Summer time you want to be active. Those of you in Ann Arbor and other places around Washtenaw county don't want back pain slowing you down possibly ruining your summer. Here are some tips we provide to our patients at Tannenbaum Chiropractic in Ann Arbor on how to avoid low back pain.

1. Careful when lifting. Make sure when lifting something your using the right lifting technique. When lifting things that are more then a few pounds make sure to bend your knees to the point of squatting, hold what you are lifting close to your body and tighten your stomach muscles while you lift.

2. Take off excessive weight. Make sure you are not over weight. Even if you have to lose a few pounds it can make the difference between having and not having back pain.

3. Exercise. Exercising the right muscles can help stabilize your back reducing your chances of back pain. A good place to start is to exercise your core muscles. Another way to look at good exercises to stabilize your back is to exercises any muscles that attach to your pelvis.

4. Quit smoking. Studies have shown that those that smoke cigarettes are more likely to experience back pain.

5. Maintain good ergonomics. When working at a desk make sure to maintain proper body position by having your desk, chair, computer etc,. in proper ergonomic position to prevent back pain. There are lots of ergonomic self help guides on the internet (make sure the self help guide is from a reputable source).

6. Stretch. Stretch lightly before exercising and more vigorously after exercising. Make sure that you stretch all muscle groups with an emphasis on stretching all muscles that attach to your spinal bones shoulder girdle and pelvis.

These suggestions on how to avoid back pain are only some of the suggestions we give out at our Ann Arbor chiropractic office. For more advice on how to prevent back pain or relieve back back please feel free to contact us at [email protected]. Hopefully, we can help you avoid or eliminate back pain allowing you to enjoy your summer.