summer is the perfect time to get back on track. Maintaining a healthy weight can ease the burden on the muscles in your back.

Your back doesn’t have to put a damper on your summer fun. By turning to an expert in back pain and following these tips, you can make up for lost time and have a summer to remember!

About the Author

Dr. Chad Wills has more than 20 years of clinical chiropractic experience He is also certified by the Spine Research Institute in whiplash injury biomechanics and brain traumatology as well as Chiropractic Biophysics. If you would like help dealing with back pain and keeping your summer plans, you can contact Wills Chiropractic to schedule an appointment by clicking here.