What Are The Most Common Causes Of Back Pain?

From time to time, most people suffer from mild back pain and it may be difficult to diagnose the exact cause. The low back, also referred to as the lumbar spine, has a structure of interconnecting bones, nerves, joints, ligaments and muscles working together to provide support, flexibility and strength. Muscles in the low back help to flex and rotate the hips while walking, and support the spinal column.

Persistent back pain can certainly disrupt your daily routine and make you more stressed, and a lot less productive. When you visit a physiotherapist for back pain treatment in Singapore, you will be guided with manual treatment using massage, mobilisation and manipulation to help reduce the pain severity.

80% of adults in Singapore have experienced back pain at least once in their lives. The increase in back pain cases in recent years has raised concern as back pain has the ability to debilitate one’s quality of life and negatively affect productivity levels. In this article, we explore the common causes of back pain.

1. Muscle strain due to excessive use

A lot of people who injure their backs often do so because they put too much strain on it. Like, for example, during a pickup game of basketball in the weekend, or even while doing household chores cleaning around the house.

Plenty of the things that people think they are able to do easily are hard on their backs, and if they are not as physically active as they ideally should be, the strain on the backs can worsen.

The key to minimizing this type of back pain is frequent exercise. Giving your core muscles a stretch and a workout on a regular basis can ensure that your back doesn’t suffer as much when you engage in a physically strenuous activity.

2. Poor technique

Many people may not realise when they are lifting something that is not in the right way. Improper lifting techniques can put a great deal of stress on the low back muscles. Too much stress can cause muscle strain where tiny tears in the muscle are formed, which is a highly common form of back injury.

Instead, the proper way to lift is to keep your back straight and your knees bent. Also, when changing directions while lifting, most use their waist, which is also incorrect. The right way to do it when lifting something is to change directions using your feet.

3. Sitting for prolonged periods

By how much sitting we all do every day, in addition to its adverse physical effects and how bad it is, it’s not hard to see why many experts agree that sitting for prolonged periods is dangerous.

Sitting for long hours at your desk and evenings on the sofa couch encourages prolong sitting that will cause problems in the neck, as well as lower and upper back. The longer you sit, the more you slouch. A normal and healthy lower back, or lumbar spine, should have a small inverse arch to keep us stable and upright.

Our spine has many small bones called vertebrae that have discs between each of them. They have a sturdy exterior like bone, but are soft and gel-like on the inside to absorb the shock of movement without putting stress on the vertebrae. They are also spongy and responsible for serving as a cushion for the vertebrae in your spine. However, these discs have poor blood supply flow, and the lack of movement can prevent blood from flowing properly through these discs. Thus, with regular physical movement or exercise, proper circulation of blood is encouraged.

The entire spine is compressed when you sit, and when you slouch, the inverse curve is reversed and becomes rounded in the other direction. Over time, pressure is placed onto vertebral discs that not only causes temporary discomfort but also persistent back pain.

Essentially, the best way to prevent back pain is to avoid sitting too much. Squeeze in a workout or two during your day. Go for a walk during your breaks, and when you sit down, practice proper posture. Going for physiotherapy in Singapore is always a good idea, especially if you believe that you’re already the pain is not going away anytime soon and you need an expert to diagnose your condition.

Experiencing back pain? Click here to find out more about physiotherapy for back pain relief and how Core Concepts can help