When your back is feeling good again, it is important that you don’t forget about it. If you do, it is much more likely it will come back again. To help keep your spine resilient and pain-free there are a number of things that you can do. Below are some of the most important things you can do.
Tip 1: Don’t revert to the bad habits that caused your back trouble in the first place
Back pain is often the result of excessive load. When you had back pain, it was because there was something in your daily habits that was irritating your back. Maybe how you sat, stood, lifted, or moved.
To get better, you had to change those habits. Once the old habits were replaced with spine-safe habits, your symptoms improved.
The challenge comes when you start feeling good again. It’s easy to tell yourself:
- “It’s just this once.”
- “It probably won’t matter.”
- “I really need to get this done.”
- “I feel fine now.”
When nothing happens right away, those “one-off” moments can quickly become the norm again. Then before long, your back starts to complain.
My encouragement is: stick with the movement strategies and postures that helped you recover. The habits that irritated your back before are very likely to irritate your back again.
Tip 2: Use moderation and variety in everything you do
Too much of anything, even good things, will eventually case problems.
Doing the same task for a long time or repeating the same movement over and over increases the risk of exceeding your spine’s tissue tolerance (i.e., how much it can safely handle).
To protect your back:
- Vary your postures throughout the day.
- Change tasks regularly.
- Avoid long periods of any single position or movement.
Tip 3: Keep up with your spinal stability exercises
Just because your pain is gone does not mean these exercises are no longer important.
Continue performing the McGill Big 3 (bird dog, side plank, modified curl up), or your equivalent, on a daily or near-daily basis.
These exercises help by:
- Making your spine sturdier so it can better tolerate your daily tasks.
- Building endurance in the muscles that support your spine, allowing you to maintain good posture and keep your spine in the pain-free zone throughout the day.
- Providing muscular stiffness to compensate for any loss of natural spinal stability from a previous injury.
Tip 4: Walk daily
As Dr. McGill says, “Walking is like balm for your back.”
Brisk walking has been shown to:
- Help reduce existing back pain.
- Act as an effective preventative measure.
Ideally, aim for 2-3 walks per day of at least 10-15 minutes at a brisk brace. Walk tall, swing your arms from your shoulders, and move with purpose.
That said:
- Any walking is better than none. If you can only manage one walk per day, make sure you do it.
- If pain starts before 10-15 minutes, don’t push through it. Instead, take short breaks during your walk, or walk more frequently for shorter durations.
If you have spinal stenosis, you may find it helpful to walk with your tailbone tucked slightly under.
Tip 5: Avoid spine power
Spine power occurs when the spine is moving under load, for example, lifting an object while bending or twisting our spine.
High spine power significantly increases the risk of hurting your back.
As a general rule:
- When exertion is high, keep your spine still.
- When your spine is moving, keep exertion low.
Combining spinal movement with high exertion is one of the highest-risk combinations for back injury.
Final thoughts
Even when your back feels good, it still needs respect.
Remember to:
- Avoid reverting to old habits
- Use moderation and variety
- Keep up with your spinal stability exercises
- Walk daily
- Avoid spine power
Do these consistently, and you will give your spine the best change to stay strong, resilient, and pan-free for the long run.
Take care of your back – it has to last you a lifetime.
