Our spines are incredibly flexible and versatile in their ranges of motion. Not only can we bend down into a half-circle, but we can also twist and extend. Although some movements are challenging and you may hear some cracks and pops when you do something such as twist and bend your spine back, it’s usually nothing to be alarmed about. It won’t hurt and it won’t strain your back at all. However, there are other factors to consider such as ageing, poor diet, overtraining in the gym, over-activity in sports and generally, having a health condition such as weaker bones and or muscles, that could cause you moderate to severe back pain. Here are 5 reasons for your back pain acting up.
Stiff muscles
More often than not, your back pain is not attributed to your backbones. It’s not essentially, the vertebrae or even the discs in between them, holding each section of the spine together. It’s actually, your muscles surrounding the spine. Consider your upper transversospinalis group. This is a bunch of small muscles that are up near the neck. When they become tense, they pull on your trapezoids, then pull on your lumbar spine. So actually, your stiff neck muscles could be causing your lower back pain rather than a local pain caused by an injury. The same goes for your hamstrings. If your hamstrings are tight, they will pull down onto your lumbar spine, which again, causes moderate to severe discomfort. So, the bottom line is, always stretch as best you can and wait to see if the pain goes away before using medication.
Poor diet
When you are on a bad diet, this can cause horrible back pain as well. If you are drinking too much alcohol, this can lead to your muscles not being able to function properly. As your liver requires more water to process and rinse the harmful alcohol out of your system, this leads your muscles to become dehydrated. The neuro-electronic function of the muscles deteriorates and a buildup of toxic waste can combine to create muscle spasms. As your muscles contract sharply and without warning, they cause immense pain.
However, it may also be caused by acid reflux. When you have poor gut health and are unable to digest properly, or perhaps your sugar intake is too high, gas can build up and push on the walls of your abdominal and back muscles, causing further pain.
Sustained injury
One of the more clear and distinct causes of back pain is when you have been injured. Whether this is in a sports match, in a car crash or perhaps from a fall, when you land awkwardly on your spine, the pain can be intense. It can also develop into chronic pain, which is something that makes normal life unbearable. It’s difficult to sit down, walk or breathe in too heavily. Speak with a spine surgeon that has many case studies and happy patients. They will have a lot of experience in various types of spine surgeries such as, minimally invasive or ‘keyhole’ surgery, multilevel spinal surgery, scoliosis surgery, disc and nerve surgery and different types of unique surgeries that would be best for the patient. It’s a good idea to go with a surgeon that regularly operates and has patients with severe back injuries such as rugby players and professional athletes. You may even discover kinesiology tape for hamstrings is useful.
Being overweight
When you are too heavy for your skeletal frame, it’s obvious that you will suffer from acute and or chronic pain. If you are a man, your body will hold most of the fat you gain, around the midsection. This puts a lot of pressure on your upper and lower spine. It can cause a hump to form and your lumbar spine to develop arthritis. Being overweight, you will also have back pain due to gaseous build-up. This can feel like quite bad back pain, but it’s nothing to do with your muscles or spine. It’s actually pressure building up to the point, it is pushing your organs aside, putting pressure on your nerves and creating internal discomfort. The best thing to do is to get on a diet and start exercising. Your body will become stronger and you will put less pressure on your skeletal structure.
Changing your lifestyle is not easy as even if we have bad habits, we are creatures of habit and we get used to the things we do. But, you must try, you cannot suffer from back pain due to a poor diet, poor lifestyle and or injury. There are lots of solutions out there, waiting for you.
