3 Things That Cause Back Pain That You Didn’t Know Until Now!

3 Things That Cause Back Pain That You Didn’t Know Until Now!

Quick question:

How many of you have googled “preventing back pain?”

Yes, I thought so.

We’ve all heard and read about what can cause your back pain: incorrect lifting, bad posture, sports injury. But, did you know that you may be making a common mistake in your daily routine that might be encouraging back pain?

What I’m about to tell you might sound surprising but hear me out. I’ll explain why it can increase your back pain, as well as give you some tips on how to change it.

Ready? Here we go!

Bad Diet.

I don’t mean like Weight Watchers or Optavia! This is a way to manage your weight. However, I am more concerned about the reason you may be on these weight loss diets.

Being overweight can have a great impact on your health AND your back pain. If you are overweight then you are putting extra pressure on your back.

An example of this can be where we store sugar. When we eat sugar, any energy that we didn’t use from it is stored in our back.

Another place that it can be stored, along with caffeine, is on your flank – AKA your love handles!

If you now think of all that excess weight being carried on your back from sugar and caffeine, is it surprising that a bad diet can lead to back pain?

To overcome this issue, try cutting down on the sugar, caffeine, and processed foods and choose more natural foods. This could be chicken, potatoes, and vegetables – you know, the good stuff. Lean meats and complex carbohydrates which we have been told is good for us for years.

Just remember, any energy you don’t use will be stored as fat and your body stores this fat in your hips and low back.

Lack of Exercise

And by lack of exercise I mean a lack of flexibility exercises. Many people will be active by going for long walks, playing sports, and going to the gym.

Yet how many people actually put time aside to increase their flexibility or even associate this with exercise?

Flexibility exercises always seem to be overlooked but they really shouldn’t be.

Stretches before and after exercise can help with flexibility. However, it’s main focus is to get rid of the lactic acid you build up from exercise.

If you are someone who is noticing stiffness more frequently after exercise AND stretches, then you will really benefit from yoga.

Yoga is a great exercise to add into your daily routine. Yoga may include stretches that you may already be familiar with. However, yoga is so much more than a few stretches.

Yoga helps you focus on your breathing. During your practice you will focus on the depth of your breathing and also the rhythm of your breathing cycle. This causes your body to feel less stressed, can ease tension as the movements relax the muscles AND it increases your flexibility.

Just because yoga is not as intense as going running does not mean that it’s not an intense workout for your muscles!

I recommend my clients try yoga on a regular basis because of it’s amazing benefits – and I recommend you give it a try too!

I have one client who started doing yoga 3-4 times per week a few months ago. Originally he was looking to keep his back and knees more flexible. Along the way he has also realized that it helps his upper back and neck stay flexible so he doesn’t get pain while he is sitting at his computer.

The benefits of yoga go well beyond low back pain!

How Old Did You Say Your Mattress Was?

When you actually think back to when you got your mattress, you’ll be surprised at how old it actually is!

And you may be asking yourself – how old is too old? It’s actually quite simple. Although it may have been really supportive in the beginning, over time it can wear down and ultimately not give you the support you need.

Think of it like this:

You have a brand new shirt that you really like. You wear it day in and day out (proving how much you really like it!). After the first few washes it looks good as new. However after awhile you notice that the more you wear it, the more the colors fade, the stitching starts to come out, and pretty soon you need a new shirt.

Your mattress is the same. It wears out from using it every night. The general advice is that you mattress should last you 7-10 years. But, let’s be honest, we know that the quality of the mattress is important in how long it will last.

You may be asking yourself, is there anything else I can do until I can buy a new mattress? Yes! Another way to get great support is by the use of your pillow.

If you sleep on your side, place a pillow in between your legs for extra support. This will help your hip joints as well as your low back.

If you prefer to sleep on your back, get a pillow or two and pop them under your knees. This changes the way your spine is positioned when you sleep, providing more support for your low back.

And, there you have it! So to summarize everything: having a healthy diet is more important that just getting the correct nutrients for your body – it also helps ease any pressure to your joints and muscles.

Your bed, as comfy as it may feel, might actually be causing you harm! Double check the date of when you got your mattress and don’t forget to use pillows to increase support to your spine.

Including flexibility exercises such as yoga into your daily routine can make a great difference to your back pain. Just because its slow and calming, doesn’t mean it’s not a good workout for your body!

Not many people seem to notice these problems in their lifestyle and often ignore them because they don’t see how what they eat can have a big impact on their back pain.

Often people forget how long ago it was that they bought their mattress. I am lucky because my husband keeps super accurate records of all our purchases. I encourage you to look back in your records and find out how old that mattress really is.

You may not have even thought about the importance of the exercise you do to maintain flexibility. At Physical Therapy for everyBODY, our number one core value is “Movement Is Life”. That is because movement is required for every activity we want to do in life. And, proper movement of every part of your body is required to eliminate pain.

It’s true. Every tissue in your body is designed to be able to heal itself when it is moving properly. So, if you are able to get proper movement into your body then it can heal itself naturally.

However, the opposite is also true. If your body is not allowed to move properly then you the tissue will keep reinjuring itself. This does not lead to healing. This leads to pain that continues.

That is why we believe that movement is so important. Because if you aren’t moving properly, then you aren’t healing.

And, if you are ready to deal with this low back pain once and for all, then I encourage you to click here to sign up for a Free Discovery Visit. We hold open 2 slots per week to meet with you in person to hear your back pain journey and answer all your questions. If you have been let down in the past and are wondering what makes us different then I encourage you to sign up for a Free Discovery Visit.