COVID-19
has forced work from home onto the agenda of every business around the world.
Employees have had to remain focused on their work amid protracted and
destabilizing uncertainty. That means most of us had to navigate complex
conditions—grief, physical stress, loneliness—that we were simply not
accustomed to in the home workplace.
As
getting back to the office progresses, there are several debates about the
etiology of repetitive strain injuries caused by working or sitting for long
hours. Such arguments generally stem from the opinion that daily activities or
social iatrogenesis exacerbate otherwise normal body aches into conditions in
which medical recourse is demanded.
This
intense compounding effect related to domestic and work-related factors must be
addressed at an earlier stage to avoid complicated physical injuries. Indeed, there
are multiple effective interventions that are aimed to reduce body pain caused
by excessive physical or psychosocial stresses for not just employees but also
for others who suffer from body aches.
What is Causing Lower Back Pains?
Though
lower back pains can be caused by the improper posture in which a person sits,
there are still several other pathological causes for this—such as a vertebral
fracture, malignancy, or infection. Especially, individuals with physically
demanding jobs, physical and mental comorbidities, smokers, and obese adults
are more prone to lower back pains.
Many
people consider back pain as something that is not a serious health concern as
it happens to everyone at some point in time. But what people fail to
understand is that it covers a spectrum of different types of pain that ranges
from nociceptive and neuropathic to neoplastic, or non-specific. The lumbar
spine in a human body consists of soft tissue, vertebrae, zygapophyseal and
sacroiliac joints, intervertebral discs, as well as neurovascular structures.
When
these elements come under stressors, they alone or in combination can influence
significant lower back pain. Due to these myriad factors that cause lower back
pain, and the insufficient explicitness of imaging and diagnostic injections;
the treatment for back pains still continues to be inadequate.
Some
injuries, conditions, and diseases that can cause lower back pain are listed
below.
Strains and Sprains
Back
strains and sprains caused by huge exertional of physical stress are some of
the most common causes of back pain. People who lift heavy objects or abruptly
jostle their back even while sneezing or coughing can injure muscles, tendons,
or ligaments.
Fractures
Most
of us have fallen on our backs at least once in our lives. Though the fall
might not have seriously hurt or injured you at the moment, it can still cause
risks to the spine in the future. Also, certain physical conditions such as
spondylolysis or osteoporosis can significantly increase the risk of fractures
even during a minor fall.
Disk Problems
Your
intervertebral discs are flat, round "cushions" that are regarded as
shock absorbers in between each vertebra. Sometimes, as the persons' age
increases, these disks can bulge from their initial position in the spine and
can cram a nerve or even tear (herniated disk). Such degenerative disk diseases
are also often the reasons for back pains.
Spinal Stenosis
Spinal
stenosis is a structural condition of the spine where the spaces within your
spine begin to narrow. When the spinal column is too narrow for the spinal
cord, it can put significant pressure on the nerves that travel through the
spine resulting in excruciating pain.
Arthritis
Osteoarthritis
is the most common form of arthritis that causes back pain. It normally occurs
when the protective cartilage that cushions the ends of the bones wears down
over time. Spinal Osteoarthritis causes the deterioration of cartilages in the
joints and discs in the neck and lower back which can be one of the main reasons
for back pain.
Spondylolisthesis:
Spondylolisthesis
is a spinal condition that occurs when one of the vertebrae, which is the bones
of your spine, slips out of place onto the vertebra below it. This condition
causes severe lower back pain and often leg pain as well.
The
biopsychosocial model posits lower back pain as a dynamic interaction between
social, psychological, and biological factors. These factors can both
predispose to and result from damage and should be taken into consideration
when devising interdisciplinary treatment plans. To a large extent, physical
therapies and self-care treatments have proven to be significantly beneficial
in appropriate patients. Physiotherapy exercises can improve the posture of
patients and are extremely vital to a person’s longevity, especially as they
age.
Physiotherapy
Exercises That Can Help Reduce Back Pain and Improve Your Posture
1.
Lower Back Rotation
Rotating
your lower back and stimulating the flow of blood is a great physiotherapy
exercise that can help reduce lower back pains. The lower back rotation can be
performed by tucking one foot behind the other knee. Once this is done, pull
your leg across and hold the stretch for at least twenty seconds. For effective
results, the experts doing physiotherapy in Richmond Hill advise that the steps
must be repeated at least five times for each leg, and do it three times a day.
2.
Extensions
Sometimes
lying flat on your stomach can help stretch out muscles in the lower regen. An
extension stretch can be performed by laying on your stomach, gently pushing
up, and extending your lower back. Do not hold this position but continue doing
the movement ten times, for three sets, three times each day.
3.
Hip stretches
Yes,
hip stretches are not only good for your hips but also for the lower back as
well. To stretch your hips, kneel on your left knee and push your right foot
forward, with the right knee bent. Hold your left foot and slowly pull it
upward. Now repeat the same steps on the other side.
4.
Hamstring Stretches
Hamstring
stretches are done by lying on your back and also a stretch band is required.
Then proceed to bend one leg and then push the other leg in the air with a
stretch band around your foot. Hold for at least thirty seconds then repeat the
same step for both legs five times.
5.
Piriformis Stretches
Piriformis
stretches are exceptional for a person’s lower back pain. For this, you will
have to place your leg across onto your other thigh in a figure 4 shape, and
slowly lower your buttock to the ground. Hold the stretch for at least twenty
seconds and repeat each leg 5 times.
Conclusion
Lower
back pain is one of the most common consequences of a sedentary lifestyle and
can be excruciatingly painful. It can significantly influence the person's
movement and can profoundly affect their wellbeing, resulting in various
musculoskeletal disorders. Physiotherapy is one of the most sought out and
effective treatments that has tremendously helped people with lower back pain
improve or restore mobility and reduce their pain.
Patients
suffering from most types of lower back pain are often referred to
physiotherapists for intensive physical therapy for at least four weeks as an
initial conservative (nonsurgical) treatment option. If the patient still
suffers from lower back pain then they will have to consider other more
aggressive treatments, including back surgery. The aim of physiotherapy is to
reduce back pain, increase body functionality, and educate the patient on a
maintenance program to prevent future back problems.