I have a theory that high heels were invented to keep women subjugated.  You can’t run in them and sometimes it seems you can barely walk in them.  But worse of all they can actually throw your spine out of alignment.  They cause an unnatural curve of the spine and can put pressure on the back muscles.  Eventually, back pain will begin and it often starts in the neck.  I’ve known women who found freedom from back pain within a couple of weeks after ditching the high heels.

Your shoes can make a big difference to the health of your back.  Your body is a system and everything is connected.  Your shoes should provide good support for the arches and the toe area should not squeeze your toes.  Your shoes should be stable too.  High heels can be very unstable and cause the muscles in your lower back to work hard to keep you balanced.  If you wear high heels and experience back pain, I suggest you consider wearing a lower heel for a while to find out if your neck or back pain disappears.

A lot of back pain can be reduced by exercising.  It seems like such a contradiction, but it’s true.  The caveat is you don’t want to suddenly try to do a lot of exercises you’re not used to doing.  You need to ease into the exercise program and give your back time to adjust to the higher level of activity and motion.  Actually, the best thing to do is to exercise regularly to prevent back pain, but that’s another topic all together.

There are some tips you can follow for starting an exercise plan to reduce back pain.  First, you should start slowly as mentioned.  You should exercise according to your pain tolerance. You don’t want to quit at the first twinge, because there will be some pain at first. But I promise the pain will get better in most cases if you stick with the exercise program.  You want to begin with short 10 minute exercise session 2 or 3 times a day and then add on to the time as your back gets stronger.

Developing back pain is the perfect way to ruin a good night’s sleep.  But we live in a world that believes in having choices.  There’s plenty of products on the market that can help you sleep better even with back pain.  Some of them are expensive such as the specially designed mattresses, but others are well within reach of most budgets.

Even if you can’t afford one of the specialty mattresses, you can make sure you buy a sturdy mattress that doesn’t collapse with use.  Also, you should use pillows that maintain their support.  The pillow should keep your neck and head in line with your spine.  When your pillows get old and flat it’s time to buy new pillows.  They often advertise adjustable bed frames on television.  These frames let you raise your legs or head to relieve pressure on the spine.  If you’re having trouble sleeping due to back pain, check your bed and see if you need to replace what you’re sleeping on.