The chance of experiencing back pain over the course of your lifetime is extremely high. Somewhere in the 90% range. What varies is the severity of the pain. Most people will experience a tweak, a muscle pull or a light spasm. Then there are more serious cases where disc herniations come into play. These can be extremely painful and affect your ability to lead a normal life. Getting up out of the bed and getting ready for work in the morning can seem like a job unto itself. I can’t offer any medical advice, but I can offer some pro-active measures based on my own first hand experience in stretching and strengthening the spine and its surrounding areas to prevent discomfort and to improve your current condition.
Sleep on your side with your knees pulled towards your chest. It is easier on your spine. You would be surprised how many people sleep on their back or on their front. Sleeping on your stomach puts a tremendous amount of pressure on your discs. If you absolutely cannot fall asleep any other way, then place a pillow underneath your hips. The elevation will ease the pressure.
Build up your muscles in your hamstrings and your glutes (butt). Show me a person with back pain and I will show you a person with a flat posterior. A lot of this can be genetic, but it also comes from a tendency to ignore building up the muscles we can’t see in favour of the ones we can. The disproportionate amount of men I see performing pressing variations vs. pulling/rowing is staggering. When we have weak glutes and hamstrings they are not able to fire properly and perform the functions that they should. So other muscles such as the spine have to pick up the slack and overuse leads to inflammation.
Make a concerted effort to watch your waistline. Extra pounds, especially in your midsection, can make back pain worse by shifting your center of gravity and putting strain on your lower back. If you lose ten pounds, the pressure you feel on your spine will lessen noticeably. That goes for your knees too.
Increase overall movement and exercise. If your back is hurting, you may think the best way to get relief is to limit exercise and rest. A day or two of rest may help, but more than that may not be beneficial. Moving around will enhance blood flow, delivering nutrients to surrounding tissues and promoting healing. Walking and swimming are low impact, non-intrusive forms of movement that put negligible amounts of pressure on the spine. Regular physical activity regardless of how minimal can help ease inflammation and muscle tension.
Men, take your wallet out of your back pocket, especially if you already have a pre-existing nerve root irritation from disc herniation (sciatica). The sciatic nerve originates in the brain and runs all the way down into your feet. If the disc shifts and material is seeping out, the chances are quite high that it will be pressing against this nerve. As it works it’s way down to your feet, this nerve passes through your buttocks, so having a thick wallet there, especially while you are sitting, will only serve to cause further irritation which can be extremely painful. It can feel as though someone lit a match down there.
One exercise I recommend to strengthen your back and glutes is the bird dog. It doesn’t require any equipment and is something you can do easily right in your own home. Here is a video that shows you how to do it.