Are you ready for the snow this year? ❄️ Winter brings lot of challenges like travelling, restriction of outdoor activities, snow shoveling and many more. One of the most common complaints we hear during cold weather is back pain. This month we are going to talk about back pain during winter.
In general people experiences back pain more during winter. Common reasons behind this are, we usually tense our muscles in cold weather as we tend to shiver, which increases tension over the back muscles. ???? This increases the tightness of the muscle which results in dull achy back pain. In winter we tend to drink less amount of water as we don’t feel thirsty which dehydrates our body. Dehydration can lead to back ache and disc narrowing. We also tend to become more sedentary and exercise less during the winter. Lack of activity leads to decrease in strength and stability of muscles and joints. In addition, if the joints are already inflamed due any of the conditions like arthritis, fibromyalgia, chronic fatigue syndrome etc., a drop in barometric pressure or temperature can cause swelling and pain in joints.
We recommend the following tips to prevent back pain in general during the winter season.
Movement ????♀️
Exercises like stretching, walking, stationary cycling will help to keep your blood flowing and maintain tissue flexibility.
Hydration ????
Drink plenty of water and keep your body hydrated. Water provides cushions and lubricates your joints, delivers nutrients, and protects the intestinal tract lining.
Get sufficient sleep. ????
Target 8 hours of sleep at least per day. Sufficient sleep helps to lower risk for serious health issues.
Have a balanced diet as often as possible. ????
Diet which is balanced with fiber, protein and carbohydrates helps to maintain good digestion process and reduces chances of constipation, which are one of the reasons of low back pain.
If you are suffering with chronic connective tissue illness, then treat your pain with heat. ???? . Application of heat will decrease in stiffness of joints and will improve overall tissue flexibility and overall feeling of comfort.
Follow along with Motivate this month to learn more!