Baby Got No Back

No not THAT back,  I'm talking about the spine…your back. That thing that keeps your body upright.

This isn't going to be the usual ‘improve your CTR' or ‘case study' post, and I know it might not appeal to a lot of people. This will however help you make more money in the long run.

What we do for a living is great. I wouldn't trade it for anything. Unfortunately, sitting at the computer for long hours is one of the worst things you can do for your back. The human body was designed to move, and not sit at a desk all day. If you don't have back, neck, shoulder, or wrist pain that's great! If you work at the computer for years and years, you probably will eventually if you don't do something about it.

The Problem

There are many different back problems. Some of the more common include:

Herniated discs

This is when the disc between your vertebrates bulges to one side. The protective coating surrounding the disc contents can also rupture which is called an annular tear. These can occur from the low back all the way up to the neck.

Degenerative disc disease

This isn't really a ‘disease' but a condition where the discs degenerate to the point of causing painful symptoms.

Sciatica

Sciatica is a condition where the nerves coming out of the spinal column in the low back get irritated, or compressed. It can cause pain in the back as well as the legs.

There are many other problems ranging from muscle spasms to more serious conditions. It's always a good idea to get lingering back pain checked out by a doctor.

The Solution

There are a ton of ‘solutions' for back pain ranging from supplements to doctors, devices and everything in between. I'm only going to talk about a few that I've either got relief from or a good number of people have.

Since there are so many causes of back pain, one treatment might work for one person and not another.

1. Get up and move around

Many experts think that back pain is just a symptom of not moving enough. We move WAY less than our ancestors did, and also have a lot more health problems.

So, one of the easiest solutions might be to just get out of your chair for a break regularly. Regular exercise and maintaining a healthy weight can go a long way to preventing and relieving back pain also.

2. Accupuncture

A lot of people get relief from acupuncture. The needles don't hurt so don't worry about that. A good place to find a local practitioner is Yelp.

3.  Inversion therapy

This can be particularly helpful for low back pain, herniated discs, and pinched nerves. Teeter makes really good products for this.

4. Pilates and Yoga

Many people swear by these. They do work for some, but you have to be very careful depending on your condition. The amount of forward flexion in yoga can exacerbate symptoms. The best DVD I've found is this one. It only takes about 20 min, and seems really effective.

5. Massage

You can go somewhere and get this done, or invest in a self massager. These can range from the little handheld gadgets to full body massage chairs.

6. The Egoscue method

This is a really popular technique that almost always gets positive reviews from people. It's a series of exercises/stretches done in a particular order. You can watch a video showing a few of the exercises here

This Egoscue book has almost 300 5 star reviews on Amazon, and is worth checking out.

More information on the official website

Conclusion

Like I said, this isn't something that's going to make you more money tomorrow. It will absolutely make you more money in the future when you don't lose work time to back problems. Even if you don't have back or neck problems now, a little prevention is MUCH easier than trying to fix an existing problem.

Even if your back just hurts a little, or gets sore, etc…taking the time to take care of it can really boost your energy and productivity.