Today, we’re discussing a topic that has become increasingly important to many of us. Now, you may wonder – how is pain back important? Now, a sedentary lifestyle has been described as the one where a person spends a lot of time sitting, whether for work or leisure and doesn’t engage in nearly as much physical activity as they should. We feel back pain in different areas of the body, and while for some, this pain may be acute, for others it’s chronic. Therefore, today, we’re going to get to the bottom of things – why we experience back pain and where, and most importantly how to say goodbye and good riddance to it.
Sedentary lifestyle
They say that sitting is the new smoking – the plague of the 21st century. Now, a sedentary lifestyle has been described as a “type of lifestyle where an individual does not receive regular amounts of physical activity.” Now, aside from numerous other negative effects it can potentially have on your health, a great deal of sitting can take a toll on your spine as well. Namely, it most commonly causes both lower back pain as well as neck pain and tension in the shoulders. The reason it mostly ‘hits’ those areas is simple – most of modern-day jobs involve sitting on a chair, with a computer in front of you, and when you do this 8 or more hours a day, it’s completely normal to start feeling this kind of pain. Now, the good news is that this ‘sitting disease’ can be beaten or nipped in the bud easily – with exercise. The best part is, it doesn’t even need to be grueling exercise – as many as 10k steps will be enough to neutralize the hours of sitting, so just get up, and start walking!
Disc issues
The culprit behind back pain can be hidden in a number of disc issues, such as slipped disc, bulging disc, and others. Since discs, or more specifically, issues related to your discs aren’t a matter to be taken lightly, if you feel the symptoms, and they don’t go away in a couple of weeks – meaning they weren’t caused by a bad night’s sleep or a small injury, then you definitely need to consult a doctor. However, before we jump to booking a spinal surgery because we started picturing the worst-case scenario, let’s first do a little online research, type in our symptoms and rely on the opinion of esteemed surgeons like Dr. Timothy Steel. The internet can be full of completely unhelpful things, but sometimes you can strike gold and find everything you need to know, and from renowned professionals too!
Doing it wrong
If you’re a fan of the gym, but not one with a great deal of knowledge on how to properly exercise and use all the equipment, there is good chance you might end up with sore everything, including your back. Many people get minor injuries that cause them back, as well as muscle pain, simply because they did a routine improperly or used a machine in a wrong manner. We understand that you want to be fit and healthy, and kudos to you for that. However, the only thing worse than not exercising is exercising wrong. This pain will pass – it’s acute. However, for future reference, make sure you ask a professional at the gym to teach you how to properly use the equipment, so you don’t end up hurting yourself, again.
Dietary habits
This is an age of body positivity, but there is still a difference between being curvy and loving it, and being obese. Obesity isn’t a positive thing and as much as it can take a toll on your heart, cholesterol levels and risk of developing a number of other diseases, it first comes after your back. It’s only logical when you think about it – excess weight places added pressure and stress on your back, and you may not end up with simple pain, but more serious conditions such as the ones mentioned above. Therefore, it’s highly important to mind what you eat, be on the move. No one says you need to be skinny – we’re beyond that in 2018, but you do have to keep your health.
The silent killer
You may not have known about this particular connection, but smoking and back pain are actually quite connected. While it can’t actually be the direct cause of back pain, it can certainly ‘help nudge things along’. Namely, by smoking, we increase the risk of developing sciatica, (back pain that radiates to the hip or leg). Smoking worsens this pain by blocking your body’s ability to deliver nutrients to the discs of the lower back. So, there you have it, another reason to stop smoking if you are, and an added incentive to never take up smoking if you haven’t already.
Back pain is unfortunately something we most commonly bring upon ourselves. However, when it’s not hiding a highly serious condition, we are luckily the ones who can prevent or stop the pain in its tracks, so, if you recognize any of these habits as your own, it’s time to mix things up and change the way we live. For our back and our health in general.