In the vast majority of cases, lower back pain is harmless, but is often very troublesome, limiting and drains energy.
Back pain is common and affects about 80% of the population at some point in their lives, and costs society several billions every year in sick leave and early retirement.
The most common diagnosis given for lower back pain is '' Lumbago '' which means ''non-specific and harmless lower back pain''. Back pain (acute lumbago) and sciatica are two other common diagnoses.
When the body is not functioning optimally, and/or the brain thinks that ''something is not right'', it will tell you this by sending pain signals to the area.
This is what the brain does to notify of an injury or risk of injury.
For example, if you fall on the ski slope and injure your back, the brain will send pain signals to the area.
And if you had a very stressful week at work with an excessive amount of sitting still, this will also lead to the brain sending pain signals to, for example, the lower back. Although nothing is damaged.
Structures that can hurt are, for example, muscles, ligaments, discs and joints in the spine.
Different causes of low back pain.
There are of course many different causes of lower back pain.
It can, for example, come via a physical trauma (slipping and hitting), overload caused by, for example, several hours of weeding.
An excessive amount of sitting and stress are two other common causes.
How can we prevent lower back pain?
We can certainly do things that reduce the risk drastically, although you can never guarantee that you will avoid it at some point in your life.
A varied workout is good, the body likes variety and trying new movements. Examples of varied training are strength training, running and yoga.
A person who feels well and enjoys their life situation has less risk of getting sick.
In addition to exercise, lifestyle factors such as stress reduction, sleep, water intake, good food and good social relationships are very important.
Two exercises to "treat" your back from home:
Lying 90
Lie on your back on the floor with your lower legs up on a sofa or chair, with 90 degrees in the hip and knee joints.
Let your arms rest at your sides with your palms facing the ceiling. This is a relaxation exercise for the spine and muscles. Lie in this position for about 5-10 minutes.
Hip flexor stretch
Can be performed on the floor (lunge position) or standing with the back leg on the office chair behind the body.
The stretch should be felt on the front of the hip. Extra good if you are sedentary during the day. About 1 min per page.
Good luck!