Now that fall has nearly arrived, citizens across the country will be taking part in various activities that could spell trouble for the lower back. Strain and pain are common with such actions as raking and other forms of yard work, and you’ll want to protect yourself from harm when you set about getting your residence ready for the season. With that in mind, persons should consider the information on hand from the New Jersey-based Cape Regional Physical Therapy in a new report.
The reason back pain becomes so common in the fall is due to the nature of certain activities. If you have a garden in your backyard, this may be the time of the year that you’re stooping down repeatedly to pick the vegetables that have had the entire summer to grow. If you’re raking up leaves that have fallen, you’re repeatedly extending your back muscles and further risking injury each time you bend over to gather those leaves together in a bag. Even decorating your home for Halloween could put your back at risk if you’re repeatedly extending your back.
These risks become more dangerous over the course of time. That’s because a natural part of aging is that we basically sink into our bodies. A slouched posture may not do much to someone in their 20s, but it will start to catch up with that person as they reach middle age.
Every time you lift or stretch out, you’re putting your back at risk, and if these types of actions happen repeatedly, you leave yourself open to such serious conditions as spinal degeneration or disc disease. Even when such serious injuries don’t occur, you’re leaving yourself susceptible to a sprain or strain. After a long day of yard work, this can cause severe pain that takes days to get over.
There are steps you can take, even when conducting yard work, to protect your back from such damage. For one thing, you should be stretching prior to engaging in raking and other tasks. You might not think of yard work as a physical activity, but that’s exactly what it is.
As you’re working, try to minimize instances of bending and placing weight on your back. Repeated bending will catch up to you, so place an emphasis on standing up straight as you work. Instead of bending your back to pick up leaves or tools, bend your legs and lower your entire body. Even if the weight isn’t much, lifting with your legs protects your back from sustaining serious damage.
Finally, if you think you’ve sustained an injury, click the following link to learn more about common back injuries and treatment options.
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