Surely you are one of those people who loves to be traveling in search of new adventures and therefore being locked up throughout the year is not a good plan for you, but sometimes a good adventure can affect your body and cause back pain.
All those weekend getaways, your new activities, the extra quality time you spend with your friends and family added to your day-to-day life can generate new pain and discomfort, you were probably just helping someone to carry a bag heavy or playing a football match with your nephews and suddenly you felt back pain or some discomfort in the lower back
You probably weren’t so sure what to do about it. Should you ignore it? Walk slowly? Just keep going with your normal movements? The best advice we can give you is that if there is any part of your body that you do not want to have problems with, it is your back.
CAUSES OF BACK PAIN
There are many things that can cause back pain. Sometimes it is the extra hours of inactivity that you spend sitting either in the office, on an airplane or in your car that causes this discomfort.
Other times, by contrast, back pain is caused by increased activities or movements that you don’t usually do, such as carrying something heavy or trying a new workout.
Did you know that back pain is one of the most common reasons people go to the doctor? Learn more about this condition below.
SYMPTOM
Symptoms of a low back problem can range from mild pain, general stiffness, or debilitating pain that runs from the spine to the hip and leg.
Pain, in turn, can be caused by a variety of problems that go according to your age and the way you injured yourself.
CAUSES OF BACK PAIN
One of the most common causes of back pain is poor posture. The bad position of the body, as well as the mechanics that it has, usually lead us to have low-grade muscle tensions or suffer from small aggravations of the discs in the spine.
The bumps, as well as the herniated disc, can cause different degrees of back pain and as we age, degenerative changes in the spine can also aggravate the intensity of the pain.
But no matter how your back pain started, surely what you want to know is what you can do about it.
THE KEY IS IN YOUR MOVEMENTS
Back pain is usually accompanied by muscle stiffness and tension, and this limits your mobility and helps you adopt movement patterns to avoid pain.
Once these patterns are adopted, you will surely want to regain your mobility and stability so that you can move comfortably again.
So what you have to do is gently mobilize your spine and the best thing for this is to perform the cat and camel stretch
CAT-CAMEL
To perform this movement you must start with your hands and knees on the floor. Get into a neutral position, inhale and lower your stomach to the floor, gently arching your lower back.
Then breathe out as you reverse the curve of your spine, rounding it toward the ceiling like an angry cat.
Repeat this movement 5 to 10 times, this way you will slowly go from stretching the cat to the camel position without pain.
STABILITY
To improve your stability you should try some basic and gentle exercises aimed at your transverse abdomen.
Concentrate on stability exercises that allow you to maintain a neutral position of your spine such as heel bumps or isometric abdominal braces.
You have to avoid basic curl exercises at all costs. If your back pain is very bad, apply heat while lying on your stomach with a pillow under your stomach for 10 or 15 minutes several times a day.
If you experience debilitating back pain or any other type of pain, we recommend visiting a physical therapist for a more specific guided treatment plan. Avoid lifting heavy objects, repeatedly bending and turning, as well as any type of plyometric exercise, and especially running.