McKinney Chiropractor;
Sleeping Postures for Back Pain!
Video by Dr. Travis Downs
There’s no place like bed…
We spend about a third of our lives sleeping and most people do not pay attention to the position they are sleeping in. The reason we need to pay attention to this is that when we are in a certain position for hours at a time, Hilton’s law can come into effect. Remember that Hilton’s Law says that if we don’t move a joint to its full range of motion again gravity every day we lose mobility and can build up scar tissue, form adhesions, and build inflammation. Eventually that inflammation will lead to neck pain, low back pain, and possibly numbness and shooting pain in the arms and legs. Most patients don’t consider that the way they are sleeping will affect their health and can cause back pain. The main things to look at when we are sleeping is that we never want to sleep on our stomach. Try these Sleeping Postures for Back Pain! When we are on our stomachs, we have to turn our head one way or the other to breathe. Laying like this will cause most people to wake up with “cricks” in their necks and can have this more frequently over time. We want to stick to sleeping on our side or our back. When we lay on our sides, we want to make sure we are not rolling our lower back by bringing a knee up and over. This will cause your low back to be twisted and can lead to pain. Instead, place a pillow between your legs to prevent from rolling. Also, in the side sleeping position you want to make sure the pillow you are using fills in the space between how far you sink into the bed with your shoulder and neck. We want to make sure you head isn’t too low or too high or we will cause that “crick” in your neck. If you are a back sleeper the most important thing to remember is no pillow. We want neck support but most pillows will prop your neck up and will cause it to be in a forward position. This once again can lead to pain and “cricks” in your neck along with sleep apnea and snoring. The better we can sleep in popper positions the less pain we will have (1). If you or your significant other is having problems with your sleep because of pain, snoring, or sleep apnea come see us and we will help you out!
- Effects of sleeping position on back pain in physically active seniors: A controlled pilot study
Gustavo Desouzart 1, Rui Matos 1 2, Filipe Melo 3, Ernesto Filgueiras 4
Our Message
Our Chiropractors located near the corner of Eldorado Pkwy. and Ridge Rd. are here to help educate our patients on how to live a healthier lifestyle. We also look at nutrition to make sure you are getting the proper nutrients while helping you manage stress to give your body the best fighting chance against pain and disease! So try these Sleeping Postures for Back Pain!