Stop aching, Back!

If your back hurts when you sit for a long time during or right after prolonged bending or stooping as in gardening, vacuuming, cleaning etc., you are not alone. Low back pain is the second cited reason for visits to family physicians, right after the common cold.

Why does it hurt? What really hurts?

Most aching backs are “mechanical” in origin, meaning that applied force causes the pain. The popular example is a bent finger analogy. If you bend your finger backward until you feel a strain, this would be a “mechanical” pain. If you keep overstretching until you feel pain, your pain warning system is telling you that to continue movement in that particular direction will cause damage eventually.  The pain warns you to stop overstretching to avoid damage, and when you do so, that pain ceases immediately. If you fail to heed the warning it might result in prolonged aching, even at rest or over a period of time, if you continue the same every day. Pain in the low back area produced by overstretching isn’t unique and arises particularly when we develop poor postural habits.

Importance of proper posture

Many of us spend much of the day with the low back in flexed rounded position loosing the lordosis completely (look around you, see how you sit right now). Loss of the ability to restore curvature in your back is often associated with chronic low back problems.  Once slouched posture has become a habit and is maintained most of the time, it may also cause damage to surrounding tissue with loss of elasticity, premature aging or injury.  Once low back problems have developed, you must pay attention to your posture and maintain the lordosis when sitting as well as interrupt prolonged sitting.  In 1979, it has been documented by Robin McKenzie, that you are most likely to sustain back problems in the first 4-5 hours of the day. USA researcher Stover Snook, reported in 1998 and followed up in 2002, with findings that “Patients with chronic low back pain were found to experience significant improvements in pain and disability by reducing bending forward activities early in the morning”.

Do the right thing for your aching back – stop slouching!

For more information or to find practitioner certified in McKenzie Method – Mechanical Diagnosis and Therapy visit www.mckenziemdt.org.

Ela Wierzchon-Mroz, PT, Dip MDT
Spinae Vitae Physical Therapy
Certified McKenzie Clinic
www.spinaevitae.com
847.674.6265

Reference: McKenzie RA: Treat Your Own Back. Spinal Publications, Waikanae, New Zealand, 8^th Edition 2006