Back Dr in West Orange Recommends 4 Lifestyle Changes to Avoid Back Surgery

April 19, 2021

HARVARD TRAINED back PAIN DOCTORS in New jersey

People experience back pain for multiple reasons. Some deal with a pinched nerve, some with degenerative disk disease, and others experience pain due to poor posture. Oftentimes, the most common cause of back pain is sciatica, that sharp, radiating pain that starts from the lower back and goes down your hips and feet.

Back pain is fairly common and is bound to happen to anyone at least once in their life, but the risks increase even more as we age. If left unattended, back pain can have a major impact on your daily life, preventing you from being able to enjoy your favorite activities, complete simple tasks, or go to work. In fact, back pain is the leading cause of missed workdays on the globe.

If you are experiencing chronic back pain, you may be thinking that surgery is the only option, but that is not actually true. At Pain Treatment Specialists, the board-certified pain doctors in our team will use their expertise, paired with state of the art medical equipment to provide proper medical advice and pain management options. In most cases, back pain goes away with minimally invasive treatment, so if you are looking for an experienced back Dr in West Orange, don’t hesitate to contact our pain center today.

Until you get the time to pay our doctors a visit, we want to help you better manage pain at home as well. So, without further ado, here are four lifestyle changes that will help you prevent back surgery.

Looking for the best back dr in West Orange! You’ve come to the right place! Our Harvard-trained back doctors can help you avoid surgery!

Lifestyle change #1 – Always keep an eye on your posture

You’re probably sitting at your desk while you are reading this. Your shoulders are likely hunched over as well, your neck is stiff, and your chair lacks sufficient lumbar support. You’re not relaxed, but you didn’t know it because you’ve been sitting this way for so long. That is a perfect environment for back pain to come wreck trouble.

The average American sits for about 11 hours a day, which can have far-reaching health consequences ranging from back pain to muscle soreness and psychological stress. The human body was not designed to sit for long periods of time, and experts are doing their best to warn people about the negative consequences of spending the majority of our lives at our desks.

Of course, if that’s what your job involves, you can’t necessarily stop sitting at your desk, but you can learn how to do it without putting a strain on your back. Correcting your posture will help relieve your back pain now and prevent it from returning in the future. After all, even if you decide to seek treatment, back pain will return if the underlying cause is not addressed.

Lifestyle change #2 – Exercise frequently

Being physically active is good for you in general, but it is especially important if you struggle with back pain. First and foremost, routine exercise aids in weight loss, which is critical for herniated disc prevention, one of the main causes of back pain. Experts were able to find out that obesity can wear down the outer fibres in the back part of the vertebrae discs, and overweight patients are more likely than non-obese patients to need surgery.

Another benefit of frequent physical exercise is that it helps strengthen your core and back muscles, providing extra support to your spine and reducing the risk of developing back pain.

However, not all exercises are beneficial to the spine. Weight lifting, for example, can be dangerous because if not performed properly and under the guidance of a trainer, it can result in back injury and spinal trauma. Low-impact aerobics, biking, swimming, and cycling are the best back exercises, but always make sure you talk to your doctor and ask them to recommend proper exercise for spine care.

Lifestyle change #3 – If you are a smoker, quit

Cigarette smoking is bad for your heart, lungs, skin, and nearly every other organ in your body. And if you think smoking and back pain are not linked, it may be time to reconsider.

Cigarette nicotine can not only lead to premature spinal disc degeneration but also inhibits blood flow and prevents proper blood circulation to the spine.

While it doesn’t happen immediately, smoking does have an effect on your back over time. Furthermore, smoking is a well-known risk factor for spine surgery.

If you are one of the special cases that require surgery, your spine surgeon will recommend you to stop smoking in the weeks preceding the operation because nicotine impairs the body’s ability to heal and raises risks of infection. This risk is somewhat reduced when it comes to new, minimally invasive procedures, but stopping smoking is still advised in the long term.

Lifestyle change #4 – Manage stress levels

When we speak about the main causes of back pain, we usually focus on the external factors: poor posture, exercise mishaps, poor ergonomics, or pushing that 140-pound piece of furniture without proper gear. But what if stress also has a role to play in this? As it turns out, it really does.

When we are stressed, our bodies respond instinctively and without our awareness. Our jaw clenches, our muscles, especially those around our neck and shoulders, get tensed. Dealing with this type of stress for an extended period of time, as it happens to most of us these days, places a lot of strain on the spine, resulting in more discomfort.

So, even though stress does not seem to be a direct cause of back pain, it may be a contributing factor. Managing it, however, can benefit you in more ways than just getting rid of back pain.

In most cases, making these easy lifestyle changes will alleviate back pain and keep it from returning. However, if the pain continues or worsens, contact a pain doctor to consider further treatment options.

The specialists at our spine center have gained tremendous knowledge through fellowship training so they are fully prepared to help you find proper pain management treatment. Come and visit us at our West Orange, NJ Pain Center near the Essex Country Club where the best back doctors are ready to help. You can also give us a call at (855) 383-7054 or book an appointment online today!

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Meet Our Team of Back Pain Specialists

All of our Pain Doctors in New Jersey are Harvard Trained and Board Certified in Pain Management

Dr. George Hanna - Back Pain Treatment Specialist in NJ

Back Pain Doctor Clifton & West Orange NJ

Dr. George Hanna

Dr. Hanna is a Harvard Trained back specialist in New Jersey and New York.  He serves as Medical Director of Pain Management.

Dr. Lombardi - Back pain treatment specialist NJ

Back Pain Doctor Clifton & West Orange NJ

Dr. Laura Lombardi

Dr. Lombardi is a Harvard Trained back pain treatment doctor, currently seeing patients in Clifton and West Orange, New Jersey.

Dr. Shane Volney - Back Pain Doctor NJ

Back Pain Doctor Clifton & West Orange NJ

Dr. Shane Volney

Dr. Volney is a Harvard Trained back treatment doctor seeing patients in the NJ areas of Clifton & West Orange, and in NYC.

Dr M Circle Thumb

Back Pain Doctor Clifton & West Orange NJ

Dr. Michael Nguyen

Dr. Nguyen is Harvard Trained and Board Certified in Pain Management. His pain center accepts major medical insurances and Medicare.

Dr. Hanna

Dr. George Hanna

Dr. Hanna is a Harvard Trained back specialist in New Jersey and New York.  He serves as Medical Director of Pain Management.
Dr. Hanna

Dr. Laura Lombardi

Dr. Lombardi is a Harvard Trained back pain treatment doctor, currently seeing patients in Clifton and West Orange, and Paramus New Jersey.

Dr. Hanna

Dr. Shane Volney

Dr. Volney is a Harvard Trained back treatment doctor seeing patients in the NJ areas of Clifton & West Orange, and in NYC.

Dr. Hanna

Dr. Michael Nguyen

Dr. Nguyen is Harvard Trained and Board Certified in Pain Management. His pain center accepts major medical insurances and Medicare.