The primary factors that can cause or worsen pain include poor posture, injury, too little (or too much) activity, and specific conditions such as arthritis. However, what you eat can also help to manage or relieve pain, or even prevent it injury in the first place.
Here are some of our top nutrition tips for managing pain.
Ditch the processed foods Processed foods generally refers to most things that come in a packet with a list of ingredients: from biscuits to ready meals to breakfast cereals. They often contain little in the way of naturally occurring vitamins and minerals. They may worsen inflammation and pain because they contain higher levels of unhealthy fats – in particular, processed omega-6 fats and ‘trans’ fats, which have pro-inflammatory properties. They often contain quickly absorbed sugars or refined carbohydrates too, which may exacerbate inflammation when consumed in excess.
In contrast, ‘real’ foods are as close as possible to how they are found in nature. They can include whole vegetables and fruit, nuts and seeds, whole grains, fish, eggs and meat (whole cuts, not ‘deli’ or processed meats). These foods naturally contain higher levels of nutrients that can help reduce inflammation and pain, such as those we’re going to look at in more detail below.
Eat magnesium-rich foods One of the nutrients that may help to manage pain and inflammation is magnesium. Magnesium helps our muscles to work normally, including helping them to relax, which in turn helps to avoid or relieve muscle tension that can contribute to pain. This mineral is also important for the nerves. Magnesium is found primarily in whole unprocessed plant foods – especially green leafy vegetables such as spinach and kale, seeds and nuts, and whole grains including rye and buckwheat.
Include oily fish Oily fish such as mackerel, salmon, sardines, herring and anchovies are high in omega-3 fats. These fats have anti-inflammatory properties and therefore may help to manage pain. The specific omega-3s in fish (EPA and DHA) can be more beneficial than the types of omega-3 found in seeds such as flax seeds. Aim to eat a serving of oily fish around three times a week. These can include tinned sardines and salmon as long as they do not contain added vegetable oils (olive oil is fine). Note that ‘omega-3 fish fingers’ are not a good source of omega-3 fats – stick to the real thing!
Get plenty of vitamin C You may know vitamin C for its role in the immune system. But in fact the primary role of vitamin C is in making collagen – a protein that forms the basic structure of most of the body’s tissues, including the bones, joints and muscles. If your body can’t make collagen properly, these tissues will lose strength and function, contributing to not only day-to-day pain but also potentially painful conditions such as arthritis and osteoporosis.
Eating a variety of vegetables and fruit is the best way to get enough vitamin C. Although ‘five-a-day’ is the well-known recommendation, we should be aiming for at least seven portions a day, primarily of vegetables, in order to get good amounts of vitamin C and antioxidants. Some of the best sources of vitamin C include peppers, kale, broccoli, kiwi fruits, brussel sprouts, watercress and red cabbage. If you can, get your veg and fruit from a local producer (e.g. a farmer’s market) as it can lose its vitamin C when it’s stored or transported for long periods of time.
Include anti-inflammatory spices The spices ginger and turmeric in particular can have anti-inflammatory and pain-relieving properties. Use fresh ginger and powdered turmeric in your cooking whenever you can, make fresh ginger tea with a grated thumb-sized piece of ginger. If you have a good vegetable juicer you can even make fresh ginger juice to sip on – but watch out, it’s strong!
Try avoiding nightshades The ‘nightshade’ or solanaceae vegetables may worsen inflammation and pain for some people. These are aubergines, tomatoes, potatoes (not sweet potatoes), and peppers – including chillis and all types of chilli powder (cayenne, paprika etc.). If you’ve implemented the other changes for at least three months and not noticed a significant improvement in your pain, then try eliminating the nightshade vegetables.
Consider eliminating gluten Gluten is a protein that’s found primarily in wheat, barley and rye. The most severe reaction to gluten is coeliac disease, where the sufferer has to avoid gluten for the rest of their life. But some people who do not have coeliac disease may also react to gluten in a less severe way, which can contribute to inflammation in the body. If you’re cutting out gluten it can be best to work with a nutrition practitioner (e.g. a nutritional therapist) for support to make sure you’re not missing out on any nutrients.
Most of us are aware of the importance of calcium for our health, especially for our bones. However, magnesium is another vital mineral for our bones, as well as for our muscles and nerves, it can actually be more difficult to get enough of this mineral in our diet than to get enough calcium.
The many roles of magnesium
Magnesium is needed for normal muscle and nerve function. Without
magnesium, our muscle fibres wouldn’t be able to relax after they have contracted, and nerve impulses wouldn’t be able to travel around our body properly.
Magnesium is vital for strong bones and teeth too. If you’re trying to improve or maintain your bone strength, it’s essential to include lots of magnesium-rich foods as well as calcium-rich foods.
Magnesium is also necessary for our cells to convert the food we eat into usable energy, and also for healthy ‘psychological function’ – including mood and how we deal with stress.
For these reasons…
Symptoms of not getting enough magnesium may include: muscle cramping, tight or weak muscles, increased pain, and loss of bone strength, as well as lack of energy, low mood, greater susceptibility to stress, and even poor sleep or insomnia.
As chiropractors we regularly see patients with these symptoms – especially pain and muscle dysfunction, of course. If any of them ring true for you, you are likely to benefit from getting more magnesium into your diet.
Where can we find magnesium?
The main sources of magnesium in our diet are plant foods, particularly the following:
Green leafy vegetables such as kale, chard and spinach
Seeds and nuts – particularly pumpkin seeds and hemp seeds
Whole grains – especially buckwheat and rye
Beans and pulses.
How much magnesium do we need?
The general adult recommended daily allowance (RDA) for magnesium is 375mg. Like any nutrient, our requirements can vary, and the amount of magnesium present in foods – even the foods mentioned above – can also vary. But as a general rule, we need to eat four to five servings of one of these foods a day to get enough of this mineral. (One serving is about 80 grams or one handful green leafy veg, or two tablespoons of seeds, for example.)
Remember…
Drinking milk or eating cheese to get your calcium is not enough on its own to maintain strong bones – make sure you get plenty of those plant foods too! Also, don’t forget that weight-bearing exercise is one of the most important things to maintain bone strength.
An NHS study revealed that half of us are affected by back pain and 8 million working days are lost due to work-related back pain each year. But here are many ways to avoid and ease back pain when working:
Be aware of your posture; when standing try to distribute your weight evenly across the front, back and sides of your feet. When seated, sit up straight; align the ears, shoulders and hips in a vertical line as much as possible.
Avoid prolonged positions; even a good sitting position can be tiring and put a strain on muscles. Try alternating sitting positions by sitting at the front of the chair then sitting at the back of the chair. Try to also get up and move about every 30 minutes. Take 2 minutes to stretch, stand or go for a short walk. This will not only stimulate your muscles, but also your mind!
Avoid unbalanced posture such as sitting with your legs crossed, leaning to one side, hunching the shoulders forward or tilting the head up.
Position your monitor at your natural resting-eye-height. This will avoid straining the neck as you look up or hunch down to your screen.
Exercise regularly; a good combination of cardio and strength training will strengthen muscles and protect against back injuries.
Get moving: the body was designed to move, and it is so important to keep moving. Even if you are suffering from back or neck pain, limiting movement will only exacerbate the symptoms. Try to do lots of gentle movement within a relative pain free zone, in order to prevent everything from locking up.
The most common cause of neck pain is when you hold your head forward for long periods of time. This places undue stress on the joints of the lower neck, as well as muscles of the neck and shoulders. By trying to pull the neck and shoulders back into alignment, and doing some nice gentle stretches for the neck and chest, you can easily correct this, before it becomes too problematic.
When you are suffering with back pain, whether it is in the neck, between the shoulder blades or in the lower back, it can sometimes be difficult to know what to do. Do you sit, rest, keep active, use heat or cold?
The most common cause of back pain is when the joints of the back become restricted due to abnormal stress such as incorrect posture, degeneration and emotional stress. This causes tightening and inflammation around the joints resulting in the muscles tightening (in order to protect that area of the spine from further trauma). Muscle tightness causes the joint to be even more restricted in movement and therefore causes more joint inflammation and the cycle continues. People suffer from different types of back pain, some with tightening but others without, and therefore they will require a different treatment plan.
Chiropractors have the skill of removing joint restriction by using spinal adjusting to address the underlying problems of back pain.However, secondary problems of muscle tightness and joint inflammation require ongoing treatment so there are certain things a patient can do to relieve the pain.
Cold Treatment
The recommended treatment for back pain without muscle tightness is a cold treatment. This is simply a cold pack applied to the injury, which acts like a painkiller reducing the inflammation.
A Cold treatment can be used in any area of inflammation. i.e. spine or joint inflammation and restriction, knee swelling, sprained ankle etc.
Hot Treatment
For back pain with muscle tightness a hot pack is more suitable. Tight muscles are usually tender to touch, you can sometimes feel pea-sized knots and crystals in the muscle. Using heat relaxes the muscle and improves flexibility. Hot treatment can be used alone over tight muscles when they have contracted due to overuse, or for aches following the muscle being used in a different way.
Hot & Cold Treatment
Leaving a hot pack on the spine for a long time can increase the inflammation and cause the pain to increase. In this case once relaxation has occurred a cold pack is placed over the area to help decrease the joint inflammation.
It is always best to consult a Chiropractor first but the advice is not to rest, but to try and keep active, manoeuvring the joint at least every 20 – 30 minutes. Combine this with the hot or cold method of treatment and you will help relieve the pain resulting in a quicker recovery.
Many people spend their working day in front of a computer screen. Correct posture when you are spending a lot of time in front of a computer is extremely important, especially when you consider that for those with back pain and related conditions absence from work takes up an average of 13 days a year. Follow the do’s and don’ts below to ensure your posture is as correct as possible:
DO …
Ensure your chair has adequate back support
Use a desk of an appropriate height
Take regular breaks to rest eyes, neck and shoulders
Stand up and walk around at least once an hour
Loosen neck and shoulders whilst sitting
Relax wrists while typing
DON’T …
Slouch
Use a low table or desk
Sit for too long at a time
Tense your neck, shoulders or wrist
Cross your legs
Bad posture habits start in childhood when we sit in front of the television, and at school desks, and they continue into adulthood, not only with computers, but when we are driving and slouching in chairs. Sitting and inactivity automatically worsens posture and in later life can cause osteoporosis and arthritis, making pain inevitable.
In order to achieve a correct natural posture you should flatten your back against a chair or wall, roll your shoulders back and down, and tuck in your chin whilst you glide your head backwards. Try to adopt this position every 20 minutes or so and eventually it should occur automatically, to improve your posture and prevent pain and longer term damage.
Steer clear of muscle strain while carrying out garden duties this autumn…
Getting out in the fresh air to do some gardening can be a real joy. However, if you’re not used to all the
extra exercise and physical movement that donning a rake or trowel will bring, you could end up doing
your body more harm than good.
Digging, mowing and stooping place considerable stress on the ligaments and joints in the lower lumbar
spine and cause them to become inflamed and tender. This in turn triggers a protective muscle spasm,
which gives rise to the deeper, duller, achy type of pain that occurs over the following few days.
Taking extra care of your muscles and joints, especially when undertaking a form of exercise that you are
not used to, is very important. Follow these ten top tips for warding off garden aches and pains:
Gently stretch your muscles and ligaments for a few minutes before and after gardening; but don’t bend
down to touch your toes — this can cause damage
Wear light, but warm clothes & make sure your lower back is always covered
Kneel on one leg rather than bending your back repeatedly
Use long handled tools to prune tall plants
Use only a small spade/fork for digging and keep your back gently hollowed
Do not always work to one side only; ensure that you change your position regularly
Don’t do the same work for long periods; try and vary your tasks
Keep your back straight when carrying
Have a warm bath or shower after you’re finished
Do not sit for too long in your favourite armchair after carrying out work in the garden; instead stand up
regularly and walk around for a minute or two.
Women in the UK are starting to suffer with back and neck pain at the tender age of 28, according to new research from the British Chiropractic Association released to coincide with BackCare Awareness Week which runs from 3rd-8th October.
Women in the UK are starting to suffer with back and neck pain at the tender age of 28, according to new research from the British Chiropractic Association.
Over a fifth (22%) of women who have struggled, or currently struggle with back or neck pain say they do so on a daily basis and a quarter (24%) have suffered for over 10 years. Men fare a little better – first battling back and neck pain from the age of 32.
Now, ahead of BackCare Awareness Week (3-8 October), the BCA is urging women to take control and adopt healthier habits to prevent the onset of back pain, by incorporating a few simple steps into their daily routine.
The most common back or neck pain triggers for women are*:
Lifting and carrying
Bad posture
Sleeping/ mattress
Housework/ DIY
Exercise/ sport/ physical activities
Housework / DIY and sleeping/ mattresses were more common triggers for women; while men were more likely to point to exercise as the cause of their back or neck pain. For both men and women lifting and carrying was the most common trigger.
BCA chiropractor Rishi Loatey says: “As a chiropractor, I’m seeing more and more women who believe that back pain is a normal part of daily life. However, this simply isn’t the case – there is no normal amount of back pain and any pain should be treated promptly, before it becomes a long-term problem.
“Our research shows that both women and men are suffering from back or neck pain at an increasingly early age. In my experience, people battling pain often aren’t taking proactive measures to combat the effects of modern lifestyles, for example, limiting the amount of time spent sitting down or hunched over a mobile phone or laptop. There’s rarely one big trigger for back or neck pain, and my patients are often surprised at the difference they feel just by making simple changes to their daily routines.”
Making just a few simple lifestyle changes can have a big impact on our back and neck health. The BCA has issued the following golden rules for protecting back health and preventing against the key pain triggers.
1) Perfect your lifting and carrying technique: To avoid injury, make sure your legs are at least your hips’ width apart with the knees bent. Keep your head and shoulders directly above your waist and keep the weight you are carrying as close to you as possible – avoid twisting. Avoid bending from the waist, which increases the stress on your lower back. For more information on the perfect lifting and carrying technique, see the BCA website here.
2) Choose your bag wisely: Carrying heavy bags around all day can put strain on your back and contribute to pain. Make sure you regularly empty your bag and only pack the things you actually need. Ideally, opt for bags which can be carried on both shoulders, or across your body to distribute weight more evenly.
3) Take regular breaks: When doing housework or DIY, make sure you vary your activity and try to spend no more than 20-30 minutes on any one thing. If painting, you can still take short breaks without causing a problem. Likewise, if using a ladder move it regularly, rather than leaving the ladder in one place and having to stretch or reach out. It is important to take breaks to avoid being in the same position for too long, and this will help relieve the build-up of tension in your lower back
4) Stop the slouch: Slouching can put you at risk from back and neck pain. Relax when sitting into your seat, making sure you have your bottom against the seat back with your shoulder blades touching the back rest of the chair. Try to ensure that your hips are higher than your knees.
5) Get a good night’s sleep: Recognise the warning signs that it’s time to change your mattress; you wake up feeling stiff or aching, your mattress is misshapen or sagging or you can feel individual springs. If your mattress is over seven years old, you might want to think about buying a new one.
6) Warm up: When exercising or playing sport, it may seem obvious, but make sure your muscles are prepared by gradually increasing the intensity of your warm up, to avoid lack of flexibility and injury. A warm down may also help with those post exercise aches.
7) Promote a good posture: Having and maintaining a good posture can help to keep back pain at bay. To promote a good posture, try incorporating some simple exercises into your daily routine. The BCA has developed – Straighten Up UK – a series of simple exercises designed to improve posture and help prevent back pain by promoting balance, strength and flexibility in the spine.
Choosing a balanced diet containing the right vitamins and minerals decreases our chances of developing deficiencies later on in life. The body’s structure relies on vitamins and minerals to ensure muscle tone (including the heart), healthy functioning of nerves; correct composition of body fluids; and the formation of healthy blood and bones.
A Healthy Diet Plan
Calcium
For bone, muscle and joint health try and include Calcium in your diet, which is essential for optimal nerve and muscle function and blood clotting.
Obtained from
Dairy products are rich in calcium that is easy to absorb. Non – dairy sources with equally absorbable calcium are green leafy vegetables from the kale family. Spinach, rhubarb, sweet potatoes and dried beans are rich in calcium but from these foods it’s not easily absorbed
Magnesium
Required for efficient muscle contraction and conduction of nerve impulses. Low magnesium levels in the body can affect the body’s calcium levels, putting bone health at risk.
Obtained from
Green leafy vegetables, unrefined grains and nuts. Small amounts are present in meat and milk. Large quantities of fibre in the diet and low protein intake can reduce the amount of magnesium able to be absorbed by the body.
Vitamin D
Essential for regulating the formation of bone and the absorption of calcium from the intestine. Vitamin D is a fat-soluble vitamin that functions to help control the movement of calcium between bone and blood.
Obtained from
Primarily from the action of UVB light on the skin. Food sources such as cod liver oil, sardines, salmon, tuna, milk and milk products contain small amounts of Vitamin D.
Vitamin C
The structure of bones, cartilage, muscles and blood vessels is provided in part and maintained by collagen. The formation of strong efficient collagen requires Vitamin C.
Obtained from
Citrus fruits, berries, tomatoes, cauliflower, potatoes, green leafy vegetable and peppers. Also important for producing strong collagen and therefore strong bone structure, is Folic acid. Folic acid is found in cereals, beans, green leafy vegetables, orange and orange juice
Antioxidants
Vitamin C is also a strong antioxidant and is capable of regenerating other antioxidants like vitamin E. The role of antioxidants is to mop up free radicals (the by-products of normal metabolism). Excessive amounts of free radicals cause damage to joint surfaces and muscle cell regeneration. Antioxidants reduce the potential of these free radicals to cause joint damage.
Obtained from
Antioxidants are vitamins A, C, E and the mineral selenium and are present in fruits and vegetables, the highest quantities are found in the most deeply and brightly coloured. Cartilage that lines the articulating surfaces of all joints is critical to joint health. Cartilage is the shock absorber of joints and is continually rebuilt if a source of raw materials is available. Supplements such as glucosamine sulphate can be added to a healthy diet to assist joints that maybe showing signs of wear and tear.
Essential fatty acids
Essential fatty acids (EFA’s) also reduce the degenerative changes in tissues and cells. EFA’s are unsaturated fatty acids such as Omega 3. They aid in decreasing the inflammatory response and help relieve pain and discomfort in joints and muscles.
Obtained from
EFA’s can be found in oily fish (sardines, fresh tuna, mackerel), flax seed and linseed.
Foods to avoid…
There are certain foods and substances that adversely effect the body’s use of minerals and vitamins. High saturated/animal fats, refined foods, white flour, white sugar, white rice, chocolate, carbonated drinks and fruit juices with high sugar concentration should be kept to a minimum if not weaned from the diet completely. Meat and dairy products should be kept within a recommended weekly amount. Dairy products as calcium sources should be varied with other non-dairy sources.
celebrate World Spine Day for your loved ones from 17th to 21st October 2016.