Back Pain Questions
When it comes to common causes of back pain, for some people, the pain itself seems like an unavoidable fact, a way of life in that it will always be there and you will always be put on the "bleachers" when the pain comes into play. Some people just really have no idea how the pain happened or what exactly caused it, but I am here to tell you that 98% of the time when pain happens in your back, it’s because of a small underlying issue, and is not something more serious. It’s also something that you can fix, IF you know how it happened in the first place! For me personally, I tend to carry a lot of my tension and stress in my shoulders, I always thought that this was going to be a forever thing, but then I realized that there are things I was doing to make the pain worse and make my shoulders tighten up. Sometimes you just have to listen to your body and what it’s telling you and look at how you live, sit, bend, etc. to figure out why the problem keeps happening over and over again. Below, we have a few of the most common causes for back pain. Maybe this will make you realize some things you may be doing to cause your pain or it will get your mind wondering on other ways you may have caused it!
Unusual Activity
If you have been doing something that you don’t usually do; moving boxes, playing a game of baseball once a month, lifting heavy equipment at work for a specific job, etc. you might be pulling your back out of place or causing issues from that instance and that instance alone. It’s surprising, even when you tried to lift correctly bend right or move a certain way, you still have back pain. It happens mostly because your back isn’t used to moving in the motion you moved. In order to fix this, it’s a good idea to take the "motion" from the activity, and add it to your daily exercise regimen. For example, if you were playing gold or batting baseballs, chances are you were turning your torso from left to right, which probably made a vertebrae click out of place or caused strain in your back or sides. Why not try doing exercises that create the same motion so that you can get more used to that motion and strengthen those parts you don’t usually use? Sounds like a good idea, if I do say so myself!
Not Lifting Right
Every single day, men and women, pull their backs out from lifting incorrectly. It could be that you were at work and you lifted a tool, or maybe you are a stay at home parent and you lifted your child up, or maybe you were doing something as simple as picking up something off the floor and you bent down wrong and got up wrong! The back is a very complex machine, with all sorts of section, ligaments, tendons, muscles, etc. so if you don’t bend down right and in turn lift up right, any one of those thousands of little parts can be bothered. It’s sort of awkward at first, especially if you always bend down and get up using your back, but the way you are supposed to lift things is by using the strength of your knees - not your back. I don’t care if you are The Rock and you are the most muscular man on the face of the planet who exercises all day every day; if you lift with your back, you will be paying for it down the line. Here are a few extra tips from WebMD:
Bend your knees and keep your back straight. Don't bend at your waist.
Keep the object close to you. The farther away you hold it from your body, the more it stresses your back.
Never hold an item higher than your armpit or lower than your knees.
Don't move something that weighs more than 20% of your body weight.
Don't pivot, twist, or turn while lifting. Point your feet at the item you're lifting and face it as you pick it up. Change direction with your feet, not your waist.
Sitting Too Much or Incorrectly
You wouldn’t believe it, but sitting too much, driving too much, or watching too much TV while sitting can actually cause back issues. I know, this doesn’t seem like an issue when it comes to medical questions about the back, but it is. Most Chiropractors that study the back will tell you that your spine is made up of little vertebrates. These vertebrates are spongy and pretty soft, and they are horrible at creating a good blood supply. So when you too something too much like watch too much TV sitting down, drive too much or sit at your desk too much, you can actually slow down the blood supply even more bad cause back pain and back issues. When you move around though, or get up and stretch and walk around the room, your body creates fluid that move around the disks - this fluid helps provide nutrients to the discs in your back, which helps keep them healthy and essentially keeps back pain and aches away! If you sit at a computer chair doing work at home or for someone else, consider getting yourself an ergonomic chair, keyboard and mouse pad. if you drive a lot to and from work, consider a seat massager, or a seat pad that will help you sit a little more straight, and when you can, make sure you get out of the car and stretch and walk around a little bit!
Unusual Activity
If you have been doing something that you don’t usually do; moving boxes, playing a game of baseball once a month, lifting heavy equipment at work for a specific job, etc. you might be pulling your back out of place or causing issues from that instance and that instance alone. It’s surprising, even when you tried to lift correctly bend right or move a certain way, you still have back pain. It happens mostly because your back isn’t used to moving in the motion you moved. In order to fix this, it’s a good idea to take the "motion" from the activity, and add it to your daily exercise regimen. For example, if you were playing gold or batting baseballs, chances are you were turning your torso from left to right, which probably made a vertebrae click out of place or caused strain in your back or sides. Why not try doing exercises that create the same motion so that you can get more used to that motion and strengthen those parts you don’t usually use? Sounds like a good idea, if I do say so myself!
Not Lifting Right
Every single day, men and women, pull their backs out from lifting incorrectly. It could be that you were at work and you lifted a tool, or maybe you are a stay at home parent and you lifted your child up, or maybe you were doing something as simple as picking up something off the floor and you bent down wrong and got up wrong! The back is a very complex machine, with all sorts of section, ligaments, tendons, muscles, etc. so if you don’t bend down right and in turn lift up right, any one of those thousands of little parts can be bothered. It’s sort of awkward at first, especially if you always bend down and get up using your back, but the way you are supposed to lift things is by using the strength of your knees - not your back. I don’t care if you are The Rock and you are the most muscular man on the face of the planet who exercises all day every day; if you lift with your back, you will be paying for it down the line. Here are a few extra tips from WebMD:
Bend your knees and keep your back straight. Don't bend at your waist.
Keep the object close to you. The farther away you hold it from your body, the more it stresses your back.
Never hold an item higher than your armpit or lower than your knees.
Don't move something that weighs more than 20% of your body weight.
Don't pivot, twist, or turn while lifting. Point your feet at the item you're lifting and face it as you pick it up. Change direction with your feet, not your waist.
Sitting Too Much or Incorrectly
You wouldn’t believe it, but sitting too much, driving too much, or watching too much TV while sitting can actually cause back issues. I know, this doesn’t seem like an issue when it comes to medical questions about the back, but it is. Most Chiropractors that study the back will tell you that your spine is made up of little vertebrates. These vertebrates are spongy and pretty soft, and they are horrible at creating a good blood supply. So when you too something too much like watch too much TV sitting down, drive too much or sit at your desk too much, you can actually slow down the blood supply even more bad cause back pain and back issues. When you move around though, or get up and stretch and walk around the room, your body creates fluid that move around the disks - this fluid helps provide nutrients to the discs in your back, which helps keep them healthy and essentially keeps back pain and aches away! If you sit at a computer chair doing work at home or for someone else, consider getting yourself an ergonomic chair, keyboard and mouse pad. if you drive a lot to and from work, consider a seat massager, or a seat pad that will help you sit a little more straight, and when you can, make sure you get out of the car and stretch and walk around a little bit!