From stiff shoulders to lower-spine spasms,
back pain can be a nightmare, says Alice du Parcp. These six posture-perfecting
tips will see you straight
Back pain can be a nightmare
Sit up straight. Really straight, shoulders
down, as if there’s a puppet string hooked to the top of your head. Feels good,
right? Imagine if you sat and walked like that all the time without even
thinking about it. You could potentially avoid being one of the 9.6 million
people in the UK who suffer from back pain every week – a staggering statistic
revealed in a recent EU survey. By integrating a few simple adjustment into
your lifestyle, you can strengthen and preserve the most important structure in
your body – your spine – fending off future twinges and chronic aches. Are you
ready to reshape your attitude? We can show you how.
1. The $19.5 investment you need to make today
Osteopath and acupuncturist Garry Trainer
says, “If there’s one piece of kit I’d made everyone have, it’s a wobble
board.” The humble little spaceship-shaped exercise equipment does a
surprisingly big job. When we step onto it and try to correct your instability,
nerve impulses are fired off to control your muscles (the process is called proprioception).
The more you practice this nerve communication, the better your muscles respond
– leading to improved coordination and back strength. “Use it for a couple of
minutes every day – maybe when you’re brushing your teeth or during ad breaks on
TV. Having had a serious back injury in the past, I use mine all the time to
prevent future damage.” With fans including super-toned Gwyneth Paltrow, as
well as forever-young Johnny Depp and Brad Pitt, that’s the most realistic
A-list fitness advice we’ve ever heard. PhysioRoom Adjustable Balance Wobble
Board, from $20, from Physioroom.com.
The
$19.5 investment you need to make today
2. Open your mind to supplements
Just as you’d take a vitamin to support
your immune system, certain supplements have been proven to aid joint
lubrication and prevent muscle strain. In fact, at the time of writing, new
legislation was passed requiring all herbal medicines to feature a registered
‘THR’ stamp under the Traditional Herbal Registration scheme to confirm their
efficacy. One supplements company that has already had 18 herbal medicines
licensed is Schwabe Pharma UK. “My recommendation for back support is devil’s
claw extract,” says Schwabe’s technical director Dr Dick Middleton. “It’s a
perennial shrub that grows wild in the deserts of Namibia and the name refers
to its hooked, claw-like seed pods. It’s used for its anti-inflammatory,
muscle-relaxant and analgesic properties in patients with chronic back pain and
osteoarthritis, and it’s a good supplement to take to control muscular
inflammation.” Find your daily devil’s claw dose in FlexiHerb tables ($15.3 for
40) at Boots nationwide.
One
supplements company that has already had 18 herbal medicines licensed is
Schwabe Pharma UK
3. Needless work
There’re plenty beyond a hot stone massage
to ease your back. Did you know acupuncture has recently been made available
for free on the NHS? Kate Winstanley, a member of the British Acupuncture
Council and a practitioner at London’s Food Doctor Clinic, explains how a few
tiny pins can make a big difference. “According to MRI scans, gentle
stimulation of specific acupuncture points triggers the body’s own natural
healing response by releasing necessary hormones and natural healing response
by releasing necessary hormones and natural painkillers. When we’re stressed,
our body releases the fight-or-flight protein neuropeptide Y into our blood;
acupuncture can significantly reduce levels of this protein and calm the
central nervous system. The needles activate specific energy points to strengthen
the regulatory systems. As a result, patient have more energy, their muscle
function improves and they’re less likely to succumb to future back problems.”
Speak to your GP about a referral. Or find a private practitioner in your area
via acupuncture.org.uk and expect to pay from $52.5-$90 for an initial
consultation, though it will be more at an exclusive city clinic.
4. Practise safe flex
Yoga
and Pilates are fantastic for core strength
We know yoga and Pilates are fantastic for
core strength, but joining even a beginner’s class can do more harm than good.
“I’ve seen people who have done their backs serious harm trying a new class,”
says Fiona Troup, a physiotherapist and Pilates instructor at the SixPhysio
clinic in London’s Harley Street. “If you’re keen on starting, book a
one-to-one session first to test your flexibility.” It’s with this in mind that
Pilates guru Lynne Robinson has launched the Back4Good initiative, providing
low-cost Pilates classes nationwide specifically for those with lower-back
pain. “We worked closely with medical experts to create a set of exercises
designed to target many of the complex underlying causes of back pain.” There
are two classes on offer: the Healthy Back class (a gentle workout to support
the back, improve movement and strengthen the spine); and the Back4Good session
(for those already suffering from chronic pain, taught as a one-to-one class or
in a small group). Both are now widely available in the UK, with prices for
one-hour classes starting at just $15.
5. Step in the right direction
Focus
on improving the shoes you wear when doing a workout or walking long distance
Woe betide the magazine that dares to
suggest an ‘ideal heel height’ to a modern woman. Could there be anything more
unrealistic (and boring)? Instead, focus on improving the shoes you wear when
doing a workout or walking long distance, as those repetitive moments can
create cumulative strain – especially in the lumbar region connected to your
pelvis. “Running shoes and sports bars are the only things I choose carefully,”
says Olympian Sally Gunnell, 45, who still runs three times a week. “Most good
sports shops can fit shoes property for support and cushioning. Feet may curve
inwards or outwards, so you want the impact through your shoe to be aligned
with your legs and spine. And if ever your posture feels uncomfortable, switch
to running or walking on grass instead of concrete and stay on flat surfaces. A
good sports bra can stop that heavy bounce that throws the back into an
unnatural jerk. When I was pregnant and breastfeeding, I used to wear two bras
at the same time!”
