Developments and technological advancements have succeeded in making life more convenient, yet it also brought about a drastic change in everyone’s lifestyle, with people becoming more sedentary than active. This shift has adversely affected the well-being of many young people, according to a recent study conducted by the British Chiropractic Association.

More Sitting, Less Running

Their most recent statistics showed that almost half of young people aged 16 to 24 are living with neck and back pain, compared to last year’s figures with only 28 percent of them suffering from back pain. The British Chiropractic Association links this increasing number of young people suffering from back pains to their modern lifestyle, wherein more time is given to work than exercise.

On average, most people spend ten hours a day sitting in front of their desks, 1.8 hours using phones and tablets, 3.7 hours using computers and laptops, and 1.4 hours playing videogames. This leaves less than two hours for exercising and similar activities.

Back Pain and Physiotherapy

Lower back pain afflicts over a million people in the U.K., and that number is expected to grow within the next few years according to the BCA’s study. Bad habits such as a bad posture while sitting or standing, incorrectly lifting an object, or bending in awkward positions can trigger back pains, yet this is not always a serious condition and will improve given a week or two of rest. Given the increasing number of young people suffering from back pains, Ealing physiotherapy experts  can help relieve their pain without having them resort to surgery.

In fact, a recent study published in the Annals of Internal Medicine suggested that the pain relieving effects of physiotherapy is as effective as surgery for lower back pain, more particularly lumbar spinal stenosis. In the study involving 169 participants aged 50 years old and over, researchers found that patients who underwent physiotherapy reported similar pain reductions felt by those who underwent surgery, demonstrating that physiotherapy could effectively alleviate pain without the 15 percent complication risk that typically accompanies surgical procedures.

Your modern lifestyle might prevent you from becoming active for a certain period of time, but it’s important to stand and keep yourself moving from time to time. Once you do experience backaches, trusted Ealing physio experts , such as those from CK Physio, can help relieve your back pain without the need for medications or surgery.

(Source: Back pain in young people rising, say experts, BBC, 13 April 2015)