The BEST three things you can do to help prevent back pain

Back pain is the most common cause of musculoskeletal pain and by some distance. Back pain can arise from seemingly nowhere and can have many different causes and contributors. In nearly all cases of back pain, there are multiple triggers or circumstances that lead to the onset although most people will (understandably) blame the last thing they did which triggered the pain. Whether your pain comes on after a heavy gym session, picking up your grandkids or bending over to tie your shoes, it’s very rarely that only one thing that has created your back pain.

Other contributing factors leading to back pain can include stress, exercise and physical activity levels, nutrition and sleep. In most cases of back pain that we see, there might be sharp increases in activity levels (new years fitness routine etc) or someone might be under large amounts of stress with work/family or life in general. Sometimes there is a lack of sleep involved, or changes in daily routine (working from home etc). All of these things play a part in the overall loading of our lower backs joints, muscles ligaments and when these tissues get overloaded they can produce pain and stiffness.

So when you consider all these contributing factors, the lifting motion that most people describe as the cause of the back pain is most likely the straw that broke the camels back and not the sole creator of the pain.

So with all that in mind, what can you do to help prevent lower back pain?

#1 – Stay mobile, change your postures

Staying mobile is really important. In a world in which many are working from home, the small incidental bits of exercises and activity are eliminated from our routines. Walking to the bus stop, moving around the office or ducking out to grab a coffee are all but gone when we work from home. These movements are great to keep changing our postures and positions and keep our joints and muscles mobile. Try to change your position every 30mins, even if just to stand up and sit down 5 times. Go for small walks through the day and alternate between sitting and standing while working if possible. If you have an active job where you are on your feet, try and sit and rest a few times throughout the day. It’s all about variety and not focusing on these ‘Perfect postures’.

#2 Get Enough Sleep

This is so important and something that is so often neglected. If you are not getting 7-8 hours sleep, you are at a higher risk of developing lower back pain. If you have lower back pain, and you aren’t getting enough sleep – it can make your pain more sensitive and prolong symptoms. A lack of sleep leads to fatigue, fatigue leads to our muscles inability to deal with the loads that we throw at them, which leads to overloading of our lower back. A few tips for improving sleep include; having regular bed time and wake up times every day, avoiding caffeinated drinks after 12pm and avoiding alcohol (most nights). A great resource on the impact of sleep and tips on getting a better sleep is the book “Why we sleep” by Dr Matthew Walker.

#3 Strengthen the lower back

The first two points are all about reducing the loads on our lower back but another crucial aspect of reducing back pain is building up the capacity of this area to deal with everything we have going on in our lives. There are many ways to strengthen your back and it doesn’t always have to be isolated back exercises. Things like deadlifts, squats, lunges are all great for strengthening our backs along with the more typical back exercises like back extensions and rows. In general, any form of regular resistance training into your routine that requires you to hold your posture upwards is going to be great for your back strength moving forward. Just make sure a couple of times per week you include exercises that require you to exert and struggle a little bit and you will adapt and get stronger to help lift that weight!

In summary, back pain has many different causes and is normally a combination of multiple factors. Try to move more throughout the day, stay generally healthy with decent sleep and strengthen a couple of times per week to give yourself the best chance at reducing back pain.

If you have back pain, it’s always best to have it assessed by a health professional. As always, this information is general and might not be suitable for all.

If you have pain or symptoms call Dan on 0451 366 694 to have your back pain assessed.