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What are the most common cause of back issues (& sciatica)?
Back pain is one of the most common health problems in modern society—but what causes it and why is it so common? (It’s the second most common problem I see in my chiropractic center in Barcelona). Most people tend to think of bending and lifting as the biggest cause of lower back problems, and this is a frequent cause of back issues, but the bigger culprit is something we all do every day… sitting.
When we sit, the pelvis and sacrum are pushed up towards the lumbar vertebrae, compressing the facet joints (the sliding joints of the lumbar spine). If you do this for a long time, without moving—like many of us do every day—the compressed joints can become stuck and stop moving properly. Sometimes this will free up when you get up and move, or do exercise, but sometimes it will stay that way, causing irritation, inflammation or muscle tightness.
The straighter you sit up, the better, but the modern lifestyle of so much sitting still takes its toll on the back. If you go back enough years, we used to squat down instead of sit, a process that opens the low back joints, but in comparison sitting restricts facet joints (especially sitting on beds, cars, planes etc).
Preventing back pain
So, what can you do to counter-act this?
- Get up and move around as much as possible. If you are just thinking, or talking on the phone, stand up and move around!
- Exercise daily. Cardiovascular exercise, like swimming, walking, cross-trainers etc can loosen joints that have become restricted from hours of sitting.
- Don’t slouch! Sit in a firm seat that ‘props you up’, something with low support at the level of the pelvis. Sitting in bed, or lounging back in a soft sofa with little support, will cause more problems.
- Spending some of your time at a standing workstation can help for some people.
More on Low back pain and Sciatica here.
Stefan Becker
Sarrià Quiropràctica
