How to Alleviate Lower Back Pain While Standing
Ifiokobong Ene
Freelance Medical Researcher & Content Writer - Dedicated to making health and wellness information available, actionable, and understandable so that readers can make the best decisions about their health.
If your lower back hurts when you stand, it might be because of how you're standing. To feel better, try stretching and use a firmer mattress when you sleep.
Lower back pain is a very common problem. It's estimated that around 80 percent of adults in the United States experience lower back pain at some point in their lives, according to the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke.
Causes of Lower Back Pain When Standing
The main reason many people experience lower back pain is postural stress, which is the strain on your back from how you stand or walk. When you're upright or moving, this puts extra pressure on your spine, causing the muscles in your lower back to tense up and sometimes spasm, leading to pain.
There are several specific reasons why people might have lower back pain:
Sprains: This happens when the ligaments (which connect bones together) in the back get stretched too far.?
Strains occur when too much pressure is put on a muscle in the back.
Spinal stenosis is when the spaces in your spine narrow, putting pressure on the nerves.
Degenerative disc disease occurs when the discs between the bones of your spine start to wear down, reducing the space between them and irritating the nearby nerves.
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Self-Care Options for Lower Back Pain
Here are some simple ways you can treat lower back pain at home:
1. Take it Easy: Sometimes, just resting and sitting down can relieve the pressure on your lower back and ease the pain.
2. Exercise Carefully: Certain exercises can help with lower back pain, but it's important to consult a professional first. Avoid exercises like toe touches and situps, but try gentle stretching exercises like hamstring stretches. Getting in better shape overall can also help reduce lower back pain during daily activities.
3. Mind Your Posture: Sitting and standing up straight helps distribute your body weight properly, reducing strain on your lower back.
4. Supportive Shoes and Insoles: Wear shoes or inserts that support your feet well and keep them in a natural, supportive position.
5. Get a Better Mattress: Consider upgrading to a mattress that provides better support for your back than your current one.
6. Apply Heat and Ice: As soon as the pain starts, apply an ice pack to your lower back for 20 minutes several times a day. After 48 hours, you can switch to alternating between ice and heat.
7. Avoid Heavy Lifting: Steer clear of lifting heavy objects. If you must lift something, keep your back straight and use your leg muscles to do most of the work.
8. Maintain a Healthy Weight: If you're overweight, shedding some pounds can reduce strain on your back and help alleviate pain.
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Non-Conventional Therapies for Lower Back Pain
Some different treatments for lower back pain are:
1. Massage: Getting a massage can help relax your muscles overall and specifically target areas that might be causing your back pain.
2. Acupuncture: This involves using special needles to help reduce inflammation and change how nerves respond, which might relieve lower back pain.
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Upper Cervical Chiropractic Care for Lower Back Pain
To understand how caring for the top two bones in your neck can help with lower back pain, think of spinal health as a top-down system. Ensuring these upper neck bones are aligned properly helps balance your head, reducing strain on your entire back, including the lower back.
Adjusting the upper cervical (neck) area is a gentle approach compared to general chiropractic methods, which involve less force. Instead of intense twisting and popping, these adjustments gently guide the bones back into place. This gentle approach supports longer-lasting corrections and allows the rest of your spine time to heal.
If you're experiencing back pain, consider visiting an upper cervical chiropractor. They can assess whether a gentle adjustment might relieve you without relying on medication and its potential side effects.
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When to See Your Healthcare Provider
Most of the time, back pain gets better without needing medical treatment. However, there are situations where you should seek medical advice. Contact your doctor if your back pain persists for more than a few days, and you experience any of the following:
If your back pain is due to a physical injury like a car accident, it's important to see your doctor for evaluation and appropriate care.
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Takeaway
If your back hurts when you stand up sometimes, it's probably because of how you're positioning your body. This kind of pain usually goes away within a few days, either by itself or with simple treatments you can do at home.
But if the pain doesn't get better, gets worse, or causes other problems, it's a good idea to make an appointment with your doctor to have it checked out.
Ifiokobong Ene is a Medical Physiologist and a freelance medical writer with research interests in cardiovascular physiology and endocrinology. He brings his years of medical research experience to help consistently create high-quality, engaging books, articles, and products that uphold the highest medical standards. He is dedicated to making health and wellness information available, actionable, and understandable so that readers can make the best decisions about their health.