We can try to do everything right in our lives to stay healthy. Eat all the right foods, exercise, maintain healthy relationships and take care of our bodies in general. This does not mean that our bodies and minds will always cooperate with us. We can make all the right decisions, but we may still have health problems and body pains. One of the most common kinds of pain is back pain. Eight out of ten people will have a form of back pain at some point in their life. There are activities that are more common causes of pain than others.

Desk Jobs

A desk job may seem like a calm job that wouldn’t put much strain on your back. The reason a desk job causes individuals back pain is because of the way they are sitting. Many individuals do sit with proper posture. They are typically slouching over with a rounded upper back and shoulders pushing forward. This is not the natural arch of your back and puts strain on the muscles within it. With it being a job, these individuals could be sitting in that position for 40 hours a week causing stress on their back. It is best to sit up straight, shoulders back and your lower back should be supported because that is where the natural curve of your back is. With spending so much time at a desk, ensure that you do more good than bad for your back.

Lifting

Another leading cause of back pain is lifting. This could be lifting things around your home, for work, or lifting weights in the gym. Without proper technique, you could really be hurting your back. Lifting items with a rounded back and not using your core to help brace yourself, your back with a try to do all the work. This can cause a strain on your muscles and tendons. Be sure that you bend your knees and also lift with your legs to put less stress on your back. If you are into weight lifting, it is crucial that you use proper technique. When lifting a lot of weight and wanting to get stronger, it can be easy to forget that your form is the most important part. No matter what you are lifting, be sure to recruit more than your back muscles such as your legs and core to help you out.

Sleeping

It is natural to have a comfortable position that you sleep in each night. Typically individuals are either stomach, side, or back sleepers. Eight hours of sleep is what the average person gets a night. That is a good portion of your day sleeping. Some type of sleepers is better than others for your back. The best position to sleep in for your back is on your back. This allows your back to stay in its natural position. The next best is side sleeping, this is still not great as your hips are uneven usually which causes an uneven pull in your back muscles. It also causes an unnatural curve in your back. The worst position for back pain is stomach sleeping. This puts your spine in a very unnatural position and you have to crank your neck to the side causing more strain.