Back pain is one of the most common type of pain that people experience, and it affects everybody at some point in our lives. Our backs are made up of many different bones, muscles, tendons and tissues, which work together to support your body, and allowing it to move.
It’s very easy to put strain on your back, by lifting heavy objects, or by sitting in a bad, unsupported position for too long. This can injure the important structures within the back, and cause considerable back pain.
In the USA, back pain is the leading cause of disability, and back pain tends to be down to either poor posture, and muscle strain. The human spine is made up of 33 individual vertebrae, which are stacked on top of each other as a column, and are separated by discs, which work as cushions between them.
What are The Most Common Causes of Back Pain?
The most common cause of back pain is muscle strain, which happens whenever a muscle is overstretched or town. You’ll usually feel pain on one side of the back, and will become even more painful by twisting or bending.
Another common cause for back pain, is arthritis, which is caused by wear and tear over time on the joins of the spine, leading to inflammation, swelling and stiffness.
The third most common cause of back pain, is a herniated disc. Discs become herniated when there are tears in the outer layer, causing it to bulge outwards, pressing on nearby nerves. By doing this, the bulging can lead to numbness or tingling in the arms or legs, as well as weakness in the effected limbs.
Best Ways You Can Try To Avoid Back Pain
We obviously can’t stop accidents from happening which damage our backs, but there are ways in which we can try to prevent potential back pain, or strain.
Posture when working is really important, especially if you have a desk job. It’s very important that your chair is both comfortable, and supportive, giving your back the best lumbar support possible. We spend a lot of time at work, so our working environment needs to be something which isn’t going to cause you pain or issues.
If you’re standing a lot with your job, or just your day involves a lot of standing, it’s important to have supportive shoes which will make it comfortable to stand, without causing unnecessary strain on your hips and back. Also ensure your feet are flat on the ground, with your weight evenly distributed, reducing the strain as much as possible.
When bending over to lift something, the best way to prevent back pain is to make sure you lower and raise the item in a slow, controlled manner. This means that as you lift, you should always keep your back straight with a natural curvature and then lower the load slowly, ensuring your knees are slightly bent.
Where possible, try not to carry heavy items for long distances or lift anything too heavy for too long, as it’ll cause strain on your back’s structure. If you have a lot of books to carry around for school or university / college, consider a backpack, to distribute the weight a little better, to try and minimise any potential back strain.
Back pain is a common ailment for many people, and it can be caused by many different factors. If you do experience back pain, the key is to identify the cause, and then treat it accordingly.