Back pain affects more than 80% of the population at sometime in their lives. It is one of the most common reasons to miss work (second only to the flu), and there are a myriad of products on the market to help relieve pain. But you don’t have to live with chronic back pain. There are ways to both treat and prevent back pain from affecting your life.

What is Chronic Back Pain?

Chronic back pain is back pain that has lasted more than six months. It usually is not associated with a specific injury; instead, it is the result of many injuries, an injury that didn’t heal properly, or other back issues. Chronic back pain is usually a deep, throbbing pain rather than a pain that is sharp and stinging. It can make it difficult to complete day-to-day activities, and can limit your ability to work.

Treating Chronic Back Pain

If you suffer from chronic back pain, the first thing you should do is see a doctor. Your doctor can rule out causes of back pain (such as illness or an infection) that are not related to your back. He or she can also do an x-ray or MRI to determine if there are fractures in the bones or tears in your muscles or ligaments. You can treat chronic back pain at home with over-the-counter medications, as well as ice and heat packs. Rest is also important; there are pillows designed to help relieve back pressure, or you can lie on your back with your legs elevated.

Preventing Chronic Back Pain

Like they say in sports, the best offense is a good defense. The same is true when it comes to chronic back pain – the best thing you can do is prevent the pain to begin with. First is making sure that you demonstrate good posture. Sitting up straight sounds like something simple, but over the long run it can have a big impact. With so many jobs requiring many hours on the computer, it is especially important to have good posture as you sit and type. There are countless products that are ergonomically designed to help you keep good posture as you work on your computer. Stretching and strengthening the muscles in your back can also reduce chronic back pain. Yoga is especially good for this; there are yoga programs designed specifically to help with back pain. Doing exercises to strengthen the abdominal muscles will also help to support your back. Making sure that you maintain a healthy weight is also important to combating chronic back pain.