Daily Household Activities that may contribute to Back Pain There are some chores around the house that may help contribute to getting back pain. Daily household activities like sweeping, vacuuming, mopping, doing dishes, and laundry may be contributing to lower back pain. Repeated bending AND twisting is stressful to the lumbar spine. Bending AND twisting with an added load is especially hard on the back.
How and why this particular movement is bad for your back is due to the design of the lower lumbar spine. There is a ligament called the posterior longitudinal ligament that runs the length of the spine to stabilize and support the posterior aspect of the gelatinous discs. This important ligament tapers as it reaches the lowest segments of L4/L5 and L5/S1. These discs are filled with a jelly like substance in the nucleus pulposis which is the center of the disc. This pressurized disc will bulge or rupture through the tree-ring like structures called annular fibers. The rotation AND flexion that occurs in the above household activities increases the tensile forces on the lower lumbar discs and increase the odds of rupturing or herniating a disc.
So try to avoid certain movements that include flexing forward and rotating simultaneously. When lifting an item like a clothes basket, square up to the item, then bend the legs and lift with your legs straight up and then make your turn. When sweeping, vacuuming, mopping try to stand more erect and not so bent over as you twist. When doing dishes, try NOT to bend or “flex” forward over the sink; but instead stand taller and more erect to decrease the stress and strain on the thoracic and lumbar spine.
Some simple everyday activities to get a stronger back would be to stretch daily. Stretch your hamstrings and your quad muscles of the front and back of the legs. “Touch the toes” and the “runner’s stretch” are two favorites for the large muscle groups that attach into the pelvis. Also, keep the core strong by doing sit-ups and/or crunches. Strong abdominal muscles take the workload of the erector muscles of the back. Our bodies need a balance between the muscle groups of the front side and the back side of our bodies.
Daily stretching, strength training, and chiropractic adjustments are THE best approach for preventing and eliminating back pain issues that may occur from doing some common household activities. Good nutrition, hydration, and sleep are also vital to a well functioning spine and neurological
system. An ounce of prevention is always preferred over a pound of cure.
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