Tips to beat that back-ache

Between being on a long-haul flight and working in your office, guess what's the common hazard? It results in back-ache, impacts your back -specifically, the spinal cord, as a result of wrong posture. Shilpa Pandya offers a few suggestions on avoiding back-aches. Most back-aches and related problems are illeffects of wrong posture, which manifest after hours of incorrect posture while standing, moving around while working or even while seating. "Sometimes, long hours of office work results in poor posture and causes strain to the lower back," says Dr Aruna Deshmukh, a physiotherapist. "Most people work sitting in an office chair that does not properly suit their body and does not provide enough lower back support," she adds. "Over a period of time," explains Dr Sandeep Shet, an expert on Ayurvedic Medicine who also conducts Yoga classes, "bad postures while standing or sitting in sloppy chairs or even by sleeping in cushioned beds create a situation where the spine tends to become crooked, as the supporting muscles have been weakened. Wrong postures and curvatures of spine alter the line of weight transmission. This creates greater pressure/ strain on some muscles that fall in this wrong line of weight transmission," he explains. It is not just seating in the work-place or sleeping in a cushioned bed that does not support your back properly, back-ache can also occur in relation to your annual holiday, says Dr Aruna Deshmukh. So, most instances of pain in the spine due to underlying injuries is caused has a major contribution by the add-on in form of 'postural muscle spasm', says Dr Sandeep Shet. Acute injuries with severe pain can be treated with rest, local heat, painkillers etc. for a period of a week to four weeks. "The major concern here," adds Dr Sandeep Shet, "is the problem of recurrent and chronic pain - this is the major concern. This happens when the patient returns to the same life style - sedentary working in wrong postures." Ensuring that you have the correct posture is the simplest way to keep away most of the causes of back-ache, says Dr Aruna Deshmukh. "This goes beyond mere cosmetic stuff -good posture and back support are critical to reducing the incidence and levels of back pain and neck pain. Back support is especially important for patients who spend many hours sitting in an office chair or standing throughout the day," she adds. The simplest add-on solution is to use an ergonomic office chair; this provides better support than a regular chair and in some cases, might be more comfortable for the patient."Correct posture means keeping each part of the body in alignment with the adjoining parts. Proper posture keeps all parts balanced and supported. In the 'ideal' scenario, appropriate posture when standing is loosely defined as it being possible to draw a straight line from the earlobe, through the shoulder, hip, knee, and into the middle of the ankle," she explains. Yoga exercises are among the 'alternate therapy' options for a patient suffering from back-aches, but the ideal scenario is one where the patient learns the correct posture and avoids the back-ache in the first place," he concludes.