# KEEP MOVING

Back and neck pain is incredibly common.

Chances are, you’ve suffered with back / neck pain at some point in your life.

It used to be that people were given bed rest for back pain, but actually nowadays the research shows that being inactive can actually make it worse by weakening the muscles around the spine, delaying recovery.

It’s common now for doctors to advise being active

(Isn’t the answer to everything exercise?!)

Many forms of movement can help prevent further back pain.

Walking is a great way to loosen up a stiff back and get those muscles round the spine working.

When I’ve been suffering with back pain, I’ve focussed on walking. Trying to not get discouraged about what I couldn’t do and focussed on what I could.

Obviously there’s times when you need to seek a health professional: I am not one!

2 things that people find make their back worse: sitting down for too long and standing still for too long.

Some tips to help keep moving:

 If you find yourself standing for long periods, going up onto your toes and down again squeezing the calves is a great one and can be done if sitting too

If you sit for long periods, especially at a desk, think about taking regular breaks to walk, stretch and move around

Set a timer that goes off to remind you to get up and move

Practice stretching before bed and first thing in the morning, it only needs to take a couple of minutes! 

Try and avoid being in the same position for too long – whether it’s gardening, crafting, whatever you find yourself doing for a long time thats repetitive, esp when it’s enjoyable as you don’t want to stop!

Dance whenever you can – music and movement can be so powerful! (And you don’t have to be good at it!!)

Do you suffer from back and neck pain?

What have you found that helps you?