How To Avoid Muscle Pain

Muscle pain, muscle spasms, back aches, shoulder aches, etc, these are torture for those who frequently encounter them. If you've never had muscle pain before, you're lucky. Muscle pains are never fun and can even be humiliating. Here are a few things you can do to ensure that you never encounter muscle pain, or at least encounter them once in a very blue moon.

1. Maintain Good Posture: having bad posture is the number 1 cause of muscle pain. Not only does bad posture damage your appearance, but it does hell to your back, shoulders and neck. Try to maintain good posture while sitting, standing or walking. Even while you sleep, train your body to sleep in a comfortable but essentially straight manner. Make sure your office is ergonomically sound, your seating area is supportive of your backbone and your bed is comfortable.

2. Don't Sit Long: sitting for hours in the same position can cause a killing back pain, I speak form experience. Never sit for more than three hours in any position. While sitting make sure your back is up straight against the back of the chair. Get up after every 2-3 hours and walk around.

3. Do Stretches: stretches are an important way to create flexibility in the muscles and prevent their stiffening. If your work requires you to sit for longer periods, still take the time to get up and stretch for 5 to 10 minutes after every hour. Also incorporate stretching for 30 minutes in your daily routine. This will help you avoid back, shoulder, arm and neck muscle pains.

4. Drink Water: a well hydrated body has greater muscle flexibility than a dehydrated body. Dehydration causes water retention in the muscles and this swells them. Make sure you drink 3 quarts of water a day, and even more so when the weather is hot. Keep a water bottle by your desk.

5. Never Pull when you can Push: pulling puts greater pressure on the body's muscles. It increases the muscular stress. The best thing to do, whenever possible, is to push rather than to pull. When you push you use your entire body weight, on the other hand when you pull your muscles end up literally lifting the object and fighting against gravity. The body's weight doesn't help when pulling.

6. Don't twist: muscles pains can be cased by problems in the spine. Look after your spinal cord; avoid twisting it for prolonged positions. For instance when your ironing or doing the laundry, don't stand and then bend over the work. Sit down and move the entire torso forward. In general keep your body in straight positions and don't make awkward twisting moves to get anything out of the vending machine.

7. Lumbar Support: lumbar support is necessary if you have a sit-down job or have to drive for long periods. Lumbar rolls are inexpensive and easily available. Buy one and give your muscles a break.

8. Avoid Stress: stress can be a major reason behind muscle spasm. Ensure that you avoid both physical and mental stress. See a physiotherapist or psychiatrist the as soon as possible in case of going through depression. If your physical health begins to depreciate while you're psychologically upset, your chances of recovery from either will be endangered.

• Janny Raines
• 02/02/2009, 2:59 PM
• 0 Comments