We can certainly help relieve your back pain. Start with an adjustment and we’ll ease into what may be causing the back pain.43152948_M But what if we told you that you may be able to prevent back pain in the first place? You can with a few small, daily lifestyle changes that could make a major difference. Here’s what we suggest:

Perform regular exercise
Staying active can help ease physical inflammation. Regular exercise also improves muscle tension. Tip: Exercise your core; strong core muscles are important to protect the lower back especially from pain.

Incorporate certain foods into your diet.
Since the majority of back pain is caused by some kind of inflammation, it would follow that eating anti-inflammatory foods, or foods that are known to reduce existing inflammation, would work to prevent back pain. Anti-inflammatory foods include leafy green vegetables, tomatoes, nuts, garlic, herbs and olive oil. Tip: The list of anti-inflammatory foods is extensive, but we think what we’ve just listed would make a great salad!

Meditate and take deep breaths.
Feeling the stress of the day? Working too hard? Have a laundry list of household chores to complete? Take a moment and reflect on all the positives of your day. Ultimately, the goal is to feel less stressed. Whatever that process may look like for you, go for it. When we are stressed, we tense up, and that can lead to headaches, back pain and overall general unhappiness. Tip: You don’t necessarily have to meditate to get this done; taking deep breaths to relax can also work wonders.

Maintain proper posture.
We go about our day sitting and standing in a way that feels natural to us, but don’t often think about our posture. Yet, proper posture can help prevent backache and muscular pain. Good posture involves training your body to stand, walk, sit and lie in positions where the least strain is placed on supporting muscles and ligaments. Tip: When sitting, keep your back straight, shoulders back and squared, and weight distributed evenly among both hips.

Start incorporating these habits into your life today for maximum results and a more pain-free tomorrow.