The spine endures quite a bit on a daily basis. We do what we can to avoid injury when faced with certain circumstances. For instance, many people engage in physical exercise to tone and strengthen the muscles that support the spine and do so only after warming up. There are many ways throughout the day where you might over stress your spine. Here, we propose a few common ways in which back pain be caused or worsened.
Looking at Your Phone
We didn’t use to have phones to look at, but we still had a prevalence of neck pain problems. In the “old days,” this was caused by holding the phone receiver to the ear using the shoulder instead of a hand. Today, the way in which our phones cause neck pain is by causing us to look down frequently. When you use your cell phone to text or check the latest on Instagram, your head is most likely tilted forward along with your shoulders. This is a weak posture that is often kept these days due to our overwhelming love of technology. Anytime the head is out in front of the body, undue strain is placed on the cervical spine. There is a term for this now: text neck. Mitigate neck and head pain by assuming a different posture, one in which your head stays upright.
Holding a Purse
It isn’t necessary to throw out your collection of Michael Kors handbags to save your spine. The issue arises when a heavy purse is carried on the shoulder. When a person heaves a bag or any item solely over one shoulder, the center of balance is thrown off and more strain is exerted on one side of the spine. Spring cleaning isn’t just for the home; consider going through your purse and removing anything except the bare necessities.
Carrying a Wallet
We’ve got to have a way to hold items like money and credit cards, but we also need to be mindful of what we put in our pockets. Carrying a wallet in your back pocket may not be off-limits, but it should be something that is done with care. The thicker the wallet, the more your spine will shift when you sit down. A way to mitigate unnecessary strain is to remove your wallet from your back pocket before sitting for a long drive or meeting.
Schedule a Consultation
As much as possible, we turn to conservative treatments and lifestyle changes to reduce back pain. If these measures have not helped you, contact us at (212) 606-1004 to schedule a consultation in our NYC office.
