Back pain and joint pain: the mistakes we make revealed by the chiropractor

One out of two Italians goes to the gym not only for aesthetic needs, but to solve a health problemhow can it be the backache: this is one of the data collected by the project Health at the center Of Confederate Sports Activities (Asc)which immediately catches the eye.

More than 60% of the population suffers from back pain and often the origin lies in bad habits, which we carry on every day even unknowingly, then discovering that very little is needed to get better.

This is the concept behind Wow effect, published by Mondadori Electathe first book of Dr Joseph Luraschithe chiropractor most loved by VIPs: Fedez, Chiara Ferragni Gianluca Vacchi, Alanis Morissette, Carlos Santana and Michelle Rodriguez are just some of the characters who have “passed under his hands”.

«Many asked me for a sort of handbook of small tricks to adopt during the day – explains Luraschi – How to behave at work, at home, with children… Simple daily gestures that if assumed as habits help to improve the quality of life, in short. So I decided to collect all the advice and useful information for the body and mind in one volume».

Wow effectwhich gives the title to this book, is the reflection of the surprise expression of his patients after putting some into practice #Chirojotipsthe advice he dispenses also on his own socialwhere it is followed by almost 71 thousand people. «This is the effect of a session of chiropracticthe science used by millions of people around the world and which is increasingly being used in Italy too – comments Luraschi – His benefits in fact, they are not limited to removing the causes of back pain and joint pain, but they act at 360 degrees on the psychophysical health of the patient».

But what exactly is chiropractic? Because we often hear about it, but without understanding exactly what it is…
“Chiropractic is a primary health care profession that aims to restoring communication between the brain and the rest of the body. It is an art, a philosophy, a lifestyle, a way of seeing things differently from others. Chiropractic means from the Greek “to act with the hands”, a non-invasive profession, which does not involve the use of drugs or particular tools, only manually one goes to look for and find all those points where there could be a blockage, an interference in the nervous system, because when this interference is removed the body is able to fix itself. He just needs to be taken out of his way and that’s what we chiropractors do.”

And what’s the difference with an osteopath, for example?
«Both professions take patients from point A to point B, they are two complementary professions, but unfortunately in Italy there are still no books with the rules of the game. In the rest of the world the chiropractor works more on the nervous system, on the joints, while the osteopath works on the soft tissues, the arteries and the viscera. There difference substantial between the osteopath and the chiropractor the operator certainly does. Unlike the osteopath, who has usually done other studies previously, the chiropractor performs 5 years of study only and exclusively in chiropractic, thus arriving at a greater specialization».

How important is posture for a healthy life?
«If the body is fine, we are fine, since posture is the mirror of our physical situation. A well-being person will certainly be much more upright, a closed and gloomy person will also be posturally closed. The posture shows on the outside how we are on an emotional and psychological level, but if we make an effort to correct our posture and contrast a closed and hunchbacked posture we will also be better on a psychological level. Correct posture is very important for a healthy life.

In your book, there is a chapter dedicated to breathing: how much can correct breathing benefit a body full of pain?
«When we have pain, whatever it is, our breathing changes and increases in frequency and intensity. Knowing how to correct your breathing even with meditation helps a lot to control our pain. Long, slow breaths help relax the diaphragm, which is structurally connected with the whole part of the side. It is very important to make an effort to breathe correctly».

Can you give us an example?
«An exercise that you can do at any time is definitely the “square” breathingwhich includes 4 phases of 4 seconds each: inhale for 4 seconds, hold your breath for the same time, always exhale counting up to 4 and hold your breath for 4 seconds».

What is it for?
«This exercise leads us to regulate blood pressure and the heartbeat, as well as having a calming action on the nervous system, consequently it relaxes the muscles and allows you to improve your posture. It is then important prefer abdominal to chest breathing, to avoid tension in the shoulders and neck. If we can realize when we are assuming a wrong posture, it would be optimal to start with correct breathing, strive to exhale very slowly and inhale faster.

What is typically wrong with breathing?
“We live in a world where people are unable to breathe, almost everyone breathes with the accessory, intercostal, upper body muscles. You have to breathe with your belly because to breathe well, your shoulders and ribs shouldn’t move. We asked Dr. Luraschi what are the most usual and daily postures that cause the most common back pain: you can find them below, scrolling through our article to the end. Knowing them means starting to notice them, therefore a make them awareand then try to correct them as soon as they are taken».

Watch out for your wallet and your legs crossed when seated

The way we sit is the main mistake that causes back pain. For example, the men sitting on the wallet they are wrong, because they create a rotation of the pelvis and a compression of the buttock, which could be confused with the symptoms of sciaticawhen in reality it is enough to remove the wallet from the back pocket and sit correctly, with both buttocks resting on the seat.

For women you don’t have to cross your legs because rotation, torsion and even vascular problems are created, compressing the arteries.

Don’t slide forward when you sit down

Most people in everyday life sit badly, for example on the subway, on the train, in the waiting room. Sitting badly means sliding forward on the seat, with straight legs and crossed feet, bending the neck forward: this leads to stress on all the muscle and bone structures, which will then begin to hurt.

Don’t sleep on your stomach

At night, sleeping on your stomach or without pillows leads to shoulder pain, for example.

How do you consult your cell phone?

It’s important to use tablets, phones, PCs more intelligently, raising the monitor to eye level to keep your back and neck straight and not stress your spine.

Broaden your shoulders as you eat

Another mistake: when we eat, we should sit with the lumbar forward and broaden the shoulders.

And do you use the headrest?

Headrest in the car, this unknown: if it exists, it’s because it has to be used, but hardly anyone rests their head on it. This position leads to stress on the neck, having an incorrect posture.

Smartworking and back pain

Smartworking has caused a radical change in the way of approaching work, first of all from the posture: accustomed to the desk, from home we have also been led to work in unsuitable positions with improvised workstations, thus causing an increase in back pain and of joint pains. It is important to check the position of the computer screen that is frontal and not diagonal, to avoid torso twisting. As for the height, the monitor must be positioned at horizon level, so as to allow you to keep your head straight and your shoulder blades close together. If the screen is too low, they strain and overload the suboccipital muscles posterior to the skull, causing neck pain in the cervical area and headaches. If your monitor isn’t high enough, or if you’re working on a laptop, it’s important to use a riser.

Hobbies, hobbies and home activities

There are countless activities that can be carried out at home, from cooking to cleaning, from painting to puzzles, from reading a book to watching a film. It may seem trivial, but instead it is important to choose the right place for each of these activities and above all to assume correct posture. If you are forced to stand for a long time, such as for example to iron, it is important to get an object on which you can place a foot, alternating them.

Kids at home spend a lot of time bent over their desks, to study or to do their homework: you must always check the posture you assume, absolutely avoiding studying lying down on the bed or even worse on the sofa with a PC or tablet resting on your legs, this big difference in level leads to having the head tilted too much, thus causing tension in the cervical area which will then lead to back pain.

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