Nearly 72% of Americans use pain medication to deal with back pain symptoms. But with any recurring symptom, continued medication use begins to present risks in itself. What’s more, developing a dependency on pain medication is known to be a dangerous reliance that fails to solve the root problem.
Here are four ways that you can address back pain without reaching for pain medication:
- Stretch and warm up before exercise or physical activities, including day-to-day chores or activity.
- Find a mattress that isn’t too soft or too rigid; medium-firm mattresses tend to be the best option for spinal alignment. Pay attention to your sleeping habits and aim to decrease any curvature of your spine.
- Focus on your posture, and make it a priority at work and at home. Maintaining proper posture is one of the best ways to alleviate back pain and prevent future injury or pain. Consider investing in a back support like BackShield as a way to maintain posture at your desk or in your car.
- Strengthen your core to protect your back. One great way to prevent injury and pain is to keep your core at a baseline strength. This can be as simple as sitting upright on a medicine ball for 15-20 minutes per day.
Beyond these tips, remember that maintaining a general status of health is key for preventing long-term back injury and pain. A healthy diet and weight, physical activity, and avoiding smoking are all significant ways to protect your back for years to come.
At BackShield, we have a simple but aggressive mission: relieve pain for millions of people, the right way. This is why we’ve worked hard to develop solutions that are affordable, healthy, and proven to treat back pain.
Before you rely too heavily on pain medication, we hope you take a look at other options or learn more about BackShield as an alternative.
