Back Pain: What, Why, and What to do about it?
Experts estimate as much as 80% of the population will experience a back problem at some time in their lives. Back pain is the sixth most costly condition in the United States. Health care and indirect costs due to back pain are over $12 billion per year.
And if that is not impressive enough, the incidence of back and neck pain due to this pandemic has increased exponentially. Some call it the "intersection of two pandemics."
What is my back trying to tell me?
There are often early warning signs that precede acute pain episodes: a little ache here and there, some small body fatigue, a bit of irritability. Instead of noticing these early warning signs, we press on with our normal day-to-day activities, utterly oblivious to our bodies' mounting strain. These warning signs are trying to tell us to adjust our body mechanics and that we are misusing our bodies.
Pain can be a call to action and might turn out to be a blessing if the experience leads to learning how your body works and how your body can move safely.
Why do I have back pain?
Pain can be brought on by trauma from accidents and injuries, but why does back pain present in the absence of trauma?
Clients often say to me, "I wasn't doing anything unusual, and my back went out." I call that "the straw that broke the camel's back syndrome." Meaning that as we continuously and unknowingly misuse our bodies during our lives, we layer down a series of imbalances and strain on our musculoskeletal systems. One day, when "you are not doing anything unusual," the body "gives in" and experiences pain.
Most back and neck pain is mechanical in origin and results from the cumulative effect of poor body mechanics. Body mechanics refers to the way we move during everyday activities. Healthy body mechanics can go a long way in preventing musculoskeletal injuries. Furthermore, healthy body mechanics are an essential part of the healing process.
Poor Body Mechanics that lead to back pain:
Prolonged sitting
Overuse of technology
Postural muscle weakness
Poor posture and body mechanics
General deconditioning as a result of sedentary lifestyles
Stress and depression
Poor self-care habits
These factors have been magnified tenfold during the pandemic, hence the increasing incidence of neck and back pain.
What can I do about it?
Of course, if you have an acute episode, consult your doctor to rule out any structural problems. If you are experiencing chronic aching and nagging discomfort that is beginning to affect your everyday life, consult a practitioner who can assess your posture, flexibility, and ergonomics.
If you do not have someone who can help you with this, I would be delighted to consult with you to get you started. I have learned that I can very effectively guide individuals into healthy posture, body mechanics, daily habits, and ergonomics via Zoom
In the meantime, consider some of these self-healing strategies:
Stay hydrated: This is critical to physiologic and musculoskeletal health.
De-weight (allow a body sigh) - Get gravity off your body at intervals during the day. Lie down anywhere you can; you can even recline your car seatback. This restorative and straightforward strategy can reap great benefits.
Implement "Protein Washing": Eat protein frequently as a restorative practice for your cells and your entire being.
Use moist heat if indicated - Moist heat (not dry or electric) is the modality that has the most effective therapeutic effect on chronic pain.
Move as if your life depended on it (it does) - Being sedentary is extremely detrimental to the human body. Body movement lubricates all of our joints. In other words, movement "keeps us juicy."
Stretch - Use all of your real estate to lengthen and open. Sitting allows our soft tissue to "shrink," so elongating, opening, and gentle stretching are essential.
Develop a routine - Our nervous systems, our physiology, and our circadian rhythms thrive on consistency in our daily activities.
Be still - The benefits are incredible: decreased stress, increased ability to listen to our inner voice, increased creativity, better sleep, increased resourcefulness, and the ability to be present in everyday life.
I sincerely hope this information is of benefit to each of you. The following newsletters will take a deeper dive into this subject. I am always happy to answer questions and get your feedback.
Please stay safe, be well, and get the support you need to do so!
