9 Most Common Reasons For Chronic Back Pain and Slip Disc With Dr Himanshu Tyagi

Jan 31, 2024, Health A2Z

9 Most Common Reasons For Chronic Back Pain and Slip Disc With Dr Himanshu Tyagi

Back pain has become synonymous with our lifestyle. Almost every other person suffers from back pain in today’s world. According to NIH :

23% of the world’s adults suffer from chronic low back pain.
The population also shows a 24% to 80% one-year recurrence rate.
Estimates of lifetime prevalence are as high as 84% in adults.

Following these numbers and the increasing number of slipped disc cases, team GoMedii interviewed Dr Himanshu Tyagi, Senior Consultant Spine & Orthopedic Surgeon at Artemis Hospital, Gurugram. We asked Dr Tyagi about the various reasons that can lead to back pain.

A significant health concern is back pain, which can be due to weightlifting or improper posture. While back pain can be temporary, major ones can create havoc on your health. As told by Dr Himanshu Tyagi, let’s look at the 9 most common reasons for chronic back pain and slipped discs.

1. Overweight (Body Mass Index > 35)

BMI has a strong association with your BMI. Every extra pound of your weight strains the muscles and ligaments of the back. To compensate for extra weight, the spine tends to be tilted, thus making it stressed unevenly. Excess stomach weight usually pulls the pelvis forward (increasing lumbar lordosis), further increasing lower back pain.

Excess weight can also increase your recovery time from back pain. On the index, a score of 18.5 to around 24.9 is considered normal, ranging from 25 to around 29.9 as overweight, while above 30 is obese. BMI, the exact place where excess fat is being stored in the body, like around the waist or on the legs, also needs to be assessed. Obesity is one of the 9 Most Common Reasons For Chronic Back Pain and Slip Disc.

Obesity is one of the 9 Most Common Reasons For Chronic Back Pain and Slip Disc

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2. Car or Bike Travel (More Than 1 Hour a Day)

Vehicles have become indispensable in our lives, but a lousy riding posture can create back pain in the long run. Now, driving for long hours can have detrimental effects on your spine:

When you are driving for long hours due to distance or traffic, you tend to start slouching after a while due to fatigue. This leads to inappropriate posture. As you continue driving daily, this posture affects your spinal cord.

When using a two-wheeler, you tend to lean forward and drive, which can cause your back to arch. This can cause back pain in the long run. Moreover, having no back support during the ride can also be the cause of your back pain.

Vehicle seats that are hard or have unusual texture can also cause back pain.

It is also known as vibrational spine injury (VSI). VSI refers to damage to the spine caused by prolonged exposure to whole-body vibration (WBV). It is commonly experienced in occupations like truck driving, construction, and using heavy machinery. Chronic exposure to WBV can lead to various spinal problems, including pain, disc degeneration, and facet joint osteoarthritis.

3. Lack of Exercise

Exercise plays a vital role in keeping our body in shape. It also keeps our muscles strong and maintains the movement of our bones. But what happens when you stop exercising? You are basically making your body weak. Today’s lifestyle has made it imperative to have an active routine. Staying active is the best way to help yourself with back pain.

Regular exercises will keep your back muscles strong, providing more support to the bones and joints and taking pressure off them. The more you move, the more movement range your spine will be able to retain. It leads to shorter and less frequent episodes of back pain. It also releases chemicals called endorphins, which are the body’s natural painkillers. These improve pain and make you feel happier.

Not exercising regularly can weaken your back muscles, making your back stiff. Over time, the spine starts losing its natural range of movement, so the back pain worsens.

Initially, exercise may make your back sore, but don’t let that stop you. The soreness is temporary and won’t negatively affect your spine. Over time, your back will get more robust and more flexible, and this should reduce pain.

4. Long Sitting Hours (> 4-6 Hours/Day)

Sitting has become the new smoking.

Sitting for more than 4-6 hours at a stretch can make your spine vulnerable to pain and subsequent injury. Many don’t realize that sitting for long hours can decrease your spine’s mobility, which in turn can make your spine stiff. Your spine’s lowered mobility can also lead to discomfort and weakness in your lower spine muscles.

But there are ways to tackle this problem! Take short breaks every few hours, even for a few minutes. Walk, use stairs, and stay active as much as you can.

Work on your sitting posture while in the office to avoid undue pressure on your back.

5. Poor Sitting Posture

Poor sitting posture is one of the most common reasons for chronic back pain and slipped discs. You won’t come to know the effect in one go. The strain keeps on accumulating, slowly weakening the affected structure, like:

Sitting or standing for a long time in a hunched position can make your back and stomach muscles hurt. It also reduces the blood going to these muscles, making them stiff and weak over time.

If you sit without proper support, it makes your spine bend forward a bit. This can put pressure on the discs in your lower spine, possibly leading to a herniated disc.

Lifting things the wrong way can make a disc in your lower spine stick out, causing pain in your lower back or shooting pain down your leg.

Using a laptop or reading while lying on your belly can make your lower back and hip bend too much backward. This changes how the lower part of your spine is supposed to curve.

Poor posture is one of the 9 Most Common Reasons For Chronic Back Pain and Slip Disc

But every back problem has a solution to it. By consciously correcting your posture and sticking to it, the stress on your back will start reducing. This change will not happen in a day as changing from a habitual incorrect posture may take time and constant awareness. Using ergonomic furniture in your office spaces can also save you a lot of back trouble. Ergonomic chairs are height adjustable and provide ample back support.

6. Wrong Exercise Technique In Gym

Gymming is a great way to keep your body fit, but only if you apply the proper exercise technique. The correct technique is of utmost importance as proper gymning requires heavy equipment. As these equipment are meant to put weight on specific muscles, using the wrong techniques or exercising without warmup can lead to muscle tears or back injuries like slipped discs.

Improper form during deadlifts or squats can lead to spinal misalignment. It can also lead to muscle strain. When the muscles are forced to work in ways they’re not designed for, causing overexertion and potential back injury. This is one of the 9 most common reasons for chronic back pain and slip disc.

7. Wrong Mattress Selection For Sleeping

The type of sleeping mattress you choose can determine your spine health in the long run. Choosing the right mattress is crucial for maintaining a healthy spine and preventing back pain. A mattress that is too soft won’t provide adequate support for your spine which can potentially lead to discomfort, making wrong mattress selection one of the 9 most common reasons for chronic back pain and slip disc.

On the other hand, a mattress that is too hard can misalign the spine and create unnecessary pressure on your joints. An old or worn-out mattress may also contribute to back pain over time. Finding a mattress that strikes the right balance – neither soft nor hard – is essential to ensure proper spine alignment and minimize the risk of discomfort or joint pressure.

8. Recurrent Spinal Injuries

Spinal injury, if not given proper time to heal, can cause further damage to surrounding tissues and nerves. Over some time, this damage can contribute to persistent pain. Repetitive stress on the spine can lead to microtrauma. These injuries, which often go unnoticed, accumulate over some time and cause persistent back pain. If not treated in time, it can result in severe conditions like slipped discs, leading to chronic back pain. Recurrent spinal injuries are one of the 9 most common reasons for chronic back pain and slip disc.

9. Smoking

Sometimes, smoking also affects disc abnormality and causes chronic Back Pain and slipped disc problems. Excessive smoking exposes your body to carbon monoxide, which immensely hits the vital features of your body and produces disabilities. It is recommended to limit your smoking habit to eradicate the risk of chronic back pain and slip discs.

Smoking is one of the 9 Most Common Reasons For Chronic Back Pain and Slip Disc

Some specific findings in research show that the more frequently you smoke, the greater the chances of developing back pain, and this lower back pain often tends to deliver pain in the leg, usually below the knee area. Smoking, one of the 9 most common reasons for chronic back pain and slip disc, also constricts the blood flow to your spinal area, furthering your back pain.

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