Father's Day 2019: Helping fathers fight back pain

Nothing compares to the thrill of raising the apple of your eyes Yet the time spent caring for your loved ones the wrong way can lead to chronic back pain This Fatherrsquos Day on June 16 we acknowledge all the precious men who have selflessly devoted their attention to the childrenAlmost 8 in 10 people suffer from back pain sometime in their life While most of these episodes of back pain resolve on their own in about 4 to 6 weeks some develop into chronic back pain Just as a body is only as healthy as its spine families are only whole when fathers are in the best of their health Dr Garima Anandani Senior Spine Specialist and Clinical Director QI Spine Clinic shares how fathers can take care of their back painCauses of back painWhat causes back pain among fathers The years spent looking after the young ones can be taxing your back without you knowing it Here are the reasons causing your back to acheLifting and carrying incorrectly The most common reason for back pain among fathers is the incorrect method of lifting and carrying their children Children in their early years gain a few pounds every week With the increase in their weight the strain felt by fathers may increase if their back is not prepared to sustain the strain caused by liftingWaking up at odd hours The earlier months with your child can cause you to wake up at odd hours The intervertebral discs in your back cause your back to become stiff during sleep due to an increase in its hydrostatic pressure Ensuring your body warms up instead of rising instantly reduces the strain over the structures in your backPoor posture and ergonomics Continuous postures put excessive strain over the muscles of your back giving rise to pain Sudden twisting movements can injure the structures of the back Understanding how to change the way of doing things so you can relieve pressure from your back goes a long waySedentary lifestyle Leading a sedentary lifestyle does little to prepare the muscles of your back to prepare for fatherhood As a result the changes that occur on the arrival of the bundle of joy can cause strain on those muscles due to their inefficient capacityFive ways to treat your back painLearning to treat your own back Pain in the lower back occurs due to injury to the structure in the back On the onset of back pain go easy on yourself Avoid exertion and use hot fomentation to relieve sorenessMoving right A lot of back pain incidences can be controlled just by understanding the right way of performing activities When lifting your child lift them close to your body Bend your knees and keep back straight Avoid sudden twisting or liftingTake support Using the right furniture and back supports helps in keeping you in the right posture Ensuring that your workstation desk at home babyrsquos changing area are all of the appropriate dimensions goes a long way in preventing back painMind over matter Having the right attitude towards everything influences the way you work Stress can cause your posture to become slouched adding strain over the structures of you backWhat comes first Prioritising the right way helps you to deal with back pain better Putting your health first helps you to take care of your loved ones when they need you the most7 Exercises to keep back pain at bayKeeping fit helps in preparing your body for the unpredictable strains that your back has to handle Maintaining good spinal core muscle strength helps in preventing low back pain Here are a few exercises you can do on your ownBridging Bridging helps in strengthening buttock muscles and impact functional activities like walking and standing Glut bridge is done by lifting buttock muscles while keeping the spine in the neutral position Hold for 10 seconds and repeat 10 timesArm and leg raise On all fours alternatively raise opposite arm and leg while keeping the spine in the neutral position Hold for 10 counts and repeat 10 times This helps in strengthening abdominal and back musclesBent leg raise On all fours having both knees and hands on the ground raise bent knee while keeping the spine in neutral Hold for 10 counts and repeat 10 times This strengthens abdominal and buttock musclesPlanks Raise your body on forearms and toes Hold for a minute and repeat twiceSquats Squats help in strengthening buttock and thigh muscles along with abdominal muscles Squat while keeping back in a neutral position Do not let your knees cross your toes Hold for 10 counts and repeat 10 timesT and Y Raise T and Y raise can be done either on a Swiss ball or on all fours These help in strengthening upper back muscles Hold for 10 counts and repeat 10 timesThoracic Extension On all 4 limbs keep the spine in neutral and lift one arm and anchor it to the head Open out the elbow towards ceiling Hold for 10 counts and repeat 10 timesAbdominal crunches Keeping the spine in neutral raisethe upper body up You can support your neck by holding under your neck Hold for 10 counts and repeat 10 timesCatch up on all the 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