9 Everyday Habits That Are Causing Your Back Pain

Back pain sucks, doesn’t it? It doesn’t matter if you have it once in a while or as a chronic part of your life, it can mess up your whole flow. What makes it worse is when you can’t pinpoint the cause, so you feel doomed.

Maybe you’re not. Our human frames are subjected to a lot of abnormal movements that can set us up for a world of discomfort. In some cases, it’s because we’re not moving at all. Having an achy back is something that will affect most adults – 80% – at some point in our lives.

Once you’re hit with back pain, you realize how much of your daily activity depends on you being upright and pain-free. In this video, Dr. Chang shows us how to narrow down which of our own habits may be contributing to our suffering, and what to do about it.

Here, we outline several of his points but make sure to stay glued to the screen to hear all the good doctor’s wisdom. Take heed!

  1. Lifting Wrong

    We’ve been warned time and time again, but how many of us actually adhere to the “lift with your legs” rule? To keep most of the pressure off your spine, it’s advised to stoop or squat when lifting. If that’s impossible, at least bring the object closer to your body to close the space gap and shorten how far you need to reach.

  2. Sitting Posture

    At work or home, you probably spend time hunched towards your monitor or tablet. It almost becomes a subconscious move. Be good to your back and spine with sitting in an erect position or use an ergonomically supportive chair or cushion.

    In addition, Dr. Chang suggests giving your back a break by standing or walking around to relieve the pressure on those muscles.

  3. Sleep Position

    Pay attention to how you sleep. Stomach sleepers are cautioned about this non-friendly position for the back. It can throw their necks and spines out of whack.

    If you sleep on your back or side, those positions tend to be better for your spine, but you may discover that you would do well to use a cushion as a prop. Check out how to use them here. Eliminate that uncertainty about your back position by listening to Dr. Chang and have someone snap a pic of you lying down.

  4. Smoking

    One surprising connection to back pain rests in your smoking habit. Smoking has been linked to weakened bones, toxins in the tissues, and spinal degeneration. Physicians warn smokers with lower back pain to put down the pack!

There are many factors that can cause your back pain to flare up, so don’t discount the less obvious things like diet (inflammatory foods), disc issues, or osteoporosis. If you experience chronic pain, visit your doctor about treatment options.

Don’t forget to keep your ears bent to Dr. Chang’s information, as it could influence the changes your back needs!

Are you guilty of engaging in some of these bad habits? How often do you have back pain and how do you address it? Did you get any ideas from this video on what to do about it?