Lower back pain is one of the most common musculoskeletal complaints and causes a great deal of discomfort in young people’s lives.
If back pain is the cause of your unhappiness at the moment, it is time to find out what is causing it and to do something to make it go away!
As always, please speak to a medical professional before taking any action as a result of how you are feeling. As I am not one.
Common Causes of Lower Back Pain in Young Adults
Most causes of lower back pain are associated with your muscles, connective tissue or joints. However, there are some other possible causes such as a kidney infection.
Pain is often caused by chronic inflammation. The tissues surrounding nerves become inflamed, they press on the nerve and pain is the result. In some cases, pain can be caused by a lifestyle related incident or continuous activity.
Look at your work and at your hobbies. Are you sitting at a desk for eight hours a day? This may be the cause of the problem. It could be made worse by a mix of poor quality office furniture and poor posture.
You may also have a hobby that is putting a strain on your lower back or it could be caused by lifting and carrying young children or weights at the gym.
Speaking from a personal perspective, I have SLE which causes a lot of aches and pains everywhere. To combat this, I have altered my lifestyle incorporating yoga, anti-inflammatory foods, and use a standing desk for most of the day.
There are still steps I can take (better posture being one of them), but as I recommended earlier, all were run by my doctor before being implemented.
Ways to Ease Lower Back Pain
There is a lot that you can do to make yourself feel more comfortable. Tight muscles and aching joints can be temporarily eased by using a massage chair and having regular therapeutic massages.
Read the reviews and choose the comfortable massage chair that is right for your home in terms of comfort, warranty, and price.
Exercise is another great solution. There are plenty of exercises that you can do to gently stretch this area of your spine.
Avoid lifting uncomfortably heavy things and getting awkward positions while your back is recovering. Most importantly, many of us that are younger feel like we are superhuman and do it all. Spoiler alert: we can’t.
If you’re unsure of how much weight to lift is too much based on your BMI, ask! It’s better to be safe than sorry, especially before your next September 1st move-in!
The most important thing is to get to the bottom of what is causing the problem in the first place. If it is a postural issue then you can do something about it yourself. You need an ergonomic chair when you are sitting at your desk.
It needs to have adjustable height and an adjustable back rest. This will ensure that you can rest your feet comfortably on the floor and that your lower back is supported.
It is also important to get up from your desk every hour and walk around. Do some gentle bends and stretches to release any tension that has built up while you have been working.
When you are not at work, get plenty of exercise. Walking and swimming are ideal as they stretch and exercise your muscles but do not put a lot of strain on your joints.
