10 Daily Activities That May be Hurting Your Back

3. You don’t veg out.

It’s not just in your head; stress can seriously affect the smooth functioning of the spinal column. When you feel the pressures of life bearing down on you, your whole body goes in to survival mode and reacts by getting clenched up tight; especially the muscles of the back and neck.

Todd Sinett says, “These contracted muscles must be allowed to relax; if you remain stressed all the time you will never relax those muscles. They will become angry lumps of pain eventually.”

The Remedy: Knowing the guise of the enemy is the first step to avoiding its attacks. “Simply being aware that stress is the reason behind your discomfort gives you a goal and a course of action to follow,” Todd explains. “Prioritize ways to ease your stress; get regular exercise, laugh with a friend, read a good book. One of the simplest and most effective methods of relaxation is the curative powers of music.”

In an Australian study conducted on 65 people with herniated disks, it was found that music accompanied with relaxing imagery drastically reduced discomfort in the lower back. All the participants received standard medical attention including physical therapy and painkillers; half of them also participated is sessions of relaxation exercises and listened to relaxing music. The results the group listening to relaxing music and doing exercise began to experience less pain when getting in and out of bed, climbing stairs and sleeping; in just 10 days.

After three weeks the group receiving relaxation therapy had reduced their overall discomfort by 40 percent in comparison to the other half of the group. Franz Wendtner, a psychologist and researcher for the Salzburg General Hospital says, “Music is a phenomenal stress reducer; it can stem the flow of stress causing hormones that tighten the muscles.

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