Chronic back pain is no joke – anyone who suffers from it can attest that it can severely disrupt quality of life. On the other hand, it's not a rare problem at all – it's reported that nearly half of the working population in the U.S. (more than millions of people) have stated that they suffer from recurring lower back pain. Although many turn to medicinal treatment with painkillers to ease the suffering, you should know that there are much more effective ways to deal with it. One of them is to learn which seemingly simple daily activities, which almost all of us do unconsciously, cause lower back pain and how to avoid them or at least reduce them. This way, we can treat the problem from its root, and not just settle for temporary relief. So here are 10 daily activities that might be causing your back pain and that you should be aware of in order to stop them.
Drinking sweetened soft drinks is definitely not the healthiest way to nourish your body and maintain high energy – that's clear and well-known – but an additional incidental harm caused by this habit, which you might not have known about, is that it can worsen back pain. Firstly, because drinking these beverages can lead to the formation of kidney stones, which lead to severe back pain. Secondly, drinking carbonated drinks contributes to the creation and trapping of gases in the digestive system, which can cause pressure on the spine. So if your back suddenly hurts after you've had a glass of carbonated and sweetened drink, it's time to start thinking about choosing water instead.
Whether you're the type who must sneak in a few more pages of the book you're engrossed in right before you go to sleep, or those who have to scroll once more through social media pages on the smartphone a second before they close their eyes—you have a problem. Either way, the position in which this action is usually performed can cause stiffness in your shoulders and back, create tension in your spine and lower back, and lead to pain. Therefore, if you feel like you really want to read a book or peek at your smartphone before sleep—do it while sitting on a comfortable chair or armchair and not in an intermediate position on the bed.
True, this pair of actions sounds trivial and daily, and it might surprise you to think that they might cause pain, but it's true and very real. To begin with, let's say that many people (mostly tall ones) brush their teeth while bending towards the sink in a position that, if maintained for 2-3 minutes during brushing, can lead to the appearance of lower back pain. Additionally, many men who tend to shave in front of the mirror get as close as possible during shaving so as not to miss any spot—but in the process stand for 10 minutes or more in a position where the back is bent at 30 degrees, which puts a lot of pressure on the lower back area. The solution is, of course, not to avoid these two important actions, but to make sure you do them with your back straight and upright, and to minimize excessive bending towards the sink or over-approaching the mirror during them.
A sedentary lifestyle—that causes us to actually sit throughout most of our day—is very common today, more than ever in history. This is a quite clear and known cause for various back problems, created due to prolonged sitting in positions that are not healthy for the body. So what can be done? There are several ways to overcome this—experts from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in the U.S., for example, recommend working on an adjustable desk, one that can also be switched to a standing position, because they are designed to help you not only prevent back pain but also be more productive. In addition, it is recommended that you try the exercises recommended in the following article, which can help you correct a sitting posture that harms the back.
Everyone is already familiar with the major harms of smoking, but did you know that one of its additional and "side" drawbacks, so to speak, is that it contributes quite a bit to lower back pain? There is even scientific proof for this: In a study conducted by scientists from Johns Hopkins University, it was found that risk factors for atherosclerosis (a history of smoking and high blood pressure) have a similar link to lower back pain and vertebral stiffness. The bottom line is that smoking doesn't have a negative effect only on the heart and lungs but also on the back—a thing that can be felt and bothersome even more in daily life. So if you smoke and find it difficult to quit on your own, we recommend that you seek professional help—even your back will thank you for it.
Have you ever experienced lower back pain after driving for a long time? If so, know that this is definitely not an uncommon phenomenon at all. If your job requires you to sit behind the wheel for long hours, even just to get to it, for example, then the back pain you feel may occur because of the position you sit in while driving. To alleviate the pressure exerted on the lower back while driving, you must make sure you're sitting straight, with your back completely against your seat's backrest. Often, drivers tend to sit in the middle of the seat, which doesn't allow support for the lower back and leads to back problems. You can also purchase a cushion tailored for a car seat, or place one of your own, to provide your back with the necessary support while driving.
Even if you're one of those who find cleaning and organizing the house something done with ease and are used to it for ages—think for a moment about all the actions you do in the process that might harm your back. Let's take laundry, for example: preparing different items for the machine, taking them out wet and heavy with water, rearranging them on high shelves in the closet, and so on—it all amounts to a high amount of pressure exerted on your lower back. Many people just don't think about it, but it's worth starting to consider that even household chores that seem seemingly harmless can hurt your quality of life because of the back pain they cause. So while it's clear you need to continue taking care of your home maintenance, if certain actions cause you severe back pain, you should start asking for help with them from other household members and begin involving even your children from a young age, who will learn to assist you with them as much as possible.
Mothers, fathers, grandparents—listen carefully: it turns out that pushing a baby stroller can actually cause back pain. If you think about it for a moment, you might realize it makes sense—when you're pushing the stroller and leading your baby in it, you usually adopt a slightly hunched walk towards the center, which changes the natural position of the spine, which of course can exert extensive pressure on your back. Therefore, the next time you go for a long stroll with the baby and the stroller, try to ask your partner or someone who is with you to help and take turns—to minimize as much as possible the tension that can be caused to your back as a result of pushing the stroller forward.
Yes, this item is, of course, directed at women, and it's extremely crucial because many act this way and harm themselves and their backs. Tight and slimming skirts might turn heads—but they can also cause back pain; they limit the movement of the hips, which creates pressure on the spine. Similarly, wearing high heels frequently leads to the same result—these high-heeled shoes place your feet at an unnatural height, which in turn causes the muscles in the lower back to move out of place. To enjoy a fashionable look without sacrificing your back's health—prefer skirts that allow you to move your legs freely and choose heels that are no higher than 5 cm.
10. Your Diet Is Incorrect – You Consume Foods That Encourage Inflammation in the Lower Back
It might not seem related, but just like in many other processes occurring in the body—nutrition has a significant part in contributing to causing or relieving back pain. We've already mentioned earlier that drinking carbonated beverages, for example, can cause the development of pain, but there are a few more types of foods and drinks found by science to potentially cause the development of inflammation in the body, manifested among other things in back pain, and they are:
It is recommended that you push all these out of your menu as much as possible and instead try to increase your consumption of anti-inflammatory foods such as:
A good and proper diet, based on protein sources like fish and chicken, daily consumption of fruits and vegetables, and avoidance as much as possible of processed food, can reduce the level of inflammation throughout the body and in the lower back area, contributing to the fight against chronic back pain.
