Our bodies are skillfully designed to provide structure, movement, clear thought, and energy. But when things aren’t functioning properly, one or all of these systems take a hit. Even if you think you’re on top of every latest health craze, you may be hurting yourself without even knowing it. In fact, you’re likely doing things every day to cause unknown wear and tear on your body. Here are some of the worst things you do to your body.

Bend Over

Although our bodies are meant to bend and stretch, we need to use caution with certain movements. One of the most common causes of back injuries happens with the simple act of bending over. When you hinge your body from the waist, it creates a strain on the muscles and ligaments in your lower back. Just bending over to grab plates from the lower rack of the dishwasher or snatching a shirt off the ground can be enough to throw you out of alignment or pull a muscle. It’s important to use proper form by bending your legs and using the muscles of the upper thighs and quads to lift your body rather than relying on the more susceptible muscles of the back. Protect your knees (another common problem area) by making sure your knees do not extend past your toes during your squats. Keeping this in mind will force the body to use the proper muscles during those repeated dips to unload the dishwasher!

Sit-Ups

It’s great that you hit the gym or drop to the ground while brushing your teeth to incorporate a core workout. But those traditional sit-ups that many of us were taught as part of our elementary school Presidential testing requirements can be detrimental to your back. Between driving your lower spine into the ground and taking the chance of pulling or tweaking your very important hip flexors, sit-ups are pretty much a bad choice all the way around around. According to Harvard Health, even the replacement curl ups are on the chopping block because like sit-ups, they only target the stomach muscles, rather than focusing on strengthening the entire core.  But don’t worry, there are plenty of ways to strengthen your core without spine-crushing results. The plank is effective for overall strengthening and forgiving on the body at the same time. Also try some low-impact yoga or pilates for moves that work towards creating six-pack abs in a safer way.

Exercise

You’ve heard the advice for years, mostly as a disclaimer, “Ask your medical professional before beginning any exercise regimen,” but there is some serious truth to the statement. Especially if you are transitioning from a sedentary lifestyle, making sure that you don’t have any underlying medical conditions is an important first step. Jumping into a new workout, galloping off for a long run, or diving into an intermediate exercise class when you’re not primed can have devastating results. Pulled muscles, sprains, joint injuries, cardiovascular problems, and even a rare but deadly phenomenon called rhabdomyolysis can tank your best intentions for a healthier lifestyle. Don’t let any of this discourage you. Just find an activity you love, create a plan to start slow, and talk to your medical professional.

Sit

While there are plenty of movements that can hurt your body, the most dangerous thing you can do is NOT move your body. Not only does inertia contribute to cardiovascular ailments and diabetes, but as the saying goes, “motion is lotion.” Your joints and muscles are made to move and when they are denied that movement they become stiff and dangerously immobile. Sitting in particular is surprisingly tough on a body. posture creates pressure for the lower back and hips, a central area that your entire body relies on for support. Plus, it causes strain to your neck, shoulders, and upper back. It’s also not great for your feet and lower legs, circulation, and even your focus. Of course we’re not telling you to avoid sitting all together. But, make sure you get up and move around every 30 minutes. Set a timer. Fill your water glass every hour so that if nothing else, your bladder will remind you to get up and move. When you are sitting, make sure to use good posture and support your lower back as well as use proper form while working at a desk. Consider using a yoga ball as a chair or investing in a standing station as a desk option.

Stress

As a culture, we have accepted stress as part of the norm in our daily lives. From work to home maintenance to kids’ activities we push our calendar well beyond the hours that a day holds. With the chaos brings stress. And it’s literally killing us. This article from UCLA Laboratory for Stress Assessment and Research argues that stress causes inflammation and, “All told, inflammation is involved in at least 8 of the top 10 leading causes of death in the United States today. Understanding how inflammation promotes poor health, and how and when we can intervene to reduce inflammation-related disease risk, should thus be a top scientific and public priority.” Some suggestions from us? Meditate, spend time in nature, laugh, play with pets, prioritize a hobby, and exercise.

Eat

Along with proper body movement and alignment comes proper nutrition. Working out five times a week is great, but if you’re fueling those workouts with fast food and Cheetos, you’re not doing yourself any favors. Again referencing the UCLA article above, remember that in addition to stress, the food you eat directly contributes to inflammation in the body. Of course there are myriad beliefs as to what foods are good or bad, but keep it simple–aim to drink plenty of water and load up on fruits and vegetables. Embrace whole grains, get plenty of fiber, and try new things!

Cheers to caring for your body so that it can return the favor!

Many recent studies have shown the prevalence of lower back pain, crediting it the number one cause of disability worldwide and one of the main reasons that people miss work. It’s so prevalent that it’s also the second most-common reason that patients go to the doctor. Lower back pain is certainly a frequent complaint that brings patients into Encore Physical Therapy too. If you are one of the nearly 50% of the population who suffers from occasional or chronic back pain, consider the products you use daily that could exacerbate your condition.

Office Chair 

If you work at a desk, your chair can be a major contributing factor to the health of your posture, spine, and lower back. Generally an office chair with strong lower lumbar support will encourage better posture than a straight back or curved-out chair. Make sure your chair is adjustable so that your feet can touch the ground without raising your knees too high. Also consider replacing your chair with a yoga ball. With a little bit of practice the yoga ball will promote core strength while reducing compression on your lower spine.

Standing Station

Another option is to ditch the office chair all together. Standing stations allow you to remain in a standing position while you type, answer the phone, and look up data on the computer. This reduces the amount of compression and also provides an opportunity for more movement than while in a seated position. For a combination of sitting and standing, look for desktop computer risers or entire desks that raise and lower with the press of a button.

Anti-fatigue Mats

If you decide to replace your office chair with a standing station, be sure to include an anti-fatigue mat to stand on. You might also invest in anti-fatigue mats in front of the kitchen sink, stove, or anywhere else you spend large quantities of time standing.

Back/S.I. Braces

If your lower back issue is caused by weak muscles or injury, temporarily using a brace to stabilize the area can be helpful. Wearing a back or sacroiliac brace takes some of the pressure off of your lower back muscles. This can allow them to rest if needed. It can also allow them to strengthen via your recommended physical therapy techniques while reducing the risk of further back injury in the process.

Mattresses and Sleep Position

Make sure to find the best mattress for your sleep style. If you’re not in the market for a new mattress, at least consider altering your sleep position. Most physical health experts agree the the most supportive sleep position for the lower back is on your side with a pillow between your knees. This helps keep your spine in alignment during the one-third of the day that you are not upright. Also consider pulling your knees into a fetal position. This offers a stretch to your spine and helps expand spacing between the vertebrates. If you’re not comfortable as a side-sleeper though, we recommend you lay on your back. Stomach sleeping is not recommended for back health, but if that’s your natural position, try placing a small pillow under your hips to lift the pelvis and avoid sagging the spine.

Pillow

If you deal with back pain, you know that a seemingly unrelated area of the body can often contribute to the pain. Upper back and neck issues can radiate pain to your lower back, so choosing the right pillow based on your preferred sleeping position is worth the investment.

There are thousands of products on the market to help with lower back pain and many of them can alleviate symptoms. However, you may be able to minimize the need to treat back pain if you can keep it from occurring in the first place. This can be done through a combination of physical therapy strategies and products targeted towards supporting your needs. When deciding on the best products for your work, home, and physical situation, be sure to enlist the advice of your professional physical therapist.

Activity is a great way to stay in shape. As you know, it’s the number one recommendation by medical professionals for everything from depression to fatigue to heart disease. It’s great that you dig in for daily walks or are part of a local soccer league, but sometimes that level of activity can take a toll on a body. Sprains, strains, and other injuries often drive people to seek out physical therapy options so they can get back into the game. But what most athletes and gym rats don’t realize is that in addition to injury recovery, physical therapy can also improve performance in just about any activity or workout. Here are a few ways physical therapy can improve your sports performance.

1. Flexibility

By watching the way a patient moves, a qualified physical therapist can identify locations where mobility may be limited. With targeted exercises, you will be able to open up your range of motion and increase your flexibility, allowing you to better protect against injury while simultaneously landing your back handspring.

2. Power

Whether your main event is the long jump or your basketball stride could use some lengthening, a few sessions with a professional therapist can help identify which muscles might be restricting your motion and teach those muscles how to provide more power to the length and height of your jumps. After all, it requires the coordination of many muscles, joints, and bones to propel you into the air and safely land again.

3. Endurance

While we might not be able to directly improve your cardiovascular endurance, we can help figure out why certain muscles cramp or become fatigued. By strengthening and improving the functionality of your muscles, we can help enhance muscular endurance so that you can finish the marathon or maintain pace on the elliptical machine for the entire length of your favorite podcast.

4. Strength

A task as simple as rolling over during a nap requires the use of muscles. In contrast, imagine the amount of use those muscles get during a wrestling match or baseball game. With this focus in mind, strengthening is the best way to get the most out of those muscles so that you can perform at your peak. Physical therapy aims to target those areas that you rely on most so you can bring your “A” game.

5. Improved Gait

Without even being aware of it, you can probably identify your spouse, child, or running partner headed down the street at a glance. This is because we each have our own style of movement, called a gait pattern. That gait is a result of all of our body movements working together. By improving the efficiency of your gait you can train your body to offer you better support and ease of movement, improving your sports performance.

6. Balance

Balance is a culmination of multiple bodily functions, ranging from strength, vision, and even the inner ear canals. By performing exercises that target these areas, your balance and stability will improve, which is important in avoiding falls and earning a perfect 10 on your beam routine.

7. Range of Motion

Similar to flexibility of the muscles, joint range of motion is a key factor in functional mobility. Consider a golfer that cannot fully rotate on their back swing. Physical therapists can help you identify the obstacles that are limiting your range of motion so you can get that power behind your long drive and improve your game.

8. Recovery From Injury

While injuries are never ideal, those that keep you from doing the sport you love can be life-changing. When you suffer an injury, sometimes your body struggles to get back to where it was prior. Physical therapists can help in this process by identifying where the glitches are in order to get you back on track.

9. Injury Prevention

Next to helping people recover after an injury, the number one goal in physical therapy is to help people prevent injuries in the first place. Athletes often overlook preventative treatment as part of their exercise regime, yet it can be as important as having the right gear or stretching before a big game.

10. Reduce Pain

Sometimes the only thing we can do about chronic pain is to minimize the impact it has on daily life. For the active person, this means targeting ways to mitigate that pain so you can continue doing the things that you love. Physical therapy can help discover movements that you should avoid and offer alternative techniques that allow you to play with less pain. Physical therapy is a useful tool for athletes of all levels. From those hoping to begin a new exercise regime to those who have participated in amature or professional sports, Encore Physical Therapy is here to assess your needs and create a plan that keeps you in the game.