Back Pain Myths

Back pain is one of the most common presenting problems that I see on a day to day basis… At some point in our lives 8/10 of us will suffer from an episode of back pain. Despite this statistic we arent exactly well educated when it comes to our backs!!! Here are some common “myths” about how to save our backs…

1.    “I shouldn’t lift heavy objects” : there is slight truth to this comment, repetitive lifting can put undue stress on our lower back and predispose to injury. However this can be avoided if the correct lifting technique is used. Lifting should come from the legs, bend the knees and keep the back straight….. Use your quads and buttocks; they are after all two of the biggest muscles in our bodies!!

2.    ” I always sit with good posture so I shouldn’t get back pain” while having good posture is important, even a perfect ergonomic setup won’t reverse the negative effects that 6-8 hours of sitting can have in our spine. Sitting places stress through our intervertebral discs which are the shock absorbers of the spine. The seated position also puts our hip flexors in the shortened position and encourages our deep abdominals to be lazy, particularly when you slouch ( that’s 80% of us by 3pm)

3.    “I do 100 situps a day so my back should be nice and strong”....unfortunately it takes a lot more than 100 situps a day to achieve a strong spine. Ideally you need a good core stability program. Our core stabilisers are the deepest layer of abdominals consisting of the tranverse abdominus, lumbar multifidus, pelvic floor and diaphragm. These muscles help to provide a corset and give support to the discs and joints of our spine.

4.    ” When I have back pain I should lie flat on my back in bed till it goes away”....there is no doubt that in an acute episode of back pain that rest is essential. However exercise is the best thing  for speeding up your recovery. You should consult your physiotherapist for appropriate exercises that will be safe for you in the acute phase and as your pain resides these exercises can be progressed and become a long term maintenance program for your back

5.    “Sleeping position doesn’t really impact our backs” for all the tummy sleepers our there it’s time to ditch this bad habit… The best way to sleep is on your side with a pillow between your knees (the lazy S). This position maintains the natural curves of your spine

6.    “Other health factors don’t affect my chance of developing back pain” incorrect there are several health factors that actually increase our chances of suffering from back pain.

Smoking: the chemicals in cigarettes actually dehydrate our intervertebral discs and speeds up the process of degeneration. Research indicates that smokers will take 6 months longer to fully recover from disc related back pain.

Extra pounds: carrying extra kilos will place excessive on the shock absorbers in our spine and also increase the load through the weight bearing joints causing them to wear out faster

Hydration: our intevetebral discs are made up of around 70% water. The amount of water will depend on the amount of load applied through the disc ( this will differ at night – discs tend to rehydrate over night as we sleep) when a disc is dehydrated its mechanical properties are altered significantly and can no longer absorb stress as efficiently.


via- http://yoursportsphysioblog.com/2012/05/07/back-pain-myths-busted-3/