Are you suffering from lower back pain? If yes, then you are not the only one. In fact, around 80% adults experience the symptoms of lower back pain at some point in their lifetime. Lower back pain is a common condition. It can affect your mood, productivity, quality of life, and more.
Starting from sharp and sudden sensation to constant ache, it may leave you totally incapacitated. And, both women and men can be equally affected by lower back pain. In most of the cases, maintaining a healthy weight can easily prevent the pain. Let’s now reveal some of the common daily habits that may lead to lower back pain issues.
Here are some causes of lower back pain:
1. You sit too much
The human body is not intended for prolonged sitting. That’s why when you spend long hours sitting at your desk, it may result in a lower back pain. The longer you sit, the more you slouch.
Note, your lower back (the normal healthy lumbar spine) has a tiny inverse arch and curve, keeping you upright and stable. But, when you slouch, this tiny inverse curve reverses & becomes rounded in its opposite direction.
Over the time, this situation puts pressure on the discs and causes pain.
2. Your purse or bag is too heavy
Carrying a heavy purse, bag, or backpack can cause lower back pain. One of the fatal consequences of carrying a heavy shoulder bag is that it can significantly interfere with your normal gait. The normal gait allows you to naturally swing your legs and arms when you’re walking.
It’s important to keep your body well-balanced. Unfortunately, when you carry a heavy handbag or a bulky shoulder bag (with asymmetric load), it can cause muscle spasm, muscle strain, and lower back pain.
3. Not exercising enough
Movement repairs and nourishes the discs, ligaments, joints, and muscles in your spine. Note, active exercise even helps you to incorporate the much-needed nutrients around the disc spaces of your spine.
Additionally, regular exercise is needed to reduce inflammation, which naturally occurs in the tissues surrounding injured discs. Therefore, lack of regular exercise and daily workouts can cause lower back pain by leading to weakness, stiffness, and de-conditioning of the spine.
4. Cleaning and laundry
Vacuuming is probably the number #1 reason for your lower back pain, primarily because the process involves repetitive twisting. Likewise, cleaning, laundry, mopping and sweeping activities can put an intense burden on your back and cause acute pain.
For example, putting clothes in the washer, mopping and vacuuming a large area of your homestead, and taking out wet and heavy clothes from the washer — all of these seemingly harmless daily chores can add up a significant amount of strain and stress on your lower back.
5. Pushing a stroller
Are you aware of the hidden danger of pushing a baby stroller? Well, it can put a tremendous amount of force (as much as 400%) on your spine. Bending forward while pushing or carrying a heavy load (like a stroller) develops more pressure on the discs and causes a myriad of problems like back pain, diastasis recti, and even bladder incontinence.
So, how to protect your back while pushing buggies, proms, or strollers? Well, you should try to stay in a straight and upright position, keep your hips close to the stroller, & activate your glutes.
6. Using the wrong pillow
Regardless of your sleep positions, a good pillow can conform to diverse movements & support a neutral spine. For example, an ideal pillow should support both your neck and back, keeping them at a natural angle.
A pillow that’s too shallow will cause your head to bend inward & put strains on your back and shoulder. Similarly, a pillow that’s too high will cause tension in your lower back area.
The Final Verdict: Try to get rid of these six aforementioned daily habits to reduce lower back pain. Also, you are advised to maintain a healthy weight and follow the slim fast diet plan (for best results).
Leave a Reply