Back pain is common nowadays, and if you are on this page, chances are that you think you have some bad habits that may be causing you back pain, and that you want to get rid of them. Here we are going to include 10 common habits people have that trigger back pain. Eliminating the root cause of a problem is much better than trying to fix it once it has grown into a serious issue. Read on to know more about these habits causing lower back pain.
If you have a habit of hunching to surf the web on your mobile phone or slouching in front of your PC, you are more prone to back pain. These habits, as time goes by, exert excessive strain on your spine and muscles around it. As a result, you start to feel pain in your back, which develops into chronic pain if ignored. Then you feel a sudden pain in your lower back whenever you bend down in order to pick something up. This is a common symptom that people have when they have back pain. Given below are 10 bad habits you have to rid yourself of if you want to nip your back pain in the bud.
1. Lifting things incorrectly
As a matter of fact, most people know how to lift things correctly, but many of them just ignore the rule. They do so especially if they think that the item is too light to cause any harm to their backs. According to experts, lifting incorrectly will put all the strain on the lower back, increasing the risk of injury. This also applies to poor posture when lifting in the gym! It is best to study proper lifting posture or consult someone with experience before starting your weight training.
2. Over-Eating
If you are overweight, your back will have to support excessive amount of weight. Those extra pounds will put too much strain on the muscles of your back. As a consequence, they get inflamed leading to grave pain. So, don’t overeat and quite the habit of eating processed foods or foods that cause you to gain weight. You can avoid foods that boost fat growth, for example. Besides, you can go on a diet. Exercises like walking, jogging, and biking can all help you shed some extra pounds in a short period of time.
3. Smoking
According to experts, smoking has a bad effect on every part of the human body, including the lower back. The smoke from cigarettes hampers the flow of blood to the disks in the bones of the back, reducing calcium absorption. And there is no need to mention that calcium is a must for bone growth. Due to regular smoking, the bones in your back lack calcium and continue to lose strength. As time goes by, you begin to have back pain.
4. Sitting for a long period of time
If you remain seated for several hours non-stop, you are doing a good deal of harm to your back. Your back is not meant to remain in the same position for hours. Nowadays, people spend hours sitting in front of computers to get their office work done or browse the web. What they have to do is to take 10 minutes of breaks in every hour.
5. Too many sit-ups
Yes you heard me right. Doing sit-ups is a good exercise for staying in good shape, but sit-ups when done improperly can cause extra stress to your lower back. Even if you are doing sit-ups properly, when you are doing too many you will end up exhaust your Abs muscle and eventually worked on your back instead. So, don’t overdo sit-ups and always stick with good sit-up postures – always touch your lower back completely on the floor.
See also: Other Exercises that work on your Abs and Core Muscles
6. Sleeping on an aged mattress in a bad position
Have you been sleeping on a 10-year-old mattress? If so, now is the right time to replace it with a new one. According to The National Sleep Foundation, sleeping a an old mattress (especially one that is over 5 years old) may cause you to have a bad back. Studies also show that different sleeping positions affect your lower back situation. Avoid sleep on your stomach whenever possible as it put extra pressure on your lower back.
See also: Best Sleeping Position for Lower Back Pain and Anterior Pelvic Tilt
7. Carrying a heavy purse
Most ladies have this habit. This may sound funny to buy but the truth of the matter is that a purse is designed to carry small stuff we need, such as money, mobile phone and so and so forth. You don’t have to carry a huge bag over shoulders, doing so over a long period of time will cause the muscles in your back to be painful. So, get unnecessary items out of your bag and make it lighter for your back.
8. Wearing high heels
Shoes with high heels make your back adopt an arched position, and this habit, if adopted over a long period of time, can cause your back to become painful. But keep in mind that back pain is not caused by high heels only; backless shoes, such as sandals don’t distribute the weight of your body in your feet.
9. Using a poorly fitted bike
If you ride a bike on a regular basis, make sure it’s seat has a proper height. The majority of bicyclists have bad backs just because they use bicycles that are poorly fitted. Aside from this, some bicyclists use a bicycle the seats of which are not adjusted properly. Get rid of this habit and adjust the height according to your comfort.
10. Eating unhealthy foods
Yes, the foods you intake will affect your lower back. According to research studies, most people with back pain have blocked arteries to spine. So, the point is to restrict the amount of processed food you intake on a routine basis. Instead, you should focus on foods heavy with nutrition.
So, if you have any of the mentioned 10 habits, you have to do something to get rid of them if you want to rid your back of pain as soon as possible. Remember: health is the real wealth!
