Five Common Reasons Why You Have Back Pain

Back pain comes and goes, but when it does
show up uninvited, we quickly remember how painful it is. We usually remember
our favorite curse words around the same time as back pain showing up.
Coincidence? Certainly not. Yet, the pain of back pain is not the only issue.
It suddenly disables us from being to carry out everyday tasks and live our
regular lives. Whether that’s working with our hands or weaving between
pedestrians on our way to the office in the CBD.

When younger people get a bout of back pain,
they usually brush over the issue and wait out the few days before things
return to normal – which normally does happen. However, if you have no
underlying medical issue and you do experience back pain every now and then,
you may want to try and evaluate why you are getting it. Even though it may be
a temporary problem for you now, experiencing back pain at a young age can be
significant over the long term. Moreover, not preventing it from reoccurring
can cause much worse issues as you age.

So, young millennials scrolling through social
media with cave-man-like posture and professionals planted over there in your
office chair – listen up. Let’s find out the real cause of your back pain
before it gets worse.

1. Technology

We may have given this one away early and you
probably already knew that technology is causing a sedentary lifestyle.
However, you may not be aware of the best techniques and methods to reduce
technology’s ability to cause you bad posture. Here are two of the best ones:

Put
your smartphone in black and white – we are developing
upper back pain and neck pain through too much use of our smartphones. One
great way of using your smartphone less is by making it boring. And one way to
do that is by making it black and white. Humans like colour and when we take
that away we become less interested quickly. Try it for yourself.

Work
standing up – many office dwellers often believe they
cannot rid themselves of inevitable back pain because they have to work sat at
a desk all day. This certainly is not the case if they worked standing up using
a purpose-specific raised desk or crafted their own standing desk in another way. Just remember
that too much standing can also give you back pain, so mix it up.

2. Consider Your Mattress

Many people confuse firmness for support when
choosing a mattress. If you think your mattress cannot be causing you back pain
because you prefer and own a firmer mattress then think again. By all means,
some firm mattresses are super supportive, but it is not that which you need to
look out for when buying a quality mattress. Instead, get lumbar support from
mattresses that offer memory foam technology or specific supportive aspects. If
you want even more support, you may want to consider a magnetic mattress topper. These offer magnetic
therapy while you sleep to reduce back pain and improve blood circulation.

3. Exercise

Exercise may also cause aches and pains but in
very different ways. First of all, you may not be exercising enough. This is
common and can cause unwanted tightness in muscles and gradually reduce your
flexibility. If this sounds like you, try getting active more and maybe take up
yoga or pilates.

On the other hand, you may be exercising too much or using the wrong form to
execute certain exercises. If you exercise a lot and have been unable to
identify the reason for your back pain then this may be it. It is most common
when people are new to weightlifting. On many occasions, it is not caused
during the exercises but when moving weights around and placing them back on
their racks with the wrong techniques. Be safe in the gym.

4. The Wrong Footwear

This one might sound odd but if you spend a
lot of your time on your feet or stand in one place for long durations, then
your footwear may be the issue. Many people believe that back pain is caused at
the point of pain. However, this is not always the case. Some lower back pain
is caused by problems at joints below the waistline including the hips, knees,
and ankles. Due to the stability of these joints potentially causing back pain,
you may need to look at how supportive your footwear is. If you wear flimsy
trainers or fashion shoes then consider models which are more comfortable and
supportive.

5. Stress

One of the reasons for back pain that is most
often left off peoples’ list of potential causes is stress. Many groups believe
that stress and fatigue can contribute to physical pain, including back pain.
The jury may still be out on this one but if you’ve been feeling under pressure
lately why not take some time for yourself and dig out the good chocolate.

Wrapping Up

It may be that one of the above is causing you
minor problems for the time being and you are letting it pass without
investigation, knowing it will ease up in a few days. Well, it’s time to ditch
that attitude. With the younger generations predicted to have the worst posture
in older age than any other generation, you cannot afford that attitude and you
need to act now. Trial the above methods to discover which one will ease up your
niggles. The perk when using a trial and error technique to identify the cause
of your pain is that any of them are likely to improve your posture and make
you appear more confident to others.

The post Five Common Reasons Why You Have Back Pain appeared first on Fitness In The City.

Source: http://fitnessinthecity.com.au/health-nutrition/five-common-reasons-why-you-have-back-pain