Lower back pain from sitting is a common issue experienced by thousands to millions of people these days. Despite that, every low back pain sufferer deserves relief and comfort. To learn how to treat and eventually prevent this problem from reoccurring, you should learn and understand its causes and symptoms.
What Causes Lower Back Pain from Sitting?
Why does my back hurt? The answer to your question can be incorrect posture. Are you sure you’re sitting properly at all times?
If you don’t correct your posture today, this may eventually result in back muscle pain. Lower back pain is often due to standing and sitting improperly. The problem does not occur overnight. In fact, the problem may appear after spending years of sitting in a chair with poor posture. It is most likely to occur to an office worker who sits for hours.
When you sit, you have the natural tendency to hunch. Sitting in a hunched position for an extended time each day can cause severe stress to your lower back. As you sit with incorrect posture for several hours, your spine will put more pressure on the lumbar discs.
Bad posture forces your spine to change its “S” shape to “C”. When it happens, the increased pressure to lumbar discs will result in disc bulges, degenerative disc disease, and herniations. When left untreated, these complications will start to cause chronic pain and nerve irritation.
Sitting improperly can cause the ligaments of your spine to overstretch. This will create a higher level of laxity within the vertebral pillar that may allow the vertebrae to slide forward or backward. It may eventually result in nerve impingement or excessive tension on the lumbar discs.
Many people are guilty of common mistakes which increase postural pressure that leads to either lower left back pain or lower back pain right side only. A person’s subconscious habits allow him to easily forget that he is already putting too much stress on his back. The following are common posture issues causing low back pain and the best solution for each of them:
#1. You’re Staring Down at Your Mobile Phone, Computer Screen, and Desk While Your Head Leans Forward
Your head weighs at around 10 pounds. Therefore, even a slight angle forward can already put pressure to the muscles of your neck up to your upper back. The further and longer your head leans forward, the more pressure you’re putting to your back.
#2. You’re Leaning Frontward from Your Lower Back
This position will put more pressure on the lumbar area of your spine while it compresses the disks.
#3. Your Elbows are Too Distant from Your Torso
The heavier an object you need to carry, the more distant your elbows will be from your body. That means you’re putting too much pressure to your shoulders up to your upper back. Stretching your arms frontward to write or encode something may not be harmful but doing this for several hours will. Upper back pain from sitting will follow.
#4. You’re Keeping Your Shoulders Rolled Forward
The lack of lumbar support is one of the most typical causes of low back pain. Perhaps, your chair is too soft or doesn’t promote good posture. If your chair is like this, it causes a muscular disproportion wherein the muscles of your chest are stronger than the muscles of your back.
To know if you’re doing this, stand up with your feet and shoulders width apart then allow your arms to hang down on your sides.
When your thumb is pointing forward, that means you have a good shoulder posture. There’s a problem if you find your palms directing behind you – your shoulders are rolled forwards.
#5. You’re Holding a Mobile Phone to Your Ear
A lot of people talk on the mobile phone while they do other things with their hands. These people often wedge the mobile phone between their ear and shoulder. Doing it for just a few seconds will not trigger an imbalance within your body. However, doing it for at least five minutes can already cause pressure on the left or right side of your upper back and neck.
#6. Prolonged Sitting
A person should avoid sitting for several minutes to hours. The human body is a continuous motion machine. When you sit for too long, your muscles will get fewer nutrients and oxygen from the blood.
Most office jobs make you sit up 8-10 hours so if you don’t take regular breaks or start using a standing work station or a desk converter, your health will suffer. One hour of jogging a day cannot offset 8 hours of sitting so bear that in mind!
The best thing to do is to habitually change your sitting positions and take a short break every thirty minutes throughout the day. Drinking more water may help you a lot here. Aside from keeping you hydrated, water will force you to leave your desk for a few minutes to use the comfort room.
Use Office Chair Back Support to Reduce Low Back Pain
You can use an ergonomic chair or an office chair with back support. For many people, sitting is only a part of a person’s daily life and job. Aside from having a standing desk, it is also a good idea to have a quality ergonomic chair that will let you sit down comfortably for hours.
A chair with ergonomic design offers support for your lower back which will make sitting for hours less painful and more comfortable. You can also back support for your chair or a supportive material that you can put on the arch of your back.
Other Products That Can Help Fight Lower Back Cramps
You can use a standing desk that will let you stand even for some minutes through the day. This may help alleviate and even prevent lower back pain when sitting. If you stand while working, you’re letting your body burn calories.
The inversion table can also offer lower back support. Inverting at a 60-degree angle is the solitary way of getting 100 percent spine decompression. It is much more effective than standing. Researchers conducted studies to show how supportive an inversion table is in relieving back pain. Besides, its use can give more benefits aside from back pain relief.
Installing a keyboard tray is also a great idea. The keyboard tray is a great ergonomic device that will let you change the current keyboard angle and height from your monitor or desktop. The use of a keyboard tray may help in achieving and maintaining good posture. It may even help in minimizing pain when you stand up and sit down.
You can also use monitor arms. The monitor arms will let you position the monitors at where they should be. Some computer users buy monitor arms to enhance desktop organization or aesthetics. However, they are also helpful for people who deal with back pain.
With monitor arms, you can bring the monitors to a closer position. You can even use them to keep the monitors at the right height and angle. They will also prevent you from leaning forward and looking downward at the screen.
Other Ways to Reduce and Prevent Stiff Lower Back
Acute or chronic low back pain is a common issue that can affect your daily performance at work. It can even harm your happy relationships with your loved ones as you’ll be unable to perform some activities and spend quite some time complaining about your aches and pains. Besides, it will always stop you from enjoying all the recreational activities you used to do.
There’s no specific treatment for low back pain. Perhaps, one treatment may work for you but not for your friend. Every low back pain sufferer will find a different solution to his condition. It is important to carefully try out every method given below until you get the right one for you.
#1. Practice Proper Sitting Posture
Everyone knows it’s impossible to avoid having to sit down in the chair for a long period of time at work. Thus, you should focus on practicing proper sitting posture to avoid lower back stiffness. First, make sure you sit down while your upper arms are parallel to your spine. It will help in preventing yourself from slouching while sitting. This will also help you prevent your shoulders from rolling forward.
Likewise, be sure your latent eye level is pointing straight at the middle of the screen. It will also reduce the pressure you’re putting in the upper spine. In supporting your lower back, make sure you’re sitting back into your seat with the cushion that will keep your lower back curved. It may also help in preventing your body from hunching down in your chair for a long time.
To get the right lumbar back support as you sit down, pull back your shoulders so they will be in line with your eyes. It will also help in preventing your lower back from curving. It will even help in maintaining the arch in your back.
#2. Try New Activities
You should be more active from now on to relieve lower back pain. You may try yoga, Pilates, or Tai Chi. Any of these fun activities will help you a lot.
Yoga can be a highly effective remedy for low back pain associated with improper sitting posture. Remember, some poses may provoke spots of pain. Be mindful of those positions that you can tolerate. Then, work up to a new position while your body lets you.
Yoga is safe. It’s a low-risk activity that can benefit both children and adults. Currently, many studios out there offer free first classes or a discounted price to join. If you have been experiencing neck or back pain, why not try yoga today?
Pilates is also helpful in relieving neck and back pain. While most types of physical activities can increase body pain, Pilates is a good option for persons who currently suffer pain. It can even help those who want to avoid neck and back pain.
Pilates lets you burn calories and lose weight which might be inaccessible for people who are dealing with back pain. Pilates became extremely popular within the last fifteen years. Therefore, it is too easy to find a local business where you can get started with this fun physical activity.
Tai Chi is a popular exercise that offers extensive benefits to health. It can benefit your heart, mind, and body. Tai Chi can also make you stronger and more energetic.
Tai Chi is effective in reducing neck or back pain. It can even help you lose weight. Tai Chi is extremely popular today so finding a place to get started is easy.
#3. Medical Treatments
You can also seek help from health care professionals if your lower back hurts when sitting. One of your options is to get pain relief through massage. It might be a costly approach, but a weekly massage can be effective and affordable. There are several kinds of massage points. Therefore, make sure you ask a specialist about targeting those spots that cause low back pain.
You may also visit a registered chiropractor. Finding a certified chiropractor with years of experience can be the ultimate key to consider each time your back hurts when sitting. A chiropractor underwent training in chiropractic manipulation.
Also, he can efficiently recognize the cause of your problem and treat the affected parts of your body using specialized procedures. He may also advise you in managing the pain each day and recommend activities that can help. Feel free to ask him questions like “what is lumbar support?”.
Some people who deal with low back pain seek help from a physical therapist. This health care professional is a big help to patients who suffered trauma or underwent surgery. Aside from the physical treatment coming from the chiropractor, a physical therapist may also provide a more effective remedy for neck and back pain caused by prolonged sitting.
Conclusion
Low back pain when sitting can cause serious problems if you leave it untreated. The longer you seek treatment, the worse the possible complications will be. Therefore, you should make simple changes to your daily routine now by considering the provided tips above.
Likewise, you must consult a health care practitioner as soon as possible to prevent further complications. If you’re thinking about using one of the products mentioned above, don’t hesitate to discuss the matter with a physical therapist, a doctor, or a chiropractor. The sooner you do something about your lower back pain problem, the better!
