Lower back pain or low back pain is pain that is felt in the lower back and can affect the waist at the same time. Discomfort will be felt in the lowest corner of the back down to the lower buttock fold. One of the dangers of low back pain is that it can reduce work productivity and cause disability. Low back pain can happen to anyone, whether women or men of productive age or the elderly. In general, low back pain is experienced by people aged 30-50 years. A person experiencing low back pain can be characterized by damage to the bone nerves and discs after an X-ray. Is this low back dangerous if left for a long time? How to prevent low back pain? Find out the answer in the description below.
Is Low Back Pain Dangerous?
Whether low back pain is dangerous or not depends on the cause. However, one thing is certain, low back pain will really interfere with your daily activities. When experiencing symptoms of low back pain, avoid lifting heavy objects or physical exercise that involves movement of the spine, because there is a risk that it will further aggravate your spine. Common causes why someone experiences low back pain are injuries to muscles, ligaments, muscle pulls and muscle fatigue. A muscle pull can occur when you stretch a muscle too far. It could also be sprained and affect the ligaments that connect the bones. For low back pain caused by muscle injury, it is usually due to a strain or sprain. This injury can trigger lower back pain due to lifting objects that are too heavy, making sudden movements such as falling, poor posture, and sports injuries. Based on time, back pain is divided into three types, namely acute, subacute and chronic. Acute low back pain if the pain occurs for less than six weeks. For subacute, the duration of pain is between 6-12 weeks. Back pain is considered chronic if it lasts more than three months and exceeds the body's natural healing process. Symptoms that can arise from lower back pain include electric shocks in the back area and pain that spreads to the legs. This symptom can be a red flag if you experience numbness. It is possible that these symptoms appear due to damage to the spinal cord. Also read: 5 Symptoms of Low Back Pain that You Should Know
How to Prevent Low Back Pain
One of the dangers of low back pain is that if it continues to be ignored, it can cause a decrease in work productivity. If this happens, you need bedrest and take some medicine to relieve the pain. To anticipate this happening, it's a good idea to take preventive measures, such as improving your posture when working or stretching when sitting for too long. Not only that, here are several ways to prevent low back pain that can be applied.
1. Sports
Regular exercise can help prevent lower back pain. If you have experienced low back pain, it is recommended that you do physical exercise with gentle movements and gradually increase it. Physical exercise is aimed at increasing the strength and flexibility of the structures in the back. Strengthening your back muscles can strengthen your abdominal muscles and reduce tension in your lower back. Meanwhile, flexibility is needed to reduce tension and muscle strength in the back area.
2. Maintain body posture
Body posture greatly influences the condition of the back, especially the spine. If your posture is not good, it can trigger back pain. Incorrect body posture can also increase tension in the tissue structures in the back area. This poor body posture can be caused by various daily habits that are not carried out correctly, such as how to lift things, computer screens that are too low or too high when working, and sitting positions that are not upright.
3. Using a Corset
To maintain an upright posture, you can use a corset as a tool. However, its use needs to be limited, to only a few hours each day. This is because continuous use of a corset can weaken the muscles that support the spinal structure and the muscles will lose their strength.
4. Maintain ideal body weight
Obesity or overweight can put excessive pressure on the back to maintain a stable body position. In this case, the back muscles get extra load in supporting body posture. To avoid experiencing lower back pain, you should maintain your weight by managing a calorie deficit. However, this does not mean that someone who is thin is protected from low back pain. Even someone with a thin body is at risk of experiencing back problems. One of them is bone loss which causes pain in the lower back.
5. Improve sleeping and sitting positions
For sleeping positions, it is recommended to take a side position by placing a bolster between your knees. The function of the bolster is to keep the spine in a neutral position. Meanwhile, if you sleep on your back, place a pillow under your knees to reduce muscle tension in your spine. In a sitting position, try to always be upright with your legs tilted at approximately 45 degrees. If you are sitting in a working position and operating a laptop, adjust the distance between your eyes and the laptop so that your body does not look up or look down. Also read: This is the correct and healthy sitting position and posture
6. Stop smoking
The smoking habit can actually cause back pain. This is thought to be due to the effect of nicotine which causes blood vessels to shrink. Blood flow and blood supply to soft tissues is reduced. In fact, soft tissue is the supporting structure of the spine. Therefore, try to stop smoking to prevent pain in the lower spine.
7. Move Every 30 Minutes While Sitting
Sometimes someone is so engrossed in work that they sit for a long time without stretching at all. This can trigger pain in the lower back due to tension. While working, it's a good idea to stretch at least every 30 minutes to maintain the flexibility of your back muscles. Apart from stretching, you can also walk for 15 minutes to move your body.
8. Use Ergonomic Tables and Chairs
Ergonomic desks and chairs are specifically designed for comfort and efficiency in the work environment. When sitting in an ergonomic chair, your body posture will be maintained and remain upright to reduce pressure on the neck, hips and spine. Ergonomic chairs usually have several features to increase comfort and work efficiency. These features consist of seat depth, seat height, and adjustable arm width. Meanwhile, ergonomic desks are designed to reduce stress on the body during work. If you feel tired of sitting for several hours, the ergonomic desk can be raised, so you can work while standing to reduce soreness. Ergonomic tables and chairs can increase work productivity more optimally. Apart from that, your body will not get tired and sore quickly, because your sitting position is maintained, not looking up or looking down too much. This is because the height of the table and chairs can be adjusted according to needs. Get this ergonomic chair at PEXIO with a two year guarantee. PEXIO provides free consultation facilities to help you determine which chair is best and can prevent the dangers of low back pain. Contact PEXIO now to get more information. 