As we grow old, most of us tend to experience changes in our bodies. Some of these are hormonal changes, hair growth in different parts of our body, voice change, eyesight, weight loss or gain, and such. However, as time passes by, when our body undergoes certain transformations, we also experience sickness and body pain. This unfortunate occurrence is not new anymore especially when we are all aging. Through this article, we are going to focus more on one of the most common body pains an individual usually goes through lower back pain.
What Is Lower Back Pain
From the phrase itself “back pain,” it can already infer that it is the pain that is experienced in the rear part of the body. It most likely targets the lower part which is caused by certain and numerous circumstances. According to the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, there are two types that fall under back pain.
One of which is ACUTE.
It is also known as short-term back pain since it only lasts for days up to a few weeks. The majority of low back pains can be considered as the acute type because it resolves and disappears by itself just after several weeks (of course together with proper self-treatment).
In some circumstances, however, it will take several months for the pain to go away.
The second tyle of back pain is called CHRONIC BACK PAIN.
Unlike the acute type of back pain, this type of pain can be experienced for as long as 12 weeks or longer. A portion of people affected by acute low back pain develop chronic low back pain when symptoms were left untreated.
This kind of back pain can be relieved through several medications and treatment but unfortunately, some pain still persists even after undergoing surgical and medical treatment.
Who Commonly Experiences It?
The reality is, anyone can suffer from this kind of pain since it is not biased in choosing its target. But there are certain variables and factors that can increase the risk of experiencing Lower Back Pain.
The list includes old age, people with low fitness levels, excessive weight gain, genetics, job-related factors, unstable mental health, overloaded back baggage, and even smokers.
Since everyone is vulnerable to back pain, it is important to know the different activities that you do on a daily basis that would usually lead to back pain so as to be more cautious.
What Causes Lower Back Pain?
Back pain can be triggered by the things that you commonly perform on a daily basis. It most likely happens when you tend to slouch for a long period of time since the spine, together with other bones, were not in the places they should be in a span of time.
It can be also caused by lifting heavy objects. When you consistently lift objects that are too much or too heavy for the body, it creates tension on the muscle or ligament leading to a strain especially if you have a poor position or physical condition. Constant strain and stress on the back can cause painful cramps.
Another is being overweight: an imbalanced diet can further result in the vulnerability of the body to certain sickness and it also makes it difficult for an individual to maintain its proper posture. Smoking also is one, since it reduces the blood flow going to the lower spine making it prone and sensitive for back pain.
It is no doubt that the existence of this pain is a hindrance to doing daily tasks and routines. The good thing is that, aside from medical and surgical treatment, lower back pain can be relieved just by exercising. The following exercises are the Do’s and Dont’s routines to help you alleviate lower back pain and help prevent experience such.
DO’s
- Partial Crunches
This lower back pain exercise does not only aim to strengthen the muscles on your back but it also enhances the stomach area. If you workout often, this is a perfect exercise that you can do to burn those fats in your belly area while treating the pain that you experience at you back.
How To Execute
Step 1: Lay down comfortably on a flat surface. Bend your knees and place your feet flat on the floor.
Step 2: Raise your shoulders off the floor while both hands are positioned behind your back. You must feel your stomach muscles tighten when doing this.
Step 3: Hold position for two seconds then slowly lean back down. Repeat at least 8 to 12 times. Make sure that your feet and lower back must remain touching the floor at all times.
- Hamstring Stretches
If your daily routine involves moving around, the hamstring stretches may improve the flexibility of your lower body especially the hips. It is also an effective stretching exercise to alleviate lower back pain. This exercise will benefit you if you do a lot of walking and bending over because it makes the loosens up the muscles on your back body part.
How To Execute
Step 1: Lay down on your back and bend one knee.
Step 2: Loop a towel under your free foot then slowly straighten it. Afterward, slowly pull back on the towel, until your foot is stretched as much as you can. You must feel a light stretch down to the back of your leg.
Step 3: Hold the position for 15 to 30 seconds and repeat it 2 to 4 times for each leg.
- Wall Sits
It is described as a simple exercise that is often overlooked. Doing these exercises has a lot of benefits to the body. When you do it correctly, the entire lower part of the body is enhanced and it tends to increase muscular endurance. Doing it longer increase the chances to burn more calories.
How To Execute
Step 1: Lean on your back flat against the wall while your knees are in a squat position.
Step 2: Hold for 10 seconds, then slowly slide back up the wall.
Step 3: Repeat routine for 8 to 12 times.
- Press-Up Back Extensions
This exercise is a beneficial remedy for back-pain because it makes your backbones and muscles stronger and it increases endurance to avoid frequent pain. It is also a great routine for posture improvement.
How To Execute
Step 1: Lie on the floor on your stomach while your hands are under your shoulders. You can also use your elbow as your support aside from your hands. To make it more comfortable, it is ideal to do it in an exercising mat.
Step 2: Push with your hands so your shoulder begins to lift off the floor. Do it slowly so as no to force your shoulders.
Step 3: Hold this position for five seconds. Then repeat as much as you can.
- Bird Dog
It is a bodyweight floor exercise that aims to strengthen the core muscles specifically the lower butt, butt, thighs, and abdominal muscles. When this exercise is executed the pressure is greatly felt on the lower back that helps achieve stabilization and it targets endurance when done longer.
How To Execute
Step 1: Put both of your knees and arms on the floor (this will look like you are imitating how a dog stands). Make sure you have the right posture, your back part and hands should be in a straight position.
Step 2: Hold the position for five seconds and do the same on the other leg.
Step 3: Hold the position for five seconds or longer and do the same on the other leg. Repeat routine for 8 to 12 times for each leg. It would be better if you try to lengthen the time you hold for each lift. You may also lift and stretch your arms forward along with the lift of your leg.
- Bridging/Butt Lift
This exercise aims to tighten the abdominal and buttock muscles and at the same time, it targets to strengthen the lower back part of the body together with the hips to improve posture and to help ease frequent lower back pain.
How To Execute
Step 1: Lie on your back, feet flat on the floor while your knees are bent.
Step 2: Push your heels into the floor, squeeze your butt, and lift your hips off the floor until you see that your knees, hips, and shoulders are forming a diagonal line.
Step 3: Hold the position for 6 seconds and then slowly lower your hips back to the floor.
Step 4: Rest for 10 seconds, then repeat 8 to 12 times.
- Pelvic Tilt Exercise
This exercise involves subtle spinal movements that specifically target the strengthening of the support muscles on the lower back part of the body. When executed correctly, you feel a massaging sensation on your back. Back muscles are often tight, through this exercise, it loosens it up and makes it more flexible.
How to Execute
Step 1: Lie back on the floor with your knees bent and feet flat (just like your position in bridging exercise).
Step 2: This time, slightly arch your lower back and push your stomach out. Hold for 5 seconds then relax.
Step 3: Flatten your back again and pull your belly button in toward the floor. Hold for 5 seconds then relax.
Step 4: Repeat this as much as you can. Thus, it will be better to increase the number of repetitions daily, building up to 30 lapses.
DONT’S
• Toe Touches
This puts a greater stretch on ligaments in your spine. There is a tendency to overstretch lower back muscle and hamstrings.
• Sit-Ups
Sure it may strengthen your core and abdominal muscles but just like toe touches, it puts an excessive amount of pressure on the spine.
• Leg Lifts
Lifting both legs together while lying on your back requires much pressure on your core. The tendency is, it may just worsen the back pain.
The aforementioned routines are effective exercises and prevention for the pain in your lower back. On the other hand, keep in mind that you should also change and adapt to new lifestyles to completely avoid the reoccurrence of such.
To reduce the risk of Lower Back Pain, positive lifestyle changes include:
- Regular exercise. When you have a regular routine of exercising, you are building the strength and endurance to withstand strain and stress to the muscles. If you have the right amount of strength and endurance, you will not easily have lower back pain.
- Avoid sitting for a long period of time. When you do, observe proper posture. It is ideal to do some stretching in between hours to loosen up the muscles.
- Avoid lifting heavy objects. There are proper lifting techniques that you need to observe when lifting heavy objects to avoid back pain and injuries.
- Avoid frequent bending and twisting. Bending and twisting also affect the spine. Be cautious in doing it because it won’t only cause lower back pain but it may also result in injury.
- Maintain a healthy weight. Being overweight strains back muscles so it is important to observe proper food intake. Increase the intake of food that is rich in Vitamin D to promote new growth of bones.
- Quit smoking. As mentioned earlier, smoking reduces the blood flow to the spine which makes our lower back sensitive and fragile. Avoiding this will prevent us to experience such.
Final Thoughts
Lower Back Pain is not new and most of us experience it as we grow old. The good news is that we can avoid it with the exercising routines and preventions. There are also ways to prevent the occurrence of lower back pain so as early as today, you might want to change and adapt to new lifestyle changes for better body condition.
Note that most lower back pain gradually improves with home remedies and proper treatment. In rare cases, pain develops a serious medical problem so if you feel like it does not get any better, seek immediate assistance to a doctor.