5 Ways to Fix Your Back Pain

Strengthening your midsection is nonnegotiable in helping to clear up back pain and ward it off for the long term, says McGill, author of _Back Mechanic_. NIH research backs him up. One meta

study found that core-stabilization programs have been shown to reduce chronic low-back pain by up to 77 percent. While McGill is a big advocate of identifying and focusing on movement

patterns that could be causing you trouble (his book teaches a method for this), he says that three essential exercises, practiced daily, can give most people the strength they need to help

ward off the hurt. These are a side plank, the bird dog (while on your hands and knees, reach one arm out in front of you while extending the opposite leg behind you) and a modified curl-up

with hands supporting the lower back. A DIET TWEAK Dietary changes are not part of the American College of Physicians’ new guidelines on back pain, yet many experts, including chiropractors,

swear by them to address this problem. David Friedman, a naturopathic physician and author of _Food Sanity: How to Eat in a World of Fads and Fiction,_ says that poor eating habits can

render all other treatments futile. “One of the biggest underlining culprits of back pain is poor nutrition and digestion, which can lead to chronic inflammation that irritates muscles,

ligaments, tendons and nerves_.”_ To reduce inflammation, Friedman recommends eliminating all junk food and processed food, including white flour and deli meat, and replacing them with a

diet rich in fruits and vegetables such as blueberries, red grapes, broccoli, spinach, onions and ginger, as well as plenty of fatty fish (think salmon, mackerel and sardines). SOLID SLUMBER

You will not free yourself from pain if you are not sleeping, says David Hanscom, an orthopedic surgeon at Swedish Neuroscience Specialists in Seattle. He says that lack of enough shut-eye

actually “induces chronic pain.” Aim for at least seven hours of restful sleep every night. If you wake up uncomfortable each morning, you may need to try a different mattress. McGill

recommends going to a mattress store and lying on a mattress for an hour before choosing a new one. You can also order and try out mattresses from online retailers such as Casper, which

offers free returns. And don’t discount the value of simple tweaks like a regular bedtime, blackout shades and earplugs in possibly providing the means for some rejuvenating shut-eye.