It is a bit difficult to know the exact cause of back pain; you may adopt some actions to reduce your back pain and prevent it from worsening. It can be achieved by decreasing strain, protecting your vertebral column, reducing pressure, and making your muscles stronger. If you adopt some daily habits, you can relieve your back pain and enjoy a happy and healthy life. Some of the habits are following

• Keep a pillow under your knees while sleeping.

Pressure is put to your back and spinal column while you are sleeping. Pressure on your back is decreased to some extent if you elevate your legs while lying. This can be achieved by placing a soft pillow beneath your knees.

• Increase your calcium and vitamin D intake.

If you have strong bones, you are protected from osteoporosis. Osteoporosis is the most common cause of chronic back pain in the advancing age, particularly in the females. If you take plenty of vitamin D and calcium in the diet, you are protected from osteoporosis and back pain. Calcium is found in milk, yogurt, and green leafy vegetables. Vitamin D is found in fatty fish, egg yolk, cheese, and beef liver.

Change your shoes

Wear shoes which are comfortable for you and low-heeled. They reduce the stress and strain from your back in standing position. Shoes which have heels of less than one inch are suitable for your back.

Straighten up

Good posture protects your spine and keeps it healthy thus it performs its work more effectively. Bad posture changes the architecture of the spine and thus exerts extra pressure on it. Thus you should avoid slouching or bending sideways while standing and rounding your shoulders.

Do not slump over your desk

When you are sitting in a chair, always adopt a good body posture as you do while standing. It is mandatory for the health of your back especially when you use to sit for several hours a day. Select a chair that provides support to your lower back. While sitting, make sure that your knees are slightly at a higher level than your buttocks.

Abandon cigarette

Smoking is an unsafe practice for health. Persons who smoke, have a greater risk of suffering from back pain than nonsmokers because smoking compromises the blood supply to back muscles which already do not have a rich blood supply. Intervertebral discs also dry up and crack due to smoking because of compromised blood supply. A weak back is more prone to accidental strains and forces that cause a backache.

Lighten your load

Heavyweight lifting or poor lifting techniques are also common causes of back pain among the heavyweight lifting workers. Carrying a heavy laptop bag, camera, a load of groceries and suitcase puts a strain on your back. Try to divide the weight into both sides of your body equally whenever you lift the weight and try to shift the weight from shoulder to shoulder. Use a rolling cart or bag with wheels for heavyweights so that your back has to suffer less strain.

Sleeping position

The best sleeping position is to sleep on your sides whenever you are suffering from back pain. Do not curl up your body even you have strong desire to do so and keep your body straight. Do not sleep on your stomach otherwise; your back pain will enhance.

Reduce your pain while walking

You can perform the exercise with a backache by keeping your head in a higher position and pointing the toes of your feet straight. To avoid a backache after exercise or work out, stretch your body when you return home and take proper drinks. Hydration makes your spine healthy.

Drive comfortably

Consider following tips while driving to avoid back pain.

• When you are driving, sit on your ischial tuberosity (sitting bones) and do not keep your knees higher than the hips.

• Keep shoulders in the relaxed position and backward direction and grip wheel with both hands to reduce the strain from your arms and shoulders.

• Take frequent intervals of a break when you are driving for many consecutive hours.

Participate in life

It is not a healthy attitude to abandon the physical activities at all when you are feeling back pain. It is proved from researches that adopting good physical activities during the back pain enhances the recovery because blood flow is maintained thus and repair occurs at a faster rate.

Take frequent breaks during a prolonged activity

Whenever you are doing an activity which requires the maintenance of the same posture for a prolonged time, e.g., watching a movie on T.V. or your office work, you must take frequent breaks of walking or stretching at regular intervals to relax the tensed muscles. You should take a break of 10 minutes after every one hour.

Work your core

We know a number of health benefits of exercise. A regular routine of exercise that focusses on your core muscles reduces the risk of your back injuries, such as muscle spasm or strain. If you include back and abdominal muscles strengthening exercises to your daily workout schedule, you may prevent yourself from back pain or back injuries.