10 Mistakes that contribute to lower back pain
Chronic back pain is no joke – anyone who
suffers from it can attest that it can severely disrupt quality of life.
On the other hand, it's not a rare problem at all – it's reported that
nearly half of the working population in the U.S. (more than millions of
people) have stated that they suffer from recurring lower back pain.
Although many turn to medicinal treatment with painkillers to ease the
suffering, you should know that there are much more effective ways to
deal with it. One of them is to learn which seemingly simple daily
activities, which almost all of us do unconsciously, cause lower back
pain and how to avoid them or at least reduce them. This way, we can
treat the problem from its root, and not just settle for temporary
relief. So here are 10 daily activities that might be causing your back
pain and that you should be aware of in order to stop them.
1. You Drink Sweetened Soft Drinks
Drinking sweetened soft drinks is definitely not the healthiest way to
nourish your body and maintain high energy – that's clear and well-known
– but an additional incidental harm caused by this habit, which you
might not have known about, is that it can worsen back pain. Firstly,
because drinking these beverages can lead to the formation of kidney
stones, which lead to severe back pain. Secondly, drinking carbonated
drinks contributes to the creation and trapping of gases in the
digestive system, which can cause pressure on the spine. So if your back
suddenly hurts after you've had a glass of carbonated and sweetened
drink, it's time to start thinking about choosing water instead.
2. You Read a Book or Use Your Smartphone
While in Bed
Whether you're the type who must sneak in a few more pages of the book
you're engrossed in right before you go to sleep, or those who have to
scroll once more through social media pages on the smartphone a second
before they close their eyes—you have a problem. Either way, the
position in which this action is usually performed can cause stiffness
in your shoulders and back, create tension in your spine and lower back,
and lead to pain. Therefore, if you feel like you really want to read a
book or peek at your smartphone before sleep—do it while sitting on a
comfortable chair or armchair and not in an intermediate position on the
bed.
3. You Brush Your Teeth and Shave While
Standing Incorrectly
True, this pair of actions sounds trivial and daily, and it might
surprise you to think that they might cause pain, but it's true and very
real. To begin with, let's say that many people (mostly tall ones)
brush their teeth while bending towards the sink in a position that, if
maintained for 2-3 minutes during brushing, can lead to the appearance
of lower back pain. Additionally, many men who tend to shave in front of
the mirror get as close as possible during shaving so as not to miss
any spot—but in the process stand for 10 minutes or more in a position
where the back is bent at 30 degrees, which puts a lot of pressure on
the lower back area. The solution is, of course, not to avoid these two
important actions, but to make sure you do them with your back straight
and upright, and to minimize excessive bending towards the sink or
over-approaching the mirror during them.
4. You Work Sitting All Day
A sedentary lifestyle—that causes us to actually sit throughout most of
our day—is very common today, more than ever in history. This is a quite
clear and known cause for various back problems, created due to
prolonged sitting in positions that are not healthy for the body. So
what can be done? There are several ways to overcome this—experts from
the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in the U.S., for
example, recommend working on an adjustable desk, one that can also be
switched to a standing position, because they are designed to help you
not only prevent back pain but also be more productive.
5. You Smoke
Everyone is already familiar with the major harms of smoking, but did
you know that one of its additional and "side" drawbacks, so to speak,
is that it contributes quite a bit to lower back pain? There is even
scientific proof for this: In a study conducted by scientists from Johns
Hopkins University, it was found that risk factors for atherosclerosis
(a history of smoking and high blood pressure) have a similar link to
lower back pain and vertebral stiffness. The bottom line is that smoking
doesn't have a negative effect only on the heart and lungs but also on
the back—a thing that can be felt and bothersome even more in daily
life. So if you smoke and find it difficult to quit on your own, we
recommend that you seek professional help—even your back will thank you
for it.
6. You Often Drive Long Distances
Have you ever experienced lower back pain after driving for a long time?
If so, know that this is definitely not an uncommon phenomenon at all.
If your job requires you to sit behind the wheel for long hours, even
just to get to it, for example, then the back pain you feel may occur
because of the position you sit in while driving. To alleviate the
pressure exerted on the lower back while driving, you must make sure
you're sitting straight, with your back completely against your seat's
backrest. Often, drivers tend to sit in the middle of the seat, which
doesn't allow support for the lower back and leads to back problems. You
can also purchase a cushion tailored for a car seat, or place one of
your own, to provide your back with the necessary support while driving.
7. You Do All the Housework Yourself
Even if you're one of those who find cleaning and organizing the house
something done with ease and are used to it for ages—think for a moment
about all the actions you do in the process that might harm your back.
Let's take laundry, for example: preparing different items for the
machine, taking them out wet and heavy with water, rearranging them on
high shelves in the closet, and so on—it all amounts to a high amount of
pressure exerted on your lower back. Many people just don't think about
it, but it's worth starting to consider that even household chores that
seem seemingly harmless can hurt your quality of life because of the
back pain they cause. So while it's clear you need to continue taking
care of your home maintenance, if certain actions cause you severe back
pain, you should start asking for help with them from other household
members and begin involving even your children from a young age, who
will learn to assist you with them as much as possible.
8. You Push a Baby Stroller
Mothers, fathers, grandparents—listen carefully:
it turns out that
pushing a baby stroller can actually cause back pain. If you think about
it for a moment, you might realize it makes sense—when you're pushing
the stroller and leading your baby in it, you usually adopt a slightly
hunched walk towards the center, which changes the natural position of
the spine, which of course can exert extensive pressure on your back.
Therefore, the next time you go for a long stroll with the baby and the
stroller, try to ask your partner or someone who is with you to help and
take turns—to minimize as much as possible the tension that can be
caused to your back as a result of pushing the stroller forward.
9. You Wear Tight Dresses and High Heels
Yes, this item is, of course, directed at women, and it's extremely
crucial because many act this way and harm themselves and their backs.
Tight and slimming skirts might turn heads—but they can also cause back
pain; they limit the movement of the hips, which creates pressure on the
spine. Similarly, wearing high heels frequently leads to the same
result—these high-heeled shoes place your feet at an unnatural height,
which in turn causes the muscles in the lower back to move out of place.
To enjoy a fashionable look without sacrificing your back's
health—prefer skirts that allow you to move your legs freely and choose
heels that are no higher than 5 cm.
10. Your Diet Is Incorrect – You Consume
Foods That Encourage Inflammation in the Lower Back
It might not seem related, but just like in many other processes
occurring in the body—nutrition has a significant part in contributing
to causing or relieving back pain. We've already mentioned earlier that
drinking carbonated beverages, for example, can cause the development of
pain, but there are a few more types of foods and drinks found by
science to potentially cause the development of inflammation in the
body, manifested among other things in back pain, and they are:
Red meat
White bread
Pasta
Caffeine
Alcohol
It is recommended that you push all these out of your menu as much as
possible and instead try to increase your consumption of
anti-inflammatory foods such as:
Fish (such as salmon, tuna, cod, and trout)
Nuts and almonds in measured quantities
Green vegetables (like kale and broccoli)
Fruits such as grapes, oranges, bananas, and cranberries
A good and proper diet, based on protein sources like fish and chicken,
daily consumption of fruits and vegetables, and avoidance as much as
possible of processed food, can reduce the level of inflammation
throughout the body and in the lower back area, contributing to the
fight against chronic back pain.
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