BACK PAIN IS one of the most common health problems we experience. And for many people, the lifestyle changes of the last 18 months may have worsened the issue.
“Anyone who has shifted to remote work definitely needs to be mindful of their back health,” says Richard Shortall, a physiotherapist with Alliance Physiotherapy.
Not only are they potentially sitting at a home desk without the correct equipment all day, they’re also missing out on incidental exercise sessions that they would have had previously, like their cycle or walk to work.
A survey carried out at the end of last year found that over half of physiotherapists in Ireland were seeing more patients with back and neck pain than before the pandemic, while previous studies have shown that back pain is the most common reason for Irish employees to be signed off work.
Luckily, most people who experience back pain will be able to take simple steps to deal with it. Here, we’re looking at some of the most common causes – and the steps you can take.
If you’re reading this at work, there’s a good chance you’re slouched over your laptop – or, like many home workers, sitting at your desk in an ordinary kitchen chair instead of an ergonomically-designed office chair.
Don’t panic yet. Bad posture won’t cause back pain immediately. But over time, an unnatural posture – whether that’s leaning too far forward, or too far back – can put pressure on the muscles in your back as well as the discs between your vertebrae. In particular, if you’ve already got back issues, your posture can worsen them.
Luckily, improving your posture isn’t rocket science. “Start off by checking how you sit,” says Shortall. “Many people use the back of the chair to support them, but instead, sit with your backside right against the back of the chair. This will set your pelvis in the right position and everything else will sit correctly on top of it.”
Another simple change? Stand up every half hour for one or two minutes, no matter what:
When you stand, you’re extending your legs and hips, and reversing the sitting position you’ve been holding all day. While you’re up, put your arms out to the sides like wings and squeeze your shoulder blades together to loosen up the shoulders and chest area.
Check out some other exercise suggestions from Harvard Medical School here.
If you’re experiencing back pain that gets worse when you move, but better when you stay still – or makes it difficult for you to bend down or straighten up – then the cause may be a pulled muscle, also known as a strain.
These occur when some of the fibres that make up your muscles are torn, twisted or pulled uncomfortably – often by a sudden rapid movement or a heavy load. Lifting a weighty or awkward object without taking proper precautions is a classic cause of back strain.
You can reduce the risk of strains by exercising regularly and improving your posture, both of which will help to keep your back muscles flexible and in good condition. But if it’s too late, and you realise that you’ve pulled a muscle in your back, the best first step is to apply ice (wrapped in a towel) to reduce inflammation. You can also ask your pharmacist about short-term pain relief.
As with posture problems, there are also some simple exercises that can help to loosen your muscles and reduce pain. Try lying on your back and gently bringing your knees and chin to your chest until you feel a comfortable (not painful) stretch.
Of course, exercise helps to keep you fit and healthy. But playing many sports can also put you at risk of injury, and back injuries are some of the most common – some estimate that lumbar, or lower back, issues account for 5-10% of all sports injuries.
Sports injuries can cause a wide range of back issues, from muscle strains to damage to the discs in between your vertebrae. Each will require its own form of recovery, and it’s important not to use the wrong treatment – you could end up doing yourself more damage.
But there are some things you can do to reduce your risk of acquiring a new injury, or triggering an old one. First, be sure to warm up. “If you’re going straight from sitting at your home desk all day to an exercise session, that’s a big change for your body,” says Shortall. Instead, build in a “transition period” like a walk or some stretching.
Second, whether you’re doing your first ever yoga video on YouTube or finally trying your hand at weightlifting, be sure to go at a realistic pace for you. “A lot of sports injuries tend to happen in the first few weeks of a new form of exercise,” says Shortall. “Start slow and build things up gradually, rather than diving in at the deep end and risking injury.”
From sports injuries, to posture issues, to an awkward or mistimed lift – most of us will experience back pain at some point in our lives. But nobody wants to put themselves at higher risk than necessary. So if you’re suffering from back pain now, or you’d like to avoid it in future, it may help to be aware of these different potential triggers and treatments.
Don’t let pain hold you back. Solpa-Extra Soluble Tablets uses a double action formula – paracetamol and caffeine – to help deliver effective relief for mild to moderate pain such as headache and back pain. Solpa-Extra Soluble Tablets gets to work two times faster than standard paracetamol tablets alone based on absorption data.
Solpa-Extra 500mg/65mg Soluble Tablets. For the treatment for mild to moderate pain. Always read the leaflet. To verify contact: verify@perrigo.com.
For more information about relief for mild to moderate pain, visit solpa.ie.
To embed this post, copy the code below on your site
have your say