7 Common Causes of Back Pain

Did you know that 80% of the population experiences back pain on a regular basis, and around 33% of those are due to strains and sprains?

Once you've had an episode of back pain, your odds of a recurrence within six months are approximately 33%.

Things to consider avoiding if you want to minimize your risk of experiencing back pain.

Here are seven common causes of back pain

1. Screen time contributes to back pain

• The average person spends around nine hours a day hunched in front of their computers, TV screens, phones, and tablets. All of this excessive slouching stresses the muscles and joints in the back, causing back pain.
• To combat this, take breaks and get up to walk around the office when you feel your back begin to tighten up. Do neck stretches. Roll out your neck while squeezing your shoulder blades together and lowering your shoulders. Adjust your seat and computer screen to eye level, this way you're not looking down which forces you to slouch your back.

2. A weak core can cause back pain

• Having a weak core, which includes your abdominal muscles, gluteal muscles, back muscles, and pelvic muscles, is a leading cause of lower back pain. If you can combine a strong core with optimal flexibility you'll give yourself a much better chance of having less back pain.

3. Sleeping on your stomach can cause back pain

• Sleeping on your stomach can compress your facet joints in your spine excessively throughout the night. These joints can become inflamed and lead to a condition called facet syndrome. A common symptom of facet syndrome is a moderate, dull ache in the back that does not improve with time and treatment. To learn more, here's a blog post about facet syndrome and how chiropractic care can help.

4. Smoking can cause back pain

• Smoking wreaks havoc on your lungs, heart, and entire body. Don't forget, there is a strong correlation between smoking and back pain. Smoking constricts blood vessels and blood flow to your spinal vertebrae and discs causing them to age faster and breakdown at an accelerated rate. Additionally, smoking interferes with your body's ability to process minerals like magnesium and calcium which are essential for bone health.

5. Carrying emotional stress can cause back pain

• Being depressed or under excessive stress can lead to lower back pain. Also, not getting the proper amount of sleep causes an increase in back pain. People with major depression are four times as likely to develop disability related to back and neck pain. If you're dealing with emotional stress, depression, or anxiety you are much more likely to experience back pain. It may be beneficial to speak with a psychologist or psychiatrist to help address your underlying emotional stress.

6. Not being active enough can cause back pain

• People who exercise and are moving more experience less back pain. If you are too sedentary your vertebrae and muscles aren't working as much, and this can lead to back pain on a regular basis. Walking in the morning or after work, going to the gym, swimming, yoga, tennis, and pilates are all excellent sources of exercise to help decrease back pain.

7. Wearing the wrong shoes can cause back pain

• High heels cause back pain, but so can flat sandals and flip-flops due to a lack of arch support. Problems in your feet can translate up your kinetic chain through your knees and hips into your back. Find the right shoe that provides optimal arch and heel support.

In health,

Dr. Jeffrey Gerdes D.C.