Why is it such a common thing, what exactly causes it?
(What can a human do to ensure the least chances they get it later in their life?)
In: Biology
Decades of not using the back muscles. Strong muscles and joints are extremely resilient. The back muscles, when fit, can take a lot.
Keep in mind that humans are pretty unique in our vertical torso set up. Most other animals have the weight of their bodies relatively evenly distributed across 4 points. We put all the weight of supporting our upper half on our lumbar. Even in the best of conditions, problems are bound to happen.
The spine evolved for 4 legged animals. We than stood upright. We didn’t get a new spine. The way you need to posture yourself is not intuition n you need to be tought and practice,
Listion to your mom. She knows better.
Between each vertebrae are plates of cartilage that act as insulation and provide cushion between the bones. As you age they become more flat and are less able to do their job protecting these bones. Being heavier will also put more strain on the cartilage.
Many people also go through mild forms of scoliosis as they age in which only an xray would reveal that your spine isn’t perfectly straight which can lead to uneven degradation of these plates and also puts more strain on particular muscle groups in the back which can lead them to become sore and prone to cramping. Posture and proper lifting techniques are also crucial as a common problem for people is having these plates of cartilage pop out of alignment due to too much strain being put on the back.
Muscle mass is obviously harder to keep as you get much older but that is why exercise and being active is the best way avoid back problems related to aging. Its your muscle mass keeping everything where it should be.
Edit 1: Just clarifying that I was referring to development at an early age when referencing ‘scoliosis as they age’ however there are many disorders similar for older individuals.. disorders like kyphosis which is a forward tilt of the spine
Edit 2: when referring to a vertebral disc ‘popping out’ I am referring specifically to herniated discs which upon further research is the result of a tear. However this tear is on the outer portion of the disc which allows the softer inner portion to push through that tear. You can see my confusion..
Once i started doing pull ups regularly, my chronic back pain dissipated. I also am a dedicated Nintendo Wii Fit/ Fit Adventure fan. I eat what ever I want. My brother is kind of portly and has a giant belly and thus lots of back pain.
“Superman” exercises are a no-equipment way to keep the lower back strong. I do them with ankle weights.
People are recommending the bridge, but it is not for beginners and can cause injury, so be careful.
Pro-tip: as you age, you will find everything starts to hurt. But to your question: In addition to all the good fitness advice I would add one other thing. Get in the habit of getting good sleep. A common symptom of chronic lack of sleep is muscle spasms in the back – people often call it a “pinched nerve” but it’s really a muscle that just winds itself up and won’t let go because your sleep-deprived brain has lost the ability to send it the right signals.
OK, here’s one more thing. As you’re getting older and working out, you will want to spend more time on warming up. It will save you a bunch of workout injuries.
From what I’ve learnt in university… proper posture is everything. How you sit, how you sleep, how you do all the little things (and ofcourse how you work out as well). All activities have a “proper” posture for doing it to *MINIMIZE* the chances that you might develop back pains in the future.
Back Muscles also help in supporting the vertebrae when doing work. (tl:dr) So Ideally you’d want to: look up how to have proper posture for doing anything; try and develop some back muscles; and possibly incorporate some mobility exercises + warming up before doing anything that might put pressure on your back.
*Disclaimer* I’m not a doctor, just a year 2 university student who has (and still is) studied Human anatomy & Human nutrition.
My Dr told me, both weak stomach and back muscles provide no support. And will eventually to an easily injured back.
Chairs. I dont see why this isn’t at the top. Humans are not meant to sit as much as we do. Our quads tighten up, our hips tilt forward, and our spine compresses. We sit too much from an early age and all through adulthood
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