Factors That Increase Your Risk for Lower Back Pain

Although no one likes to experience feeling any kind of pain, if there’s one benefit that comes from it, it’s the fact that it’s our body’s way of letting us know that something is wrong. So, when you notice that you’re feeling some pain in your lower back region and after a couple of days (along with some heat or ice therapy), it doesn’t subside, you definitely should contact your doctor. That way, they can help to narrow down just what the cause of the discomfort may be.

In the meantime, if you’re curious to know what some of the factors that increase lower back pain are, here are five of the most common ones:

Weight gain.

There is a myriad of reasons why being overweight is not healthy. One of them is that it can start to put unnecessary stress on your lower back and also your knees. In fact, there are studies that indicate that too much weight can lead to specific back pain that’s accommodated by certain other symptoms including bowel incontinence and leg weakness. If you’ve noticed either of these, make an appointment to speak with your doctor just as soon as possible.

Aging.

Another cause of lower back pain is one that is basically unavoidable: aging. That’s because, over time, it’s pretty common for wear and tear to show up in the spinal region which can lead to some level of lower back pain. The good news is that you can help to alleviate some of this by taking calcium and Vitamin D supplements, seeing a chiropractor regularly, and exercising too.

Lack of exercise.

Speaking of exercising, a sedentary lifestyle is a surefire way to find yourself having problems with your back. Low impact workouts such as yoga and water aerobics are soothing for the back. Or, if you’d like to know about some other exercises that focus specifically on the back area, OrthoInfo.AAOS.org has a pretty thorough list. Just go to the site and put “lower back pain guide” in the search field.

Occupational hazards.

If you work the kind of job where you have to do a lot of bending or lifting, at one time or another, you’re probably going to experience a certain amount of lower back pain. This is why it’s a good idea to invest in a personal trainer and to also keep your doctor abreast of any discomfort that you might feel. A trainer can help to get your body fit and your doctor can alert you to things that you might need to do to reduce the risk of back pain occurrences.

Poor posture.

While growing up, you were probably used to hearing one of your parents or teachers telling you to sit up straight. When it comes to avoiding back pain risk, it was good advice then and it’s still good advice now. If you were to make an appointment with a place to see what was causing your back discomfort, there’s a pretty good chance that they would ask you if you have good posture. So, how can you know for sure? Huffington Post actually published a really great article on the subject. Just go to the site and put “10 posture mistakes” and “17 tips for a better posture” in the search field.