56% of people with lower-back aches say symptoms disrupt their daily routines, including sleep and sex. Not only that, but it’s the fifth most common reason for hospitalizations and third most common cause of surgery. Talk about a pain in the…back.

There are many possible causes of back pain, and several situations combine to create that pain. And it turns out that some seemingly insignificant everyday habits can take a big toll on your back over time. Here are some of the top ten mistakes that may be causing your aches and how to correct them.

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Say Goodbye To Neck Pain With An Orthopedic Pillow

Its not uncommon to have a stiff neck from time to time. However, if youre waking up with a stiff neck each and every day, then its time for you to choose another pillow. Why? Because the pain in your neck is most likely caused by your pillow!
There are a couple of signs that tell you that your pillow isnt supporting your neck as it should:
-Your pillow looks stiff and flat
-Before you fall asleep every night, youre pounding to find a comfortable position
-As you sleep, you need to wake up and fluff and plump your pillow
-When you wake up your shoulders and neck ache
-You wake up with a slight headache
-You cant remember when you bought the pillow its that old!
So, eliminating neck pain means giving your neck and shoulders the support they need, so that you can sleep comfortable. For this, your best choice is an orthopedic pillow.

How do orthopedic pillows make a huge difference?

Orthopedic pillows are especially designed to help you sleep better and to offer your neck and shoulders the support they need.

On the market, today youll find a great variety of orthopedic pillows. You should keep in mind that high-quality orthopedic pillows need to support your neck, cushion your head, and promote a healthy sleep posture.

Types of Orthopedic Pillows

These pillows have a unique design that helps them prevent and eliminate neck and shoulder pain. The most popular orthopedic pillows are contour shaped with rounded, raised edges. These are great at supporting the curve of the neck while you sleep and this type of support is what helps alleviate neck pain in most people.
There are various materials used in orthopedic pillows, including memory foam, buckwheat hulls, air and water. When it comes to the most effective material for you, the choice is yours, and you might need to experiment with a couple of pillows before finding the right one for you.
Adjusting to an Orthopedic Pillow
Once you purchased an orthopedic pillow, dont toss your old pillow yet! You need to let your body adjust to it, and you should do this sleeping with the old and new one. At first, the new pillow might feel strange and uncomfortable. So, if you want to get a restful sleep, feel free to switch to the old pillow for a few hours each night. Youll experience better comfort and sounder sleep using your orthopedic pillow gradually. Once this happens, you can say goodbye to your old pillow and your neck pain, once and for all!

At our office, we carry two types of pillows that will help you sleep in a better posture.  Next time you are in the office, ask one of us to show you what pillow suits your needs the best.

Holiday-Proof Your Body: Part 1

Many common seasonal activities can cause injuries, here are some tips to help you stay healthy during the holiday season.

Holiday Challenge #1: Lower Back Pain

The lower back is a problem area for many people as they age.  Many of us have weak core muscles and a lack of flexibility in our hips.  Combine this with a time of year where you’re carrying heavy objects (like shopping bags or turkeys) and you could have a recipe for an injury.

Causes:
• Shopping/carrying packages
• Poor lifting techniques
• Lack of hip flexibility
• Weak core muscles

Solutions:
1) Learn to lift! 

One of the main causes of low back injuries is bending over something and lifting it with your back.  Ideally you should be lifting from your hips, using the strength of the biggest muscle in the body, the glutes, to do the heavy lifting.  The hip hinge is a great way to do this.  You can use a dowel or broomstick to check your form. Stand with feet wider than hip-width apart, feet parallel.  Hold a stick behind your back (one hand behind the head, one in the curve of your back) keeping the stick against the back of your head, your upper back and your butt - hinge forward with your upper body still and return to the start.  Do 10 reps for 2 sets. 

2) Strengthen your core!

This advice may surprise you, but no more crunches!  Your abdominals are part of core muscles that are meant to stabilize your body and keep your spine straight. Crunches involve the exact opposite movement, whereby you flex your spine and “crunch” at your back’s weakest point.  This puts more strain on your lower back and your posture suffers.  Instead, scientists now believe that we should be doing plank type movements to strengthen the core. To do a plank, go into a push-up position resting on your forearms.  Squeeze your glutes, tighten your core and hold, working up to 60 seconds.  I recommend repeating this 3-5 times.

Decompress your Spine and take a pass on Surgery

Back pain from spine problems like degenerative disc disease, bulging discs and/or herniated discs is a common and serious problem. Unlike routine back pain due to strains, spinal misalignment (subluxation) or postural stress, back pain from spine problems like these conditions is often chronic and disabling.

Back pain from degenerative disc disease is a chronic episodic problem. Sufferers generally have a long history of back pain (10 years plus). They often have episodic back pain; meaning they have moderate to severe episodes of pain followed by weeks, months and even years with no pain. Over time the painful episodes becoming more severe and more frequent. Degenerative disc disease is usually worst in the morning, improves somewhat with a hot shower and activity then worsens again later at night. Degenerative disc disease back pain is usually located in the spine itself.

Back pain from a bulging disc or disc herniation usually involves not only back pain but leg pain (sciatica) as well. This is becasue the disc bulges or protrudes outward and irritates the sensitive spinal nerves. Back pain or sciatica from a disc problem can vary from a mild ache or small patch of numbness of a toe all the way to severe burning pain shooting from the back down the leg to the foot.  Bending over at the waist and stretching the legs out usually worsens the pain.

Although degenerative disc disease and disc bulges and herniated discs are serious causes of back pain, there is hope. Rather than undergoing risky surgery like in the old days, you have options. One such option that is proving to be very successful is DRX9000 Spinal Decompression. Spinal decompression therapy for back pain is becoming more and more  popular. Its a traction-like back pain treatment protocol that can literally help recondition a faulty disc, relieving back pain and leg pain. It does this by slowly opening up the  disc to cause it to suck in water, thus rehydrating the disc. Bulging or herniated disc material is also sucked inward off of the sensitive nerves. All this without the risk of surgery or side effects of shots and drugs.

To learn more visit www.vanspinaldecompression.com and order your Free copy of information on our spinal decompression therapy program. The Free report explains the most common causes of back pain and reveals why your pain has not gotten better and why it is likely to worsen if you don’t find a solution soon.