Why is Back Pain so Common?

Why is Back Pain so Common?

Aug 17, 2020 mindpump

As we get older, we add more and more years of repetition to our bodies. Movement patterns our body gets used to over time. The problem with this is, your body doesn’t care about keeping you in a HEALTHY position. It just wants to get the job done. Because of this we end up overcompensating and putting load on areas of our body (low back), because we aren’t properly firing the areas that SHOULD have taken on that load evenly.

That’s right. Through continuous days of sitting for prolonged periods of time, driving, being hunched over, etc. Our body adopts these new ways of living that leave certain muscles underutilized. This is a problem (as you can see from your low back pain). 

So why, exactly is back pain so common? Let’s go over some reasons. 

Inflammation

What we put inside our bodies hugely influences how our body responds to it. Just think of people with Rheumatoid Arthritis. If they eat certain foods, they’re body flares up like crazy. Now that may be an exaggerated example, but on a smaller level, that’s still happening to us. You might get it in the form of brain fog, skin issues, or problems sleeping.

Over time, the body stiffens up from all this inflammation which leaves you vulnerable to injury. Overeating and obesity in general, plays a big role in low back pain as well. Try avoiding gluten, dairy, eggs, corn, processed sugar, and processed vegetables oils. To make it easier just remove one thing, a week at a time and notice any changes. You might get rid of your pain with just this step alone.  

Not Activating the Abs Enough

As I said before, we’re sitting 90% of the day. It’s sad really. Because of this our hip flexors become overactive since they’re basically flexed the entire day. Now imagine going to the gym and doing sit ups and leg raises on TOP of that. You’re adding even MORE hip flexor activation! I will say however, that is more likely due to the fact that your body is so used to firing the hip flexors, that your abdominals are weak and don’t know how to properly fire when asked.  

Make sure you are doing exercises that teach you to activate the core and not the hip flexors. Be sure to check out Mind Pump’s free videos on YouTube for specifics!

Not Activating the Hamstrings and Glutes Enough

When people think core they mostly just think abs. But the glutes are always left behind. Ironically, inactive glutes are one of the main reasons people get low back pain to begin with! Think of it this way. If you can’t get full depth on the squat, how else would you get as low as possible? By leaning forward, and thus overreaching with your low back.

Opening up the hips, and being able to fire the glutes allows you to achieve proper depth while keeping the low back tight and stable (which is what it’s supposed to be doing). A 90/90 stretch, or hip crossover stretch is great for opening this up.  

While these recommendations are great, everybody is different. Give these a try and you should feel better in most cases. If not, feel free to check out our other free resources on Youtube for other exercises that may help alleviate back pain.