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4 out of 5 Americans will deal with low back pain at some time in their lives! There are lots of different causes for it, and successful treatments for low back pain can vary from one individual to the next, depending on what’s causing it. Here are a couple tips to prevent low back pain: 1. Posture – you’ve heard it a million times: resist slouching! When you’re in a chair, slide your hips and low back as far back as possible. This will help your spine be in its natural-curve position. If you have a desk job, stand up and take breaks from sitting every hour.  2. Core – what does your core routine look like now? (This one is for everyone who answers nonexistent!) Incorporate planks, bird-dogs, and glute-bridges into your routine. Strengthening the muscles around your spine/low back, like your erector spinae, abs and glutes, will provide support and strength to your back. Remember to keep your core engaged in all your upper and lower body exercise, too.  3. Hip Flexibility – tight hamstrings can actually cause low back pain! Stretch them out by laying on the floor by a wall corner, and putting one leg up against the wall. Or you can reach down and touch your toes! There are lots of ways to stretch out your hamstrings, find your favorite one and do it 3x a week for a minute on each side!  If you currently have low back pain, whether it’s all the time or in certain positions, give us a call. We do free consultations to set up a plan to help you with your low back pain. Back pain is the most common thing we treat here at Hudsonville Physical Therapy and we’d love to help you move past your back pain!
Call us: 616-662-0990 By: Lisa Bartz, Exercise Physiologist (C-EP) Sources: American Council on Exercise, Spine Health: Tips to Protect Your Lower Back (2016), UNC School of Medicine: Chronic Low Back Pain on the Rise (2009)
54 Comments
6/20/2018 06:41:28 pm
It's interesting how you point out that tight hamstrings can actually cause lower back pain, so it is important to stretch them out. My uncle is a pretty active guy, but he's always had trouble with his back, despite all of the exercise and stretching that he does. I'm not sure if stretching would help him that much at this point. He probably needs to see a specialist and maybe get surgery of some kind so that he doesn't have to keep suffering through this pain.
Lisa Bartz
6/21/2018 10:43:24 am
Thanks for your comment Monica! I agree, stretching is not always a cure for low back pain - there are lots of causes and not all low back pain should be treated the same.
Lisa Bartz
6/27/2018 08:49:04 am
Hi Ridley, thanks for the comment. Let us know if you would like us to take a look at your back pain. Some back pain is caused by posture, and there are a lot of other causes too. The #1 thing we treat here is back pain, and our physical therapists would be happy to help you! :) 616-662-0990
Because most of us know so little about our body, it is easy to self diagnose things incorrectly. So often we think that our sore lower back is originating right at the source, but as you point out, it can come from somewhere els (like the hamstrings). Often, it seems that even the groin and the gluten can be the culprit for discomfort that manifests in other locations.
Lisa Bartz
7/9/2018 02:35:19 pm
Agreed, thanks for the reply David. 7/11/2018 09:36:40 pm
Thanks for the great advice, I did not realize that there were so many simple ways to deal with back pain. My wife has been suffering from it for a little while now, so I've been looking for ways to help her. Hopefully working on her core routing can help eliminate some of the pain while we find her a chiropractor.
Lisa Bartz
7/12/2018 02:55:55 pm
You're welcome! Keep in mind that these are strategies to stay strong and flexible to prevent the onset of back pain, and although these exercises and stretches sometimes do help already present pain, they are not the cure-all for treating back pain. There are lots of different causes of back pain, so treatment for each type can differ greatly. If any of these stretches or exercises aggravate her pain, she should not do that one. I really appreciate it when you suggested working the hamstring muscles out because back pain can actually be caused by the tightness in them. I guess I can confirm that it is caused by my hamstring muscles since the pain only ever started when I stopped running. But that was because I injured myself and was no longer allowed to strain my body. Perhaps, I need to get in touch with a professional, like a chiropractor, to see what can be done to fix this.
Lisa Bartz
7/12/2018 02:59:03 pm
Thanks for your comment Alex! Yes, hamstring tightness can certainly cause back issues. 7/14/2018 12:45:54 am
This is some really good information about back pain. My father has been having a lot of lower back pain over the past few months. It is good to know that he should try to develop some hip flexibility. It is cool to know that it will help not only with your back but your hamstrings as well. 7/31/2018 02:46:57 pm
It's great to know more about back pain. I didn't realize that making your hamstrings and hips more flexible can help! My hamstrings are the tightest thing in the world, so I'll try these stretches out. 8/2/2018 10:22:49 am
Thanks for these tips for preventing lower back pain. It's nice to know that you should stretch out your hamstring because tight ones can cause lower back pain. You mentioned it could be good to do this 3 times a week for a minute and I'm curious to learn if it's acceptable to do more depending on how tight the hamstrings are. 8/13/2018 06:17:14 am
Gotta try this tips! I'm always on the slouch mode which is not good for my spine, this would be a great help! Thanks for sharing! 9/26/2018 11:14:21 am
I've been having some lower back pain that I'd like to get taken care of. I thought your suggestion to take breaks from sitting could be really helpful. I sit a lot at work, so I'll try this to see if I can benefit from it.
Lisa Bartz
9/26/2018 11:35:59 am
Yes that's a good place to start. There are lots of causes of low back pain, and it can be provoked by different things, so I would suggest seeing a physical therapist or your doctor to figure out what is causing it and to be prescribed some exercises that can relieve it! :) 10/11/2018 12:09:57 am
My sister was having a hard time working because of her lower back pain. It was explained here that in order to prevent low back pain she should improve her posture and core. Furthermore, it's recommended to go to health professionals for quality lower back pain treatment. 10/11/2018 09:21:41 pm
It is helpful to know that hip flexibility is a great way to decrease back pain. This is a smart way to eliminate pain and promote flexibility. My uncle would love knowing this since he has been feeling some pain. After many years of sports and poor posture, it seems like my lower back pain comes and goes unpredictably. Currently, I have been going to get chronic pain treatments and they recommended that I make sure I exercise also. Doing as they doctor told me might alleviate the pain in my lower back. 11/1/2018 08:09:34 pm
It's fascinating that carrying tension in your legs can contribute to lower back pain. This would explain why my husband has always had pain in his back; he is not flexible at all. Since stretching hurts for him, I'll suggest that he see a chiropractor to start with. 11/22/2018 04:42:03 am
I have back pain and these tips are very useful, I follow the tips and feel better now. Thanks for sharing! 11/29/2018 11:57:55 am
I liked what you said about incorporating core workouts into your routine to help prevent lower back pain. I've been having a lot of issues lately with my back screaming in pain by the end of each day, so I want to learn new ways of taking care of it. Thank you for the advice and adding planks and glute-bridges to my routine and strengthening the muscles around my spine to provide support for the lower back. 12/12/2018 10:27:35 am
My wife has been getting bad back pains lately, so thanks for sharing this. I like your point about how strengthening your core can help support your back. I'll definitely try to help her with core exercises to see if it helps relieve the pain. 1/4/2019 01:42:18 am
Around 40% of the peoples are facing the spinal problem. The common signs of spinal problems are a headache, backbone pain, neck pain, and fever. While you are facing any of these problems, you should consult with the spinal consultant because these problems can affect your health and can cause serious injuries to your body in the future too. 1/17/2019 01:52:04 pm
I'm sure posture makes a big difference in how your back feels. I've been noticing a little bit of back pain myself lately. I'll have to make sure my low back is as far back to my chair as possible, like you suggested.
Lisa Bartz
1/17/2019 02:09:17 pm
I'm glad this gave you some new ideas to try. Yes, having low back support can make a world of difference, especially if your job involves a lot of sitting. Try to get up and move around during the work day as your able to! 1/17/2019 01:52:59 pm
I had no idea that tight hamstrings could cause lower back pain, so it's important to stretch them. My back has been aching pretty badly, so these tips are definitely worth a try. Should my back pain continue, what tips do you have for finding a medical professional to help me?
Lisa Bartz
1/17/2019 02:04:47 pm
Tight hamstrings are often a contributor to low back pain, but if you're currently suffering from low back pain and it's been going on a while I would recommend either seeing your primary care physician and asking his or her opinion, as well as talking to him about starting physical therapy, OR look up some local physical therapy clinics and have a licensed physical therapist evaluate your back. There are lots of causes of back pain, and you want to make sure you treat it correctly for whatever is causing your pain. 1/21/2019 12:40:57 am
My brother was having a hard time moving around because his lower back is hurting. It was explained here that in order to prevent low back pain, he should resist slouching and stretch. Furthermore, it's recommended to go to trusted health professionals for back pain relief. 4/23/2019 04:16:07 am
Good article & excellent way to articulate. Keep it up. Thanks for sharing. 6/24/2019 05:11:43 am
My life hasn't been good since last week. I think it's because of back pain. Since you said that it results in low back pain, I'll go to a functional restoration program from a good clinic so that it would disappear. 10/16/2019 10:55:00 am
I found it interesting that you said that tight hamstrings can cause back pain. My mom is getting old and sometimes she just can make any stretching exercises, and that is causing her to get back pain. I'm going to check if I can find a professional help her with her back pain. 1/23/2020 05:59:42 pm
That's crazy that four out of five people will have back pain problems! My dad has had back pain since an accident a month ago. We'll have to look into back pain treatment. 2/11/2020 05:48:31 pm
I like that you mention how your posture can contribute to pain since slouching is bad for your back. My husband has a desk job and doesn't really get time away from his desk throughout the day. I think he should find someone who can let him know if walking around a few times a day could be helpful and give him some chronic pain relief. 2/21/2020 11:38:58 am
Amazing post and very helpful as well to all the professionals as back pain has become the common issue these days. I would like to try these exercises to prevent my lumbar pain. Keep sharing! 2/21/2020 12:42:53 pm
I like what you said about not slouching while in a chair to prevent back pain. My sister has been telling me about how her lower back has been hurting recently. I'll share this information with her so that she can look into her options for professionals who can help her fix this. 4/23/2020 05:14:05 pm
My back has been hurting for days now, probably because of how I sit, therefore, I've been planning to look for a physical therapist. I never knew that strengthening the muscles around my lower back will provide support on my back in the long run. It's also shocking to learn that tight hamstring can cause low back pain. 5/11/2020 09:47:46 am
Simple and yet very powerful instructions to leave the back pain behind. The pics added help a lot to understand how to do the exercise. Thank you for sharing. 5/17/2020 05:53:01 am
It's interesting to know from your article that a huge percentage of Americans out of the entire population deal with low back pain at some point in their lives. In my situation, I'm worried since I'm still young and I'm already experiencing severe pain around my shoulders and lower back area. It might be a good idea to try having hydrolyzed collagen if a medical expert approves it for my situation.
Clare Perkins
5/31/2020 05:01:54 pm
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These tips are really effective, thanks for sharing a nice blog. 1/20/2021 07:17:35 am
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