Back pain is something that is not exclusive to elderly people. In fact, we are willing to bet that you know people that complain about back aches from time to time. How about you? Do you feel an ache from simply bending down?
You may not recognize it as serious, but back pain can be a precursor to something much more serious. If you want to know whether your back pain is something to worry about, or maybe you just want to find out what you are doing wrong, here are 5 reasons why you have frequent lower back pain.
5 Reasons For Frequent Lower Back Pain
Posture
Let’s start with the basics here, and if you do not know it already, you may be worsening your back problems at this very second. Seeing as how the back serves as a focal point of your body, not being mindful of your posture will cause many problems in your tissues, spinal cord, and discs.
Posture has everything to do with the way you position your back as you stand up straight, sit straight, and do everyday things. You can easily get this wrong. From too much hunching to not standing straight on both feet, it is easy to forget that things that we often do in our subconscious can damage our backs.
If you are unsure whether or not your everyday habits are affecting your back, take a look at the list of things that you should avoid.
- Excessive slouching
- Lying on your belly when reading a book
- Hunching forward for a long time.
- Standing with one leg supporting the weight of the body.
- Walking while not supporting your head.
- Lifting whilst bending your back.
Job
Chances are that you already have a job that causes way too much stress on your back. This is not your fault either. Jobs require a great deal of dedication and dragging your body to work to follow a code of ethics as well as a mode of action. In the process of doing this, your back may be put to a compromise.
Moreover, basically, any job may lead to back pain. Drivers get back pain from sitting too long, tattoo artists get back pain from bending too much, and dentists are pretty much in the same situation. Not to forget the mass of labor workers we have in our society today, which all have to do repetitive tasks that include twisting, lifting, and bending.
The trick here is to know when to take a rest and always to practice what’s best for your back when you can. It is also smart to optimize your work area if you have that option.
Workout
Working out is good for you. That is needless to say. You may even be in the gym to improve your back strength or overall upper body strength. However, unless you are an experienced veteran around those dumbbells, you may be doing more harm than good as you do all those exercises.
You can easily trip up when it comes to working out. Overdoing it will cause an unnecessary amount of stress and tension in your muscles and joints, and your spine is no exception. Improper form is also a major factor that leads to a lot of back problems and, when executed poorly, can lead to disastrous injuries.
You need to start fixing this if you want to continue getting fit. Make sure that you follow these tips to make sure that you fix it as soon as possible.
- Warm up before you start.
- Know your pain triggers.
- Do not begin with heavy weights.
- Never curve your back if you lift.
- Try swimming or cycling.
- Stretching after you are done with your routine.
Bags
Something that students do when they go to school when hikers go about their day, or even office workers going to their workplace, carrying bags is something that people can not avoid.
However, even though you may think that the stress is on your shoulder, more of the work goes into your lower back, where all the weight depends. So, you can do yourself a favor by either shifting to a wheeled alternative or lightening up the pack that you bring daily.
Health complications
More often than not, it is not the things that lead to back pain, but it is what you already have that causes the aches in your back.
Back pain clinical trials have found that everything ranging from diseases to recent injuries and conditions can have severe back pain as one of their symptoms. If you have any of the following, you may have your answer as to why you are experiencing chronic back pain.
- Fractures that affect the spine.
- Disk problems get more common as age goes and they become less dependable, and they might protrude from their position.
- Arthritis is a significant problem when it comes to back pain, and severe cases will have a case of back pain that is supposed to last a week to become recurrent for months.
- Kidney stones.
- Spondylolisthesis is a condition that causes the vertebrae in the spine to come out of place.
- Scoliosis is a spinal deformity that may not be fatal but will cause permanent stress on your back if left untreated.
You can consider the back part of your body as the base for everything else. Neglecting it will result in much more concerning consequences, so paying attention to even a simple ache might save you from potentially life-threatening problems.