Back pain has become an emerging problem nowadays. Almost every person has to face back pain at least once in life. According to recent research, about one-third of the world population suffers from chronic lower back pain.
Sometimes, the pain is reduced by medical or surgical intervention but at other times, simple remedies can be enough to help reduce back pain, especially that which occurs due to muscle strain or soft tissue injuries.
That being said, here we’ll discuss some common back pain causes.
1) Lack of Exercise
One of the most common causes and major culprits of chronic back pain is a sedentary lifestyle. Lack of activity may lead to muscle soreness even stiffness. To start tackling this issue, simply performing exercises on a daily basis can make the abdominal and back muscles stronger, allowing them to better support the spinal column.
Additionally, you may notice that pain is improved and lessened. You can consult your doctor or physiotherapist to seek medical advice and find which exercises are healthier for your vertebral column.
2) Bad Posture
The culture of smartphones, computer monitors, and long commutes is prevailing day by day, adding insult to injury to the health of your spine.
While using these gadgets, your head is in a protruding posture and your shoulders slouch instead of staying in good alignment over your hips and shoulders. This poor posture exerts extra pressure on your back muscles, which are thus strained.
To address this issue and to reduce pain, you might want to consider having a standing desk at your workplace (if possible).
Also, it is worth being conscious of your postural changes and whenever you notice that you are in a slumping posture, try to pull your shoulder blades together, and get your body back into a good posture.
3) Muscle Overuse
Muscle overuse also leads to chronic pain along the back, especially in the upper portion of the back.
Traditionally, this takes place due to repetitive motions that happen over an extended period of time. This leads to muscle strain, irritation, and tightness.
Repetitive activities which are performed as part of a daily routine also lead to pain in the upper or lower back. Somebody who intends or has the need to make the same movements all day, or lift heavy loads, should keep changing their posture and take a break from overloading their muscles every now and then.
4) Disc Herniation
Disc herniation is a condition in which the inner soft jelly-like the material of a disc comes out of the protective outer ring-like structure, in-between the vertebrae.
This condition is more common in the lumbar region of the back but may also take place in the upper region of the back.
When disc hernia takes place, the protruding part of the disc exerts pressure over the other vertebral bones. Even a very small amount of pressure exerted by a herniated disc may result in a great amount of pain in the back. This also produces some other symptoms like numbness, weakness and tingling sensations in the affected region of the back and upper and lower limbs.
Sometimes this condition needs surgical intervention but in a lot of cases, a herniated disc has the potential to heal on its own with appropriate rest and pain management tools.
5) Nerve compression
When a herniated disc slips out of its space, it can compress the adjacent nerve. When a nerve in the back is pinched or entrapped, the sufferer may feel pain and numbness in the upper and lower extremities, and in more extreme cases these pain symptoms can extend to other parts of the body, or even worse he/she can have problems with controlling the bladder and bowel, as well as weakness or loss of control in the lower extremities.
Although it sounds severe, back surgery is usually not required, unless the patient’s symptoms lie at the extreme end, and this approach is the last resort to relieving their symptoms. However, less severe cases can be treated without resorting to invasive surgical procedures.
6) Spinal Infection
Although an infection may cause upper or low back pain, it is a rare condition.
Sometimes, a collection of pus and germs is accumulated between bones of the vertebral column and spinal cord, which is termed as a spinal epidural abscess. When this abscess is swollen, the sufferer feels pain.
A spinal abscess must be treated as early as possible to avoid complications. Antibiotics are helpful and sometimes surgical intervention is needed to remove the abscess and decrease the complications.
7) Sleeping Habits
A sleeping mattress which is not made properly exerts extra pressure on the parts of the vertebral column, distorting the normal curvature of the spine, resulting in pain in the affected region.
If you come to know that your sleeping posture causes an increase in your back pain, you can use additional pillows for extra support.
Then, if you are habitual of sleeping on your side, you must keep a pillow between your knees to support the natural curvature of your vertebral column.
On the other hand, if you are habitual of sleeping on your stomach, you should keep a pillow beneath your pelvis in order to provide some extra support.
8) Your Shoes
If your shoes are designed in a way that has your feet placed in an unnatural position or your shoes are unable to provide sufficient support, they can cause you to suffer from pain in your feet as well as the lower back (lumbar spine).
For example, wearing high heels heels frequently can be damaging to both your feet and your spinal health, as they tend to keep your feet in an uncomfortable position that has its impact on all the ligaments and muscles of the back and legs.
They also have a bad effect on the distribution of weight. If you already experience back pain, you should select shoes with a good arch and proper heel support and avoid high heels.
9) Your Backpack
The heavier the weight that you lift, the more strain is exerted upon your vertebral column. Heavier weight also causes the misalignment of your vertebral column.
As much as possible, it is recommended that you avoid carrying a heavy weight on your shoulders and back, most likely a heavy bag or backpack.
Instead, carry a little handheld bag.
If you want to carry a backpack, do not put it on one shoulder but put it on both shoulders equally such that its weight is equally distributed.
You can also consider a rolling type of bag with longer strips.
10) Smoking
Something that is often overlooked, but that is a reality, is that smoking cigarettes is one of the major causative agents of back pain.
Nicotine has negative effects on blood flow circulation especially to the back because the intervertebral discs present in the vertebral column already have compromised blood supply.
Apart from that, it also compromises the ability of the body to absorb calcium, and thus bones become weakened.
Due to these factors, age-related degenerative processes of bones are enhanced and sped up, and it can be said that premature aging of the vertebral column has occurred.
Some people may develop severe pain, and also experience symptoms such as chest pain or shortness of breath. These latter symptoms may be signs of a problem not related to the back so it is important to obtain a diagnosis to determine the correct cause.
One Easy Solution of All Back Problems
The Backrack Spinal Care Device is an innovative solution for all back problems (apart from injuries, infections, and spinal compression fractures).
This device works on the whole spine including cervical (neck area), thoracic (middle back), and lumbar region (lower back).
Unlike other back pain treatments, the Backrack works directly on the cause of pain by decompressing your spine so the pain doesn’t come back and you get long term pain relief. Backrack™ helps you treat back pain caused by the following back problems:
- Sciatica
- Lower back pain
- Hip pain
- Spinal stenosis (narrowing of the spinal canal)
- Ageing spine
- Leg pain
- Herniated discs
- Prolapsed discs
- Degenerative disc disease
- Nerve impingement (trapped nerve roots)
- Poor Posture
- Neck pain
- Headaches
- Ankylosing spondylitis
- Facet joint syndrome (which affects the spinal joints)
- Arthritis pain
Author: Spinal Backrack
