I Keep Getting Low Back Pain – What Am I Doing Wrong?

I Keep Getting Low Back Pain – What Am I Doing Wrong? A Southampton Chiropractor Explains

There are so many reasons why we get repeated low back pain – some of them are just so simple that we don’t even think about it as a potential cause of low back pain.
We get up and down over and over again during the day – from our chairs, in and out of our cars – and how often do we consider how we do it??
We walk a lot during the day – do we ever consider how we are walking?
We bend over or reach for something small – a pencil or to pick something up off a low table… …..not thinking about it at all …and if we do these things wrong, we can either get immediate pain or we are potentially setting up all sorts of problems the more we do them. Get these simple movements right, though and we can dramatically reduce the likelihood of getting low back pain.

Things to consider at all times are as follows:-

1. When going from standing to sitting (and the reverse – from sitting to standing), the whole spine must remain stable and supported.

2. When walking or running, you should be able to fully extend your legs, have full movement in your big toes, knees and hips; your ankles should bend adequately and the knees should not collapse inward.Your spine should be held in neutral and you should breathe correctly. If you are unsure of how good your gait is, your Chiropractor in Southampton will watch you walk, go up steps etc to see whether you have any joint or muscle restrictions or weaknesses that may get in the way of walking properly and potentially overload the spine.

3. When forward bending, the hip and knee joints must move first, thus ‘sparing the spine’, which remains in the ‘neutral position’. If you are not familiar with the ‘neutral position’ of your spine, ask the chiropractors at the Avenue Chiropractic Clinic about it.
So just how should we get up and down from sitting to avoid low back pain?
The back pain patient usually slumps into a chair with hip and knee muscles totally relaxed. As a result, the lumbar spine (and the neck too) arches backward outside of its safe range of movement.
You should hold the back in its neutral position without any “kinks” and in a controlled way, sit with the buttocks on the front of the chair and then ease yourself backward until the spine is comfortably supported by the chair back, making sure that the lowest lumbar vertebra and top of pelvis do not slump backwards against the chair back.

How not to Sit Down:
The back and neck are arched, there is no muscular control and the body is allowed to just fall backward into the seat. On getting up you lean your whole low back forwards then finally become upright.

Southampton Chiropractor shows you how to get out of a chair

Correct Stand to Sit Motion:
Back and neck are in neutral and do not kink. The body is supported by the knees.

chiropractor in southampton shows you how to get up from a chair properly
This needs practice and you will probably need to start off by sitting on a desk or table so you are not trying to maintain a neutral spine for longer than you are able.
You need someone to observe you; to hold onto your spine and check that you are doing this correctly ….to think we are functioning well is often a big mistake we make, which is why low back pain is so common..this is where a chiropractor in Southampton at the Avenue Clinic will be able to help.

These are just a few guidelines and things for you to consider, but there is no substitute for consulting with  chiropractors at the Avenue Clinic who are trained to spot small errors in your movement patterns. Without ‘going back to basics’ you may well suffer from recurrent back pain that you have no idea why is happening.
Do call us for an appointment or any advice …. We are always here to help!