Navigating Healthcare: A Guide to Modern Medicine and Wellness

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sitting-is-not-healthy

Can Sitting Cause Back Pain? How?

Back pain affects up to 8 in 10 people at some point during their lifetime. Back pain is common in part because the spine is central to many of our daily activities, whether strenuous or not. The spine consists of 24 interlocking vertebrae, which are divided into three types: cervical, thoracic, and lumbar. Fibrous ligaments, discs, and muscles connect these bones, allowing for a combination of stability and flexibility to allow us to perform a variety of daily activities.

While we typically think of sitting as a restful activity, prolonged periods of sitting can lead to chronic back pain. Today’s lifestyles often involve significantly more time spent sitting than in previous decades. We all can enjoy the modern luxuries of being able to watch TV, browse the Internet, or order in a precooked meal at the end of a long day of work. However, for many of us, that long day of work involves sitting at a desk, so we go from sitting at work to sitting at home. It has become increasingly recognized that spending many hours planted in a seat is actually detrimental to one’s health. While a brief period of sitting is natural, long periods of sitting typically place the spine and pelvis in an unnatural position for an extended time, leading to low back pain among other issues.

Avoid Back Pain

The Importance of Stretching When Experiencing Back Pain

Avoid Back PainMild back pain can be a nuisance. It turns everyday tasks into painful challenges. Walking, exercising, working and even sitting in a chair can cause unfathomable levels of discomfort. While seemingly counterintuitive, stretching actually plays a vital role in healing and alleviating back pain. During a period of chronic back pain, exercise is the last thing anyone wants to think about; but spine doctors indicate straightening and extending one’s body to its full length is exactly what the spine needs. It’s common knowledge that regular exercise is an essential component to the body’s overall health, yet many people seem to overlook stretching during their workout routine. But for individuals suffering from chronic back pain, stretching muscles can help alleviate discomfort in the spine, and even help prevent future occurrences of pain.

Sciatica Patient

What Causes Back Pain and Leg Pain?

An estimated 80% of the population experiences back pain– especially lower back pain– at one point or another in their lifetime. While still prevalent, leg pain can stem from back pain, but it occurs less frequently. Leg pain tends to be both bothersome and debilitating, potentially limiting an individual’s daily activities. Patients consulting a spinal care look to a doctor to administer treatment for quick pain relief; more importantly, patients want doctors to provide answers to the cause of their discomfort. But in the end, patients fail to understand that the answer may not be as clear-cut as they believe.

In reality, a wide spectrum of spinal conditions can lead to instances of both back and leg pain.

For example, Peripheral Artery Disease (PAD) can trigger leg pain, coupled with back pain. PAD refers to the buildup of plaque along artery walls and the subsequent blocking of blood vessels in the legs. This, in turn, restricts the amount of oxygen nourishing the leg muscles and causes discomfort in patients’ legs and back. But combined leg and back pain can also be a harbinger of a life-threatening condition called Deep Vein Thrombosis. This serious condition refers to the formation of blood clots in the deep veins in the body. If the clot breaks free, it can be dangerous and clog a smaller vessel, thereby culminating into a stroke.

Back pain

Choosing a Mattress When Suffering From Chronic Back Pain

Individuals suffering from chronic back pain may begin to wonder if their outdated mattress contributes to their discomfort. The average human spends one-third of his or her life sleeping on a mattress; thus, one can safely assume that resting on the wrong mattress attributes to back pain to some extent. The only time muscles and ligaments in the spine can completely relax occurs during periods of slumber. So individuals with chronic back pain will greatly benefit from a good night’s sleep on an adequate mattress.

Outdoor Safety Tips for Kids

Outdoor Safety Tips for Kids

Kids and the outdoors—they just go together! Study after study has proved that children who spend time playing, running, jumping, and doing all manner of other fun and physical activities outdoors do better in school and have fewer emotional upsets than those who don’t. But, as a parent, you know that the great outdoors carry their own safety issues that aren’t so great. And no one knows this better than teachers, which is why top teachers in New Jersey have compiled the following outdoor safety tips for kids that will help parents and kids alike know how to manage their outdoor activities safely.

Healthy Snack Ideas for Kids

Healthy Snack Ideas for Kids

Kids love to snack. In fact, after they get out of school, it’s often foremost on their minds … grabbing a snack and heading off to a fun after-school activity. But as a parent, it’s a foregone conclusion that you don’t relish your kids snacking nearly as much as they do. All those sugary, unhealthy snacks wreak havoc on their teeth, their bodies, and even their minds. And with all the refined, processed snacks out there these days, it can be hard sometimes to find snacks that are good for them. If you’re a teacher, you watch kids eat unhealthy foods every day for lunch, likely because many parents have a hard time coming up with healthy snacks their children will actually eat rather than toss out or trade for something that tastes better. Here are some healthy snack ideas for kids from top teachers in New Jersey that will keep your children from trading health for taste.

Foods You Eat That Can Harm Your Teeth

Foods You Eat That Can Harm Your Teeth

Some foods that harm your teeth are obvious. For instance, everybody knows sticky, sugary candies are bad for teeth. Most of us also likely know that sugary carbonated beverages are bad for teeth. But did you know that ice can also harm your teeth? And what about coffee? How bad (or good) is coffee for your teeth? Arming yourself with valuable information about the different foods you eat that can harm your teeth is the first step to taking control of your oral hygiene. And it may just be the most important step. Following is valuable information from top dentists in Clearwater regarding some of the most harmful foods for the health of your teeth and all their supportive structures.

Things You Did Not Know About Sunburn

5 Things You Did Not Know About Sunburn

Most of us have suffered from sunburn at one time or another in our lives. In fact, we’ve all probably seen more than just one sunburn when we looked in the mirror following a long day in the sun. But the truth about sunburn starts and ends with the fact that it can be hazardous. That’s why it’s important to prevent it whenever you can. And you can. You don’t have to suffer from sunburn; you just need to prevent it. There are a lot of things most of us don’t know about sunburn. For instance, did you know that just one blistering sunburn can double your chances of getting melanoma? It’s true. Suffering from just a single bad sunburn in childhood or adolescence can nearly double your risk of developing certain skin cancers. Here are more facts about sunburn you likely didn’t know, brought to you by dermatologists in New Jersey who care about your skin.

Things You Can Do to Prevent Dry Skin

10 Things You Can Do to Prevent Dry Skin

Dry skin doesn’t discriminate. It can affect any one of us at any time, and every season has its dry skin culprits. Thankfully, there are steps you can take to prevent dry skin that will help keep your skin soft, smooth, and flake-free. Dermatologists in New Jersey and throughout the country know that dryness is one of the most preventable afflictions of the skin. For this reason, some of the top dermatologists in the area have compiled a list of 10 things you can do to prevent dry skin.

Natural Ways to Prevent a Toothache

5 Natural Ways to Prevent a Toothache

The causes of a toothache are many. Thankfully, the preventions are many more. For most people, preventing a toothache is often as easy as eating the right kinds of foods and setting aside just a few minutes each day to concentrate on good oral care. Staving off a toothache naturally can be the simplest and most cost effective way to living a life free of tooth and mouth problems. Top dentists in Essex County offer the following five natural ways to prevent a toothache in order to remain tooth-pain-free.

You already know it, but it bears repeating: preventing a toothache starts by preventing tooth problems in the first place. Unless you’re battling a situation that makes toothache prevention difficult such as dry mouth caused by medications or a medical condition, in most cases, bad oral hygiene is the root cause of toothaches. So wait … then doesn’t that mean that good oral hygiene is the root cause of prevention? Absolutely!