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Determining the Cause of Lower Back
Pain
Your lower back is the connecting point between your upper and
lower body. It stands to reason that an area that works so hard
and takes so much stress and strain from the rest of the body
will hurt on occasion. Some studies show that as many as 80% of
American adults will experience back pain at one time or
another. And for many of these people, lower back pain will be
the problem. There are many ways to treat this type of
discomfort, but it is best to determine the cause of the lower
back pain so that you can find the most effective treatment
options for you. In many cases, this will be easier said than
done, since the cause of lower back pain is often not terribly
obvious. You may simply wake up one morning with pain in your
lower back, without much of a clue as to how or why it began.
However, there are some basic causes of lower back pain that
you can consider in determining why your back hurts.
Muscle Strain
This is by far the most common cause of lower back pain. It is
easy to strain these muscles through your daily activities – if
you do not take care to protect this area of your back. Lifting
heavy objects is a frequent cause of lower back pain, because
many of us perform this task improperly. Instead of bending the
knees and allowing the leg muscles to take the bulk of the
weight, many will bend over from the back, and strain the
muscles in the area when they stand back up. It is also easy to
strain the muscles in this area through household chores like
raking, gardening and vacuuming. Any activity that requires
frequent bending or lifting can strain this area and be a cause
of lower back pain. In most of these circumstances, resting the
back, taking over the counter pain medication and applying hot
and cold packs will be enough to heal the back and reduce the
pain.
Poor Posture
There’s a very good reason why your mother used to constantly
remind you to stand up straight when you were a kid. Poor
posture can be a cause of lower back pain, and can be a bit
more difficult to remedy than a simple muscle strain can. There
are some types of back support, or braces, that you can wear to
improve your posture and support your lower back. However,
constant use of these devices can lead to atrophy in some
muscles, so they are not recommended for all day use. However,
if you wear them for a short period of time each day, they can
improve your posture and your lower back pain as well. It is
also important to strengthen the muscles of your core so that
your lower back has the additional support. You can do this
through abdominal exercises like crunches. A tighter abdomen
will lead to a stronger, less painful back.
There are many causes of lower back pain, but by pinpointing
the reason for your discomfort, you can find the most effective
treatment plan for you.
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