Summer – Back Pain’s Friend Or Foe?
When it comes to back pain, summer is the busiest time of the year. You would assume that winter may be worse as it’s very cold, which would allow us to seize up but you would be wrong. The problem is we have a winter that extends for months in the UK and when a bit of sunshine appears we decide that it’s time to do everything we possibly can outside. But as they say shouldn’t we make hay when the sun shines? Yes we should but we shouldn’t overdo it.
If we haven’t used the muscles required for gardening for 9 months why do we suddenly assume that they are still in peak condition? Rarely would anyone not go for a run for 9 months and decide that they should run the same distance as they were doing when they were training. So, to avoid these common mistakes we should walk before we run. Try the following in order of preference:
- Stay more active in the winter months. It’s the perfect excuse that it’s cold outside to not do the gardening but why not work the same muscles by joining a gym. Doing so would keep the joints moving whilst keeping the muscles strong. This would therefore mean a much smaller shock on the body when the sun comes out and we want to do all the outdoor chores. As well as that you will have the obvious benefits of weight loss and improvement of general well being.
- A shame that it is, the gym isn’t for everyone. The next option would be to not do everything in one go when the sun comes out. Unfortunately we aren’t blessed with too many consecutive sunny days but try and spread the work over a week or more. At the end of the day if you are suffering with a bad back it will take much longer than a week to get your outdoor chores done.
- If you’re not one for waiting around then the next step is for you. The lease recommended but better than nothing is to take regular breaks. If you are spending all day in the garden try to take regular breaks and maintain a good posture. This should hopefully give the body time to recover and reduce the chances of you doing any damage to the back.
Follow these tips and you have a better chance than most of being pain free when the sun shines. This means you can actually get out and enjoy it!
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