Back pain is a common condition effecting a wide range of people. In this article we will discuss 3 common causes of lower back pain and what you can do about it!

Cause 1: Sitting for too long

Sitting for too long is one of the most common causes, or predisposing activities, of back pain in the modern world. This is because it over tightens your hip flexors, stretches your hip extensors, and puts compressive forces on your lower back. This can be particularly difficult when you sit for work or drive for work and you can’t avoid the sitting position.

Solution 1: Breaking up your day with movement breaks or ‘Exercise snacks’

Frequent breaks from sitting is the easiest and most basic solution to this problem. We advise people move for 5-10 minutes every hour. Now this can be all at once or spaced out throughout the hours. I like to tell clients to break their hours in 25-25-10 (25 min sitting, 25 min standing, and 10 min moving.) At the very least you should aim to take 3x 10 minute walks every day!

Cause 2: Lifting with poor form

Lifting, by its very nature, leads to picking up weight (usually in front of you) causing anterior shear at the spine and a compressive load to our discs. This can cause, or exacerbate, current spinal complaints, particularly if done incorrectly. 

Solution 2: Train to lift and lift well

Training for life/work is one of the most underrated things going. I have countless patients who hurt themselves lifting but never practice lifting or practice lifting heavier weights to prepare their body for the task. We would advise if you have to lift as part of your life, you need to be in the gym learning to lift properly and preparing your body to lift heavier weights as to avoid injury in the ‘real world’. Now, there are many ways to lift and it will depend on your body type/shape, your goal, and your training. That being said, bent legs, a flat back, and a core brace are good starting points for any lift!

Cause 3: Over/Under use injuries

These are 2 sides of the same coin. Effectively, if you ‘overuse’ a muscle it does not have the opportunity to recover and repair between usages. These can lead to pain (due to lactic acid) and eventual tightness. This puts you at risk of injury over time. If you underuse muscles they become underdeveloped and unable to cope with the strains of life. The muscles will tighten in an effort to compensate for the underdevelopment but this will lead to pain and dysfunction.

Solution 3: Find a varied exercise program you can stiff too

Essentially we need to be active daily with a mix of pottering about (walking, gardening, house work, etc), structured resistance training (lifting things that are heavy for us), and some higher paced cardiovascular training. Now you don’t need to do these things every single day, but you need to move every day. Maybe aim to go for a daily walk, 2-3x 20-30minute strength work per week, and 1-2x 5-10 minutes more intensive cardio (get out of breath) per week. If you do this and hit the government recommended 150 minutes per week (20-30 minutes 7x per week) then you will be feeling great without overdoing it!

Conclusion:

Things like sitting, poor lifting, and over/under use are common drivers of back pain in the average patient. The common thread throughout the solutions is movement. You need to move often, move well, and move varied. If you can achieve this you will be a long way towards not experiencing back pain as a regular feature of your life!