Back pain can sideline a person no matter their age. It can make getting out and enjoying activities a lot less enjoyable and reduce a person’s quality of life. If your loved one has found that back pain is restricting him from certain activities, he might find that having a 24-hour home care provider is a great resource to help him continue to live in his home.
Fortunately, there are steps your elderly loved one can take to reduce the risk of injuring their back.
Symptoms of a Lower Back Pain
Lower back pain can be different for many people, depending on what is causing the pain and how intense the pain is.
Common symptoms can include:
Stiffness. Your loved one may struggle to move or straighten his back. Getting up from a seated position may require holding onto the back and slowly moving about.
Being stooped over. If your loved one has a lot of lower back pain, he may be stooped over and find it difficult to stand up straight. He might also lean to one side or the other to find relief.
Muscle spasms. A bad strain may cause the muscles of the lower back to spasm, making any type of movement difficult and causing extreme pain.
Pain. The pain can range from sharp to achy to dull. It may remain consistent or come and go.
Your loved one may find certain positions, such as sitting, are more uncomfortable than others.
Six Tips for Reducing Back Pain
Daily Stretching. By practicing back stretches each day, your loved one can relax the tight muscles that often lead to lower back pain. Those tight muscles put strain on the spine leading to pain.
Perform core-building exercises. The lower back is responsible for supporting the entire upper body. Keeping the muscles in the core of the body that surrounds the lower back is a great way to give the lower back the support it needs to do its job and reduce the risk of a strain occurring.
Adjust sleeping position. Sleeping flat on the back can put pressure on the spine and cause back pain. Your loved one should elevate his knees slightly by putting them on a pillow if he sleeps on his back or if he’s a side-sleeper, place the pillow between his knees for support.
Pay attention to how he sits. Poor posture while sitting can lead to lower back pain in addition to shoulder, neck, and upper back pain. If your loved one likes to work or play on a laptop, make sure his setup is ergonomically correct to prevent pain.
Go for frequent walks. Walking helps the back by taking pressure off the back and helping the overall body to remain healthy and strong.
Learn to Lift Correctly. Lifting a heavy item using the lower back can lead to injuries and pain. Your loved one should always use his legs to lift and if something is too heavy, ask for help.
A 24-hour home care team of providers can be there at all hours to help him with activities that his back pain restricts him from doing such as lifting objects or getting in and out of the tub. A 24-hour home care team can customize the care they provide to exactly what your loved one needs.
If you or an aging loved one are considering 24-Hour Home Care Services in Cranford NJ, please contact the caring staff at Helping Hands Homecare today. Call (908) 418-4299
Helping Hands Homecare provides Senior Home Care Services throughout Northern and Central New Jersey, including Clark, Westfield, Cranford, Scotch Plains, Rahway, Linden, Summit, Edison, Elizabeth, Mountainside, Short Hills, Millburn, New Providence, Berkeley Heights, Kenilworth, Chatham, Madison, Metuchen, and surrounding areas.
After graduating from Seton Hall University with a BS in finance Helping Hands Homecare’s Owner / President, Robert D’Arienzo, went to work on Wall St. for six years. However, after Robert’s grandmother became ill with stomach cancer Robert and his family needed to find assistance in the home for her. After many trials and tribulations Robert could see that there was a great need for quality home care services here in NJ and loved the idea of being able to assist other families who were going through what his family went through with his beloved grandmother.
Thus, Robert had found his passion. After almost a year of preparation Robert opened Helping Hands Homecare in 2003. Robert wanted Helping Hands Homecare to focus on providing the highest quality of caregivers, exceptional customer service, and providing a service that familys could depend on in their time of need. Since then Helping Hands has assisted hundreds of individuals with the simplest of needs to more complex cases while preserving those standards set out many years ago.
Robert is a Google Verified Author
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