6 Habits that are causing back pain

Don’t you hate it when you go and do some minor gardening then can’t move the next day?

Do you often hear yourself saying “I must be getting older because I wake up everyday with back pain.”

If you suffer from back pain, you are not alone. It is estimated that over 1 billion people have reported low back pain worldwide. Low back pain is defined as pain or discomfort in lower back near hips and sacrum, especially long lumbar spine. The pain can be diffuse, dull, achy, and even tight. There can be numerous triggers or underlying causes of why low back pain develops, common causes are muscle spasm, lumbar disc bulge or herniation, or even inflammation within the joint like arthritis.

But what about our daily habits, can they led to back pain? Yes! Many of the bad habits we develop that can induce back pain are repeated poor choices in our everyday lives that cause chronic pain.

Let’s look at some of the common habits that maybe causing your back pain:

1) Sleep:

We spend about one-third of our lives sleeping so it makes sense that how we sleep is going to have a huge impact on how we feel in our bodies. A major factor that can make or break our backs is our sleep position. The idea is to keep the spine in alignment by sleeping on your back or using a pillow between your legs.  Sleeping on the wrong mattress is  another common mistake. Finding the right one can be a challenge as there isn’t one type of mattress that’s best for everyone. The best mattress to keep your spine aligned depends on your body type, hip size etc., so shop around!

2) Sitting:

Let’s face it, modern day life has most of us sitting more than ever in history. Whether we are at a computer, commuting, or just sitting for long periods of time, the mechanics of too much sitting can increase muscle stiffness and put pressure on the discs of the spine. Simple standing stretches or short walks to break up these routines can get that qi and blood moving again and prevent further stagnation in the lower back. A quick tip is to move during the day, dont stay seated or standing for too long. Try and use a sitting/standing desk hybrid so you can alternate positions, even getting a treadmill work desk is a great option!

3) Posture:

Even if we aren’t living a sedentary lifestyle and are standing and moving more, we need to pay attention to our posture. For many of us, slouching is one of the hardest habits to break. It takes constant awareness to reset a hunched position to one with our shoulders back, chest lifted and our center of gravity stabilized. It’s a worthwhile effort though as it opens up our breathing, delivers oxygen to our cells and allows for a rejuvenating flow of qi and blood.

4) Lifting heavy items:

We’ve all heard the expression: “Lift with the knees, not with the back”, but when in a rush many of us make the near fatal mistake of bending at the waist to lift a heavy item and end up putting tremendous pressure on the lower spine and back muscles. Remember to pause, get help when needed, or use tools if necessary.

5) The wrong shoes:

If your feet hurt at the end of the day, you should take a look at your shoes. Are they really supporting your feet? Do they fit right? You may even want to consider orthopedic shoes depending on your foot shape and how ‘on your feet’ you are from day to day. If our feet are not positioned right it can cause the hip and lower back to become misaligned which may lead to back pain.

6) Nutrition:

You probably have heard of using food as medicine. Eating an anti-inflammatory diet is key to reducing inflammation that maybe leading to back pain. If you are eating the 3 F’s: Fast, Fatty, and Fried foods, you may be more prone to suffer from poor metabolism and inflammation. Read our previous post, here, about how to use foods to help become pain-free.

If you suffer from chronic back pain and looking for ways to live pain-free. Give our office a call today at (425) 686-4498 to learn how we can help!

Sources:

Low back pain: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8095030/