Tips to minimize back pain.

1. PREVENTIVE CARE
FOR BACK PAIN
Adaku U. Nwachuku, DO
Physical Medicine and
Rehabilitation/Pain Management

2. Preventive Medicine
■ Goal is to protect, promote, and maintain health and well-
being and to prevent disease, disability, and death.
■ Back pain
– Focus on musculoskeletal

3. Tips to Minimize Back Pain
■ 1. Listen to your body, and don't push through pain
during any exercise or activity.

4. Tips to Minimize Back Pain
■ 2. Set up your work and home office ergonomically.
■ Ergonomics or Human factors engineering
– an applied science concerned with designing and
arranging things people use so that people and things
interact most efficiently and safely

5. ■ Use a small lumbar support at your waist level when sitting.
■ Feet flat on the floor with the knees at a 90 degree angle.
■ The middle of the computer monitor should be at eye level, and the
keyboard just above your lap.
■ Arms at 90 degrees or a little higher.

6. Tips to Minimize Back Pain
■ 3. Get up and move.
– Do not sit for more than one hour at a time.
– Take one minute each hour to stretch a different part of
your body.

7. Tips to Minimize Back Pain
■ 4. Use good body mechanics when lifting or moving
objects. Avoid bending over at the waist to pick things up;
use your legs — never your back.

9. Tips to Minimize Back Pain
■ 5. If you have to perform heavy manual labor, take
frequent breaks, and stretch throughout the day.

10. Tips to Minimize Back Pain
■ 5a. Don’t be a weekend warrior.Take the time to stretch
everyday in preparation for your favorite weekend
activities.

11. Tips to Minimize Back Pain
■ 5b. A tight neck and hamstrings also put unneeded
pressure on the back. Make sure to stretch all areas of
the body.

13. Tips to Minimize Back Pain
■ 6. Strong core muscles help support your back. Simple
balance exercises such as standing on one leg for one to
two minutes will work your abdominal muscles without
the need for sit-ups.

16. Tips to Minimize Back Pain
■ 7. If you are re-starting an exercise routine, start low
and slow. See how your body adapts before increasing
time or intensity.

18. Tips to Minimize Back Pain
■ Focus is on physical fitness and preparing your body for
activity.These are key to maintaining the structures of
the body. Structures become resilient and less injury
occurs.
■ Proper diet, water, rest, decreased stress
■ Consult me if any questions.