Ten Tips for Painless Living
1. When sitting, walking and standing, keep your shoulders relaxed and your head level. Standing with your knees slightly bent will improve your posture and help prevent back pain.
2. Don’t stay seated for too long. Every 30 minutes, stand up, stretch, and walk around.
3. Take care with lifting – it’s the cause of many back injuries. Hold the load close to your body, feet shoulder-width apart. Bend your knees, not your back and lift with ‘leg power’. Don’t lift heavy loads higher than your waist. Avoid twisting – turn by moving your feet, not your back.
4. Your mattress and pillow should be firm enough to support your natural shape.
5. Good support from your car seat will prevent back and neck pain, especially if you spend alot of time driving.
6. Some office tasks require continuous repetitive movements that can cause muscle fatigue, so plan your day’s work to provide frequent *changes* of activity. Regular neck, shoulder and arm stretches will also help.
7. Baby slings help prevent back pain. Slings relieve tension in the arm muscles and allow you to take the load of your baby’s weight.
8. Kneel when gardening at ground level, rather than bending from the waist. Keep one hand on the ground for support as you lean forward. If your garden bed is wide, don’t lean in from the edge. Use a plank of wood to kneel or stand on.
9. Always warm up before you excercise. You will reduce the risk of injury and improve your performance. After excercise, drink plenty of water and keep moving while you cool down. This will help prevent stiffness and soreness.
10. Sprains and strains heal much faster if you use the R.I.C.E. technique in the first 24 to 72 hours after injury – Rest, Ice, Compression and Elevation. See a physiotherapist if pain and swelling persists.