I have heard one statistic that over 80% of Americans will experience low back pain at some point in there life. I have no idea where this stat came from, but I would guess it is an understatement. I don't know if I have ever met someone that said they have never experienced and episode of low back pain (yes myself included).
There are a number of reasons why you might be experiencing low back pain, and it would take a professional to observe and diagnose it. I am willing to bet that most likely your back pain comes from a weak/dysfunctional core or it is from postural imbalances.
It is safe to say that if you have low back pain you probably are sitting too much. There might not be much you can do about this. Your job probably revolves around you sitting a lot, you probably have a commute where you are stuck sitting, and then you get home to sit and watch tv. It is inevitable, you are going to have to sit all day, so how can we do this and avoid back pain.
According to Shirley Sarhmann, a very well known physical therapist, there is one simple thing you can do that will dramatically help reduce pain associated from a seated position. The reason you have pain from sitting too much is because in this position you are most likely in a lumbar flexed position. This means your lower back is rounding. Our muscles and our vertebral discs have a memory. They stay in the position that you put them in for a long time. So when you stand up you will most likely stay in that flexed position. On top of this, the WORST position for your lumbar spine to be in is flexed and rotated. Think about when you are seated at your desk. You are probably already rounded and now you rotate to answer the phone, pick up a file, or any other reason. When you do this, you are dramatically increasing your risk for a bulging or compressed disc.
So how can we avoid this? Do not sit with a flexed lumbar. This is easier said then done if you have been sitting this way for awhile. Sarhmann recommends one simple thing to achieve this. When you are sitting keep your knees level or below your hips. When your knees are highly then your hips you will most likely sit with a rounded back. If you can raise your seat it will be much more comfortable sitting with a neutral spine. Just be careful. We want neutral spine. This means not flexed as we stated above and not hyper extended where you try and arch your back too far.
Give it a try while you are working. See how it improves your posture and your lower back pain.
You Stay Healthy San Diego!
Mike Deibler MS, CSCS
San Diego Premier Training
My Workout Creator
1 comment:
Lower back pain is very difficult to handle, a person having this one will suffer a lot. I heard about Ms. Sarhmann before and based on what I'd heard she is really a good therapist. Thank you for sharing this to us.
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