Our backs were made to move, but 21st century lifestyles have fuelled a rise in muscular back problems and back pain .
Among the factors causing the problem are the fact we are more sedentary, we spend more and more time hunched over laptops, tablets and Smartphones and it is reported that well over half the population is either overweight or obese.
But the muscle and joint-care experts at Mentholatum want to change that and are calling on the people of Britain to make a stand and take five S.T.E.P.S. to healthier, stronger backs. Mind Your Back is a simple strategy which aims to help people manage back pain and avoid future problems.
It takes little time and you don’t need special equipment or the latest sports gear.
Mind Your Back S.T.E.P.S.
The S.T.E.P.S. are:
- Stretch – five easy to follow stretches to help ease tight back muscles and keep you mobile.
- Therapy – when life gets in the way and you can’t fit in all the S.T.E.P.S. use hot or cold therapy to ease those stiff, tense, tired out muscles
- Exercise – go for a walk, a swim or a cycle ride, just start slowly and build up gradually
- Posture – could you draw a straight line between your ear, shoulder and hip when sitting down or ear, shoulder, hip, knee and ankle when standing? No? Then it’s time to pay attention to posture
- Strengthen – five more exercises, this time to strengthen your core muscles and prevent back pain. A strong core means a stronger back.
The back stretches can be done anywhere. No need to travel to the gym. You can stretch at home, in the office or in the park at lunchtime, wherever it suits you. Just listen to your body and take it slowly at the start, never over-extending or pushing yourself too hard and stop at once if you feel any pain. Back care’s a step-by-step marathon, not a sprint!
You’ll find more information and videos featuring physiotherapist and yoga instructor Celeste Pereira showing the five S.T.E.P.S. at https://www.mindyourbackuk.com/ *
Jillian Watt, from Mentholatum, herself a qualified Pilates instructor, says: “We have developed #mindyourback to give back pain sufferers a one-stop shop for clear, key advice to help them manage their back pain in five simple S.T.E.P.S. which can fit into the busiest lives.”
BACK PAIN FACTS
- It is estimated that low back pain is responsible for 37% of all chronic pain in men and 44% in women and the total cost of low back pain to the UK economy is reckoned to be over £12 billion per year.
- Most cases of back pain resolve themselves within a few days or weeks and can be managed at home
- Just last month the BBC reported that back pain experts writing a series of papers for The Lancet advise that most back pain is best managed by keeping active.
*Before starting exercises, check that there is no medical reason why the exercises may not be suitable for you. They are not suitable for people who have a serious back injury or an underlying health condition.
WIN A ‘MIND YOUR BACK’ PRIZE PACK FROM MENTHOLATUM
The Mentholatum Company is the UK’s number one seller of topical analgesics, accounting for more than three of every ten topical analgesic products sold in the UK. It is the company behind some of the nation’s best-known and most trusted brands such as Deep Heat and Deep Freeze and the ibuprofen and levomenthol gel Deep Relief. #ad #sp
