Lower Back Pain - Office Work

Lower Back Pain Overview:

Did you know that nearly 80% of people will experience acute lower back pain at some point in their life and around 20% of those will go on to develop chronic lower back pain? It’s true, lower back pain is second only to the common cold for the number of days of work missed. A majority of those affected are office workers. People who spend the majority of their day seated. If you are experiencing constant or severe back pain seek out your family doctor or chiropractor. That being said, as long as there are no major medical issues, lower back pain can be drastically improved!

Causes:

In terms of specific external causes, doctors are rarely able to identify the source of the problem for their patients back pain. This is where professionals like myself come in! As your doctor will tell you, back pain is typically caused by strained or deteriorating muscles, vertebrae, and/or invertebral discs. When acute back pain is neglected we run the risk of developing more serious back issues like stenosis, sciatica, and a plethora of serious disc pathologies. Most of which are still able to be improved with the right plan of action. 

So how does having an office job increase the likelihood of developing a lower back issue? The answer is POSTURE! Your posture is the position in which you hold your body. When we have good posture all of our joints are sitting in the proper position and our weight is being properly distributed by our musculature. Our lower back is supported by the lumbar erectors, glutes and hip musculature, and abdominals. These muscle groups help distribute the strain of holding you upright and keeps your lumbar vertebrae in their proper position. 

That being said, sitting for several hours a day can cause us to refer to a compromised postural position. When you’re seated, your glutes and abdominals turn off shifting all the work of keeping you upright to your lumbar erectors. These muscles will fatigue quickly and will be more prone to developing painful trigger points. 

Once the erectors are no longer able to maintain the proper curve in your spine you will probably begin to slouch in your chair effectively flattening or even putting your lumbar spine into an excessive flexed position. Now, your vertebrae are going to begin squishing the rubberlike discs in-between. Occasionally this isn’t a big deal, however, when done daily for many hours a day those discs begin to deteriorate. Soon, you have vertebrae grinding causing inflammation that can affect local nerves. You also run the risk of more serious disc pathologies like disc herniations.

This is how acute back pain turns into chronic back pain. Invertebral discs do not regenerate. Once they are destroyed your options for improvement are limited and often come with invasive surgeries.

Solutions:

Hopefully, I haven’t scared you too bad! The good news is there’s a good chance you have to ability to improve your situation. The first thing you need to do is take a look at your workplace ergonomics. Ensure your chair is at a proper height. Ideally, your seat should be slightly below your knee cap. Make sure your chair has proper lumbar support. This way you can let those lumbar erectors take a rest without succumbing to a compromised position. Look into an adjustable desk. Getting a desk that allows you to work while standing and sitting is a great way to improve your spinal health. 

Get up and move! It’s recommended that you get up and move around every 30 minutes to 1 hour. This way, you’re getting your body out of a compromised position and turning those deactivated muscles back on!

Finally, and probably the most effective, regular exercise is key to maintaining proper back health. Functional exercise helps your body stay familiar with proper muscle recruitment patterns. As well as, increases your muscles strength and endurance to maintain good posture for longer periods of time. If you are currently experiencing lower back pain be cautious with exercise. If you are not comfortable exercising get a qualified and experienced personal trainer. It is very easy to exacerbate a back problem with poor exercise selection and execution. Professionals like myself are trained to assess and create programs that are safe and effective.

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