When we have back pain, we usually try to find the reason by recalling our actions. Repeated lifting of objects, lifting something too heavy or working out too much could have caused it. Similarly, sitting or lying for too long, an uncomfortable sleeping position or a poorly fitting too heavy backpack could be the reason.
However, there are some reasons that you might never expect to be the cause of your aching back.
Are you a video gamer with back pain?
Every sport has its casualties. For example, tennis players develop tennis elbow, and some golfers suffer from golfer’s elbow. Anything you do that involves repetitive motions can cause pain. Gamers often spend many hours seated with slumped shoulders and heads tilted forward. Spending hours in that position will undoubtedly cause muscle stiffness and strain. You can prevent it by taking frequent breaks to walk around, stretch your muscles, or do your gaming seated on a therapy ball.
Insomnia and back pain go hand-in-hand
Although researchers are not sure why, insomnia and back pain can coexist in a reciprocal relationship. While insomnia can cause your back to hurt, too much pain can keep you awake. Researchers say two in every three people with chronic spinal pain also struggle with sleep disorders.
Back pain from scarred nerves
After back trauma or surgery, scar tissue forms to help heal the wound. However, if it is around the nerves in your back. In that case, movement could cause pain in your back because of the scar tissue tugging on the wound’s sensitive area. Scar tissue can also compromise blood supply, another possible cause of back pain.
Does the way you walk cause back pain?
Most Americans take between 3,000 and 4,000 steps each day. Your walking style could have something to do with the aches and pains in your back. For instance, walking with one or both feet turned out or having flat feet can cause stress on some muscles that could, in turn, cause chronic back pain.
Did you have a C-section?
Studies have shown that a hurting lower back could follow giving birth by a C-section, especially with epidural anesthesia. This is because you won’t feel any pain while you hold your body into severely strained positions, which could result in damage to your back and subsequent pain.
How tall are you?
Men who are taller than 6-foot-1, and women whose height exceed 5-feet-7 are at an increased risk of suffering pain in your lower back. Studies have shown that, despite the larger and thicker vertebrae in tall people, a link exists between back pain and height. One reason could be body posture because taller people often stoop to do daily tasks and even get in and out of a car.
Are you a smoker?
Researchers say nicotine causes degeneration of spinal disks. Furthermore, smoking slows down blood flow, which, in turn, slows down healing. Therefore, the pain caused by the breakdown of the disks typically lingers. They say chances of pain in the lower back are three times higher in smokers.
Bladder and urinary tract infections
Bladder infections can spread into the urinary tract, causing severe mid back pain. Actually, it will persist regardless of your body position. Bladder and kidney infections also cause nausea, fever and chills.
Your flip-flops can sideline you
Your body doesn’t like your flip-flops as much as you do. Every stride you take without cushioning your feet adds to the stress that could move up from your feet to your hips and lower back. Furthermore, walking with flip-flops requires you to tighten your toes with every step to keep them on. This is unnatural, and it causes muscle strain and pain.
How tight are your pants?
Would you believe that too-tight pants could cause pain in your back? A study in which men wore properly fitting slacks and then changed into pants that fitted tightly experienced movement and posture changes that caused aching backs. Movement of the pelvis and the lower spine becomes awkward, weakening the muscles responsible for keeping the spine aligned.
Do you perch on a fat wallet?
If you stuff your wallet with papers, credit cards, cash and other stuff, don’t carry it in your back pocket. Perching on a bulky wallet cause strain on your buttock muscles and your sciatic nerves. All these are the perfect ingredients to trigger back pain. Who would think that keeping your wallet less bulky and in the front pocket could resolve your hurting back?
