As an Orillia Chiropractor, I’ve heard a lot of reasons why people hurt their backs, but the other day I got a new one. “I think I shook it too much at Zoomba!” This form of dancercise is apparently lots of fun. Of course any type of exercise can potentially hurt your back, especially something that’s new to you. Be careful when starting up, be sure your back isn’t already sore or stiff from a previous day, and stop when you first feel a new pain; don’t keep going and make it worse.
Eighty percent of the population will experience severe back pain at some point in their lives, so there are a lot of possible causes. Oddly enough, one of the most common is, “I have no idea”. The reason this one is so popular is that most people will gradually develop stiffness and weakness in their back, before ever feeling any pain. Then, after doing something they’ve done a hundred times before without any pain, suddenly, this time, back pain strikes with a vengeance! It’s the old, ‘straw that broke the camel’s back.’
If your Back Pain hits for an obvious reason, then hopefully you learn from it and try not to repeat that again. Sometimes this is unavoidable. If the pain seems to hit for no reason, then first of all realize that you are not the only one this happens to, and secondly, take active measures to rehabilitate your back to it’s normal state of flexibility and strength again. Try these three steps: Rest, Mobilize, then Stabilize.
Rest– stop doing what caused the pain, relax a little, try ice (15 minutes at a time), get a good night’s sleep, try on your back with a pillow under your knees, don’t lie in bed for more than a day, usually.
Mobilize-start gentle stretches asap, get up and move around as much as you can without causing more pain, progress to more aggressive stretches, walk more & sit less, see a Chiropractor to improve flexibility of specific joints effectively and painlessly, consider a massage to loosen your muscles and improve your circulation.
Stabilize-start some simple core strengthening exercises as long as they don’t cause any pain, single leg lifts, bridges, partial crunches, progress to back extension, planks, bird dogs, and more aggressive abdominal exercises.
However you hurt your back, the treatment is still the same. The only difference is, if you can learn from your experiences or not. I hope these ideas can help you and remember, if in doubt, see your Chiropractor. We are your back pain specialists.