Woman Suffering From Lower Back Pain From Sitting Too Long

Why Do I Have Back Pain From Sitting Too Long, And What Do I Do About It?

It’s true that when you sit for a long time, you can experience lower back pain. This can cause debilitating effects on your lifestyle, ranging from personal to professional effects.

But a natural question is, “why does my back hurt when I sit?” So in this article, let’s discuss the various causes of lower back pain from sitting too much. We’ll also cover how to relieve lower back pain from sitting.

That way, you can make the right lifestyle choices and receive the proper treatment to resolve your issues.

What Is Lower Back Pain?

Lower back pain is when the vertebrae designated L1 through L5 cause pain. Oftentimes, poor sleeping positions, and bad posture such as a slouch position, can put extra strain on these joints or discs. Therefore, the answer to “can sitting too long cause back pain” is yes.

Your discs are cushions that are filled with fluid that help your vertebrae from rubbing together. Underlying medical conditions can also cause lower back pain from sitting. Let’s look at some of the various popular causes from pain when sitting down.:

What Causes Back Pain From Sitting Too Long?

Let’s cover some some common culprits that create back pain after sitting too long:

Herniated Discs

If you have a herniated disc, then the pressure will cause the disc to be out of position. This creates additional strain in the area, pain, and even numb sensations. This is due to the extra stress on your spinal cord.

Herniated discs can happen via repetitive motion, extreme injuries, or simply part of aging. If you experience these symptoms, you should visit a center for pain management in Chicago today.

Sciatica

The sciatic nerve runs from the base of your spine down to your legs. If you have a bone spur, poor posture, or other events, then it can cause pain on your sciatic nerve.

It feels like a shock running down from your buttocks to your lower leg. It can often radiate from the tailbone to other parts of your body.

Muscle Strains

A lumbar strain in your back can cause lower back pain. If you overstretch a muscle or strain it, then it can inflame the area, cause stiffness and pain. Strains can sometimes go away on their own by correcting your posture.

Degenerative Disc Disease

If your lower spine receives damage, then you may have degenerative disc disease. Your annulus fibrosus can tear. This is what contains your nucleus pulposus.

In other words, the soft center of your discs can be damaged. They won’t always heal themselves due to a low blood supply in this area. Therefore you should seek pain management doctors to understand how to treat this problem at the nerve root itself.

Otherwise, the pain could radiate into your limbs, thighs, buttocks, and more. It can get worse over time without proper treatment.

Spinal Stenosis

If you have arthritis, tumor, or injury in your spine, then it can narrow the spinal canal. When nerves are compressed, they cause pain and weakness throughout your whole body and locally in this area.

Additional Weight And Lifestyle

If you are carrying around excess pounds, it can put extra pressure on your musculoskeletal system. Additionally, kidney stones, gallbladder issues, and other health conditions can cause lower back pain.

How To Fix Lower Back Pain From Sitting

There are various options when it comes to how to relieve back pain from sitting: Massages, yoga, medications, heating, icing, and postural changes can help.

Additional medical treatment may be appropriate. Nerve blockers, acupuncture, laser therapy, medications, and even physical therapy have been known to aid with lower back pain.

Ultimately, you should visit a doctor to make sure that your symptoms aren’t a sign of a more serious underlying medical problem.

Resolving Lower Back Pain From Sitting Today

Make An Appointment with Gateway Spine and Pain Physicians today. You can minimize your pain and maximize your lifestyle.

We specialize in helping people with pain management using diverse and comprehensive care. Various types of treatments or medications may be used. We will utilize the best care approach to ensure that we address the underlying cause for your back, neck, or other pain.

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Can Stress Cause Neck Pain?

Stress is something that affects many adults in the modern age. However, it turns out that it doesn’t just affect you mentally. Aside from the stress you may feel in your mind, you can hold stress in your body.

For instance, a common question is “can stress cause neck pain?” Well yes, long-term stress can force you to hold pain in your shoulders, backs, neck and more. As you tense up, it causes even more neck pain, tension and discomfort.

So let’s address the question of the link between stress and neck pain, as well as how to get rid of neck pain from stress going forward.

What Does Neck Pain From Stress Feel Like?

You could have pain and tightness from your neck, to your shoulders, to your back. It might further radiate into your head and arms as well.

So to answer “does stress cause neck pain” — Yes, it certainly does.

How To Relieve Neck Pain From Stress

Physiotherapy and massage therapy

Your soft tissues need to be massaged to release tight muscles. It can also reduce muscle spasm. Physiotherapy or massages are great for reducing stress.

They decrease the hormone called cortisol, which causes a lot of stress and pain. It also promotes blood flow and improves your mood in the area, thanks to loosening up your muscles.

Heat

Heat can help reduce tension on muscles. Ultimately, this will reduce neck pain and stress. It’s great for soothing tense areas across your body from stress. Try a warmed up heat pack or even a warm bath.

Stretching

Stretching and yoga loosens up your tight neck muscles. If you’re carrying extra stress around, then you need to consciously increase your mobility and range of motion.

Strengthening exercises

Sometimes your muscles can be strengthened to alleviate the effects that stress has on tightening your muscles. The stronger your neck, shoulders, and surrounding areas are, the less likely they’ll give in to the strain of stress.

Going for walks

Going for a walk is great for clearing your head. It doesn’t just increase dopamine and serotonin, it also improves circulation and blood flow.

Can stress cause neck stiffness? Yes, but getting out and about can help alleviate it somewhat.

Sleep

If you’re not getting proper sleep, it’s difficult for your body to recover at night. Muscle fatigue can occur due to stress if you are tense during the day. Without proper sleep, it’s difficult to regenerate.

See a pain specialist

Now that you know the answer to “can stress make your neck hurt” is yes, take action. Seeing a doctor is always the best course of action if you have neck stiffness due to stress. They can help you with the proper therapies, lifestyle changes, and treatments that will help you feel your best.

Get Relief From Neck Pain In Chicago Today

Schedule an appointment with Gateway Spine and Pain Physicians. The Gateway team understands how to treat your neck pain due to stress. No matter what the source of your neck pain in Chicago is, we will address the underlying cause.

That way, you’ll be treated with the optimal solution. Whether this requires therapy, surgery medications or anything else, you’ll be in compassionate and knowledgeable hands.

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Month: April 2023