Low back pain can suddenly occur after sitting for a long time, stress or incorrect lifting. In this blog you can read the most common causes and forms of lower back pain, plus 3 practical ways to support your back in the short term, including infrared light, more exercise and better ergonomics.
You probably suffer from lower back pain almost every day. Think of the nagging pain after a long day of sitting on your office chair at work or a more sharp pain when lifting something heavy.
Low back problems are common and very annoying. That is why we at Mvolo are committed to solutions, for example by supporting the charity of the National Pain Organization (LPO).
Fortunately, there are now several ways to reduce this lower back pain, for example by using infrared light.
We hereby discuss the most common causes of lower back pain and give you a number of effective tips to relieve your complaints in the short term.
The most common forms of low back pain
Low back pain is really a collective term for various conditions. Let us therefore quickly review the most important types of lower back pain one by one:
- Spit: Spit is known as acute low back pain, occurs suddenly and is very painful. It is often caused by a sudden movement or lifting a heavy object. The symptoms include a sharp pain in the lower back and considerable difficulty in moving normally. Spit lasts for several days to weeks, but usually disappears on its own.
- Hernia: A hernia occurs when the soft core of an intervertebral disc breaks through the outer layer and presses on a nerve. This causes severe pain in your lower back and may also radiate to your legs. You will experience pain, numbness and muscle weakness.
- Osteoarthritis: Osteoarthritis is a degenerative condition that affects the joints, including those in the lower back. The cartilage between the vertebrae wears out, causing pain and stiffness. With osteoarthritis you experience pain when moving, limited freedom of movement and sometimes a cracking sound when moving your back. Osteoarthritis cannot be completely cured, but you can alleviate the symptoms (e.g. with infrared light therapy).
- Sciatica: The last known form of a condition in the low back is sciatica. We are talking about a condition in which the sciatic nerve becomes compressed, often as a result of a hernia or other compression of the nerve. This causes pain that radiates from the low back to your buttocks and legs.
The causes of lower back pain
There are in the base many different causes of lower back pain. We will go through them so that you have a clear picture of what may have contributed to the low back pain that you are currently experiencing:
A bad attitude
Bad posture is one of the main causes of lower back pain. Sitting for long periods of time is never good for humans. Certainly not when you do this with a bent back or a forward bent neck. This overloads the muscles and joints in the back. Thus, it leads to pain and stiffness.
It is important to always maintain a good ergonomic posture, with your back straight and your shoulders relaxed.
Overload
A second possible cause is an overload of the back muscles and joints. This may occur due to:
- Lifting heavy object
- The intensive practice of a sport
- Prolonged, repetitive movements
In these cases, this overload leads to muscle tension, inflammation and ultimately even chronic pain.
Stress
A final, important and often underexposed cause is stress. Stress has a greater influence on the development of back pain than people often think.
Chronic stress causes the muscles in the back to tighten very often, leading to muscle tension and pain.
Prolonged stress can also lead to poor posture and a lack of exercise. This worsens the back pain even more.
3 tips to relieve lower back pain
Do you suffer a lot from your lower back pain on a daily basis and do you finally want to solve it effectively or at least reduce it significantly? We will help you with this with the following tips:
- Use infrared light: With infrared light therapy it is very possible to significantly relieve lower back pain. Infrared light penetrates deep into the skin to stimulate blood circulation and cell regeneration. The effect on the human body is to reduce inflammation and heal damaged tissue. For example, using a infrared lamp then goes the significantly reduce pain and stiffness in the lower back. Use the lamp for about 15 to 20 minutes every day for optimal results.
- Move more: Exercise is crucial for relieving and preventing lower back pain. By exercising more, you will strengthen the muscles in your back and abdomen. This way you create better support for your spine. Think of walking, swimming and yoga as the most effective options. It is important to start with light exercises and gradually increase the intensity.
- Focus on ergonomics: Finally, we recommend that you adapt your workplace and daily routines and focus on ergonomics. This means that you create an ergonomic workplace, for example with a well-adjusted office chair and a monitor at eye level. This way you always work in a good posture and prevent strain on your (low) back.
Don't waste any time and invest in optimizing your own health today!
