Yahoo! Life: Your Back Aches? Injury? Bad Mattress? Or Are You Just Getting Older?

Yahoo! Life recently interviewed sports medicine specialist and orthopedic surgeon Bert Mandelbaum, MD, vice chair of the Department of Orthopaedic Surgery at Cedars-Sinai, about factors that contribute to muscle aches and pains, and the best ways to treat them. 

Nearly 25% of U.S. adults experience chronic, or long-lasting, pain, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Mandelbaum, co-director of the Regenerative Orthobiologic Center at the Cedars-Sinai Board of Governors Regenerative Medicine Institute, told Yahoo! Life that common aches and pains can result from a mattress or pillow that does not support the natural curve of the spine.

“If your mattress and pillow is too hard, or you’re angled wrong, you can get aches and pains in your back and neck in the morning,” he said.

Mandelbaum told Yahoo! Life that a strain from overexertion, or from muscles being stretched beyond what’s normal, is an example of acute—or short-term—pain.

“If it’s a simple strain, you’ll be back to it within 10 days to two weeks,” he said. “But it can take up to 12 weeks or more for more severe strains.”

Mandelbaum told Yahoo! Life that movement can help manage pain, unless the body is injured.

“Our bodies are programmed to be active,” he said, adding that walking can help loosen achy muscles.

Other helpful treatments for the muscles and joints—depending on the cause of the pain—include heat, ice, rest, compression and nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory medications, such as ibuprofen.

Mandelbaum told Yahoo! Life that people with lingering pain that hasn’t improved with at-home treatments should see a healthcare provider.

“Pain is part of life, but managing it is an important part of health and wellness,” he said. “Don’t ignore pain.”

Click here to read the complete article from Yahoo! Life.