Things to avoid if you have a bad back
Here are 3 simple things to avoid if you have a bad back or back pain
2. Bend your back to perform household chores
3. Roll like a log to get out of your bed
Many back pain sufferers feel they should sit bolt upright with a rigidly straight back all day long – slouching is bad isn’t it?
This posture is not natural for us and will only add to your back pain becoming worse. How would you feel if I asked you to hold your fist clenched all day long? It’s difficult to do and your hand and arm would soon start becoming painful – it’s unnatural to ask any muscle to stay switched on all day long. Sitting bolt upright all the time is asking your erector spinae muscles to do just that – and it’s not possible or good for a bad back.
Holding yourself rigidly upright with constant muscular contraction compresses your spine. These constant compressive forces on your spinal vertebral segments – are higher than the forces of gravity that already compress us whenever we are upright. Your intervertebral discs, which act as shock absorbers for your vertebrae are subject to these forces too and eventually become dry which in turn leads to degeneration of your vertebrae and can lead to back pain.
What you back needs is to move throughout the day and to be able to have periods of relaxation. You can rest your back on a cushioned bolster or backrest to support your lower back, enabling you to relax your spinal muscles during sitting
Once you’ve experienced terrible back pain your brain may go into a hyper-protective mode as you fear that movement will bring back your pain.
Not moving your back reduces the spread of synovial fluid (nutritional fluid ) across your spinal joints. This will lead to a degenerative process that can contribute to maintaining or worsening your back pain.
Try this – whilst on your back, gently rock your knees to your chest several times to loosen up your spine. Next, try to get out of bed normally.
AFRAID TO BEND OVER NORMALLY?
Back pain sufferers are often fearful of bending over because their brains have gotten the idea that bending is bad for you. This is simply not true. It is how we bend that makes all the difference.
Your back is supposed to move – It’s main job is to lower your upper body downwards to a functional, usable, workable place to do the things you want or need to do. Using your back as it is designed to be used keeps your spinal muscles strong and stable.
If you don’t use your back muscles they will weaken significantly creating more back pain and instability which leaves sit in an even more vulnerable state.
Learning to bend properly by using a hip hinging movement ( 2nd image ) instead of rounding your back down ( 1st image ) will be the difference between whether you are helping or hindering your back pain. At City Physiotherapy our physiotherapists treat back pain and will help you to learn how to sit, roll, move, bend and hip hinge properly so you can start to recover from your back pain.
