Is lower back pain related to sports injuries? Will sitting for a long time cause a herniated disc? Doctor reveals "1 posture" is the culprit of back pain
The recurrence rate of low back pain is as high as 70%? Is inactivity and fixed posture the culprit?
Lack of exercise, poor posture or maintaining a fixed position for a long time may be the cause of low back pain? Lower back pain usually refers to pain from the lower edge of the ribs to the lower hip area, including muscle tightness and stiffness, which can be called lower back pain, and is related to injuries to soft tissues such as muscles and tendons.
It is worth noting that many people with low back pain mistakenly believe that “active exercise” is harmful to the body and are unwilling to undergo active exercise treatment after the pain occurs. Statistics show that the recurrence rate of low back pain within one year is as high as 73%, and some groups will evolve If it becomes “chronic low back pain”, good daily habits and appropriate exercise training are indispensable to prevent low back pain.
Dr. Xu Ziheng, the attending physician of the Rehabilitation Department of Shuang Ho Hospital, said in an exclusive interview with “healthorn” that in the past agricultural society era, the most likely cause of lower back pain was repeated postures or improper exertion during labor. For modern people, the proportion of lower back pain is gradually increasing due to stress and long-term maintenance of fixed postures such as computer playing and sitting for long periods of time. In addition, obesity can easily increase the burden on the spine and muscles, and can also increase the incidence of low back pain. In particular, modern people lack exercise and lack muscle strength, and the core muscles cannot perform their protective functions, which is an important cause of lower back pain.
Is lower back pain different from sciatica? Common causes of lower back pain in the elderly and young
“Low back pain is usually divided into two major groups. Young people often see sudden low back pain, which is often related to maintaining bad posture for too long, causing intervertebral disc herniation; elderly people often see long-term low back pain, involving the spine or… The rate of joint and ligament degeneration is relatively high!”
Dr. Xu Ziheng pointed out that because the pain range is in the lower back, many people tend to confuse “low back pain” and “sciatica”. Generally speaking, low back pain is caused by injuries to muscles, tendons, ligaments and other soft tissues or from joint degeneration. It usually presents as localized pain, with less numbness or extended pain. Sciatica is caused by nerve compression, resulting in numbness and pain in the lower limbs and even pain and numbness distributed along the dermatome. If the patient’s symptoms are similar to numbness in the lower limbs after sitting on the toilet for a long time, it is more likely to be diagnosed as sciatica.
In terms of diagnosis, Dr. Xu Ziheng explained that X-rays can only initially clarify whether there are structural problems. Clinical symptoms and physical examinations will be combined to determine whether the nerves are compressed. If the treatment is not as expected or surgery is required, more advanced electrical brain disconnection will be used. Tools such as tomography and MRI scans can be used for inspection. When it is determined that low back pain is caused by soft tissue, ultrasound technology, which has become more and more advanced, can be used to check whether there is any soft tissue injury.
Will lower back pain result from incorrect weight training posture? How to avoid sports injuries that damage your spine
Sports injuries caused by excessive exercise or incorrect posture may also be the cause of lower back pain. Dr. Xu Ziheng pointed out that during heavy training, such as deadlift and squat posture, if the force is incorrect, it may put excessive pressure on the spine, increase the risk of muscle and tendon strain, and may even cause intervertebral disc injury. Therefore, when lifting weights or moving heavy objects, be sure to use the correct leg muscles to avoid excessive forward bending of the spine. When squatting, you can also adopt a posture with the front and rear feet separated to reduce excessive pressure on the waist.
Dr. Xu Ziheng reminds you that you must warm up enough before exercise to increase muscle sensitivity, which will help prevent sports injuries during fast activities. If your occupation requires standing or bending for long periods of time, such as beauticians, agriculture, fishery, animal husbandry, engineering personnel, etc., it is recommended to stretch regularly at a fixed time, or to use waist braces and other assistive devices to help support at the end of long-term activities.
Dr. Xu Ziheng pointed out that the most important principle to prevent low back pain is to “exercise more”. Various types of exercise training such as aerobic exercise, strength exercise, balance exercise including yoga, Pilates, etc., research shows that they can all help improve the condition. Lower back pain problem. As for yoga exercises that can be performed at home, you can usually practice “Swan Pose” or hip lift training to help strengthen the waist and buttock muscles and reduce the risk of lower back pain.
What should you do when acute low back pain occurs? How to prevent lower back pain in daily life?
“Many people seek medical treatment for lower back pain due to long-term sitting, but they still think that they cannot have a herniated disc. In fact, the intervertebral disc is like a cushion between the vertebrae. Long-term sitting can lead to poor circulation, prone to chronic degeneration, and increases the risk of disc damage. , if combined with poor posture and increased pressure on the spine, disc herniation may occur just from sitting for a long time!”
Dr. Xu Ziheng reminds that when acute low back pain occurs, the muscles or soft tissues are injured and cannot support the spine. It is recommended to rest more and stop fitness and exercise. Try to avoid maintaining fixed postures for long periods of time, and get up and move around every 30 minutes to an hour. Some patients develop lower back pain after fitness or heavy training. It is recommended to consult a professional coach to see if there are postural problems such as incorrect waist exertion to find out the root cause of the lower back pain. In addition, those who do not have regular exercise habits should exercise step by step to avoid sudden over-exercise that may cause sports injuries.
“The best posture is your next posture!” Dr. Xu Ziheng said that if you cannot stretch at any time due to your occupation or lifestyle, such as drivers, security guards, flight attendants, and service industries, it is recommended that you can adjust your movements at any time during work, such as adjusting As long as the body makes appropriate movement changes in chair height or standing posture, it can reduce the risk of excessive weight bearing on the spine and increase the risk of low back pain. As for the waist support, it is recommended to wear it intermittently to avoid over-reliance on the waist, which may lead to a decrease in muscle strength.
Further reading: Lower back pain is no small problem! A 20-year-old woman’s examination revealed that her lumbar spine was “aging prematurely”
