2. Your Posture
If we had just listened to our mothers when they told us to sit up straight, our back problems might have never begun. In fact, Hansraj linked bad posture to a host of medical problems, including neurological problems, depression, constipation, heart disease and of course, chronic back pain. As Hansraj says, bad posture has "the head in a tilted forward position and the shoulders dropping forward in a rounded position."
Good posture, on the other hand, is defined as having your “ears aligned with the shoulders and […] the shoulder blades retracted.”
Correcting your posture could help alleviate discomfort in your upper and lower back. Yahoo Health recommends strengthening your core, or your abdominal muscles, to take some of the extra strain off your lower back. Your abdominal muscles should be doing most of the work to carry your weight while you are sitting or standing. To strengthen your core muscles, doctors recommend doing exercises that engage the core, like yoga or crunches.
1. Your Weight
We all want to look better, but did you know excess weight can contribute to back pain? ABC News has reported that excess belly weight can cause the pelvis to tilt forward, which throws the body out of alignment. Naturally, your body wants to be in alignment, so your lower back works harder to pull the pelvis back to its rightful position. Typically, the lower back is the area most affected by weight in the midsection, even if it’s due to pregnancy.
Dr. Venu Akuthota, who is the director of the Spine Center at the University of Colorado Hospital, recommends tightening your abs for 10 seconds at a time to engage your core muscles, which can take pressure off your back muscles and lumbar discs.
However, considering that your back’s health is at stake, it is important to discuss changes to your exercise regimen, lumbar support and shoes with your doctor.