While back pain isn’t always the most serious of conditions that you might face during your lifetime, it does have a way of sucking enjoyment out of most activities and perhaps even leaving you on bedrest–or with limited mobility at the very least. When you’re suffering from back pain, you just want to get some relief!
Before that relief can be given, you have to know why exactly you’re dealing with back pain in the first place. We strongly urge you to see a chiropractor if you’ve been experiencing problems with back pain.
We’ve compiled a list of several potential causes of lower back pain in women:
1. Disc degeneration
This is a back issue usually faced by older people. As you age, the discs in your spine can wear down, sometimes leading to a lot of pain and discomfort.
However, just because you’re on the other side of forty doesn’t mean that you don’t have to worry about disc degeneration. Repetitive movements and other causes can lead to this degeneration in pretty much anyone.
2. Where you sleep
If you recently purchased a new mattress and you’re now experiencing discomfort, this may be the cause of lower back pain in women. Soft mattresses, though often highly comfortable to sleep on, can lead to lower back pain by not giving your body support and your weight even distribution.
The softer your mattress, the more chance of back pain as your body just won’t be cradled properly. Your best bet is to go with a firmer mattress–even if it isn’t as comfortable in the beginning, it can provide long-lasting benefits.
3. Labor and childbirth
Lower back pain when you sit down? The problem could be your tailbone…and the root problem could be childbirth. Now, if you’ve never given birth to a child feel free to skip right past this! But if you have and you’ve been experiencing tailbone/lower back discomfort, childbirth could be a cause.
4. Sciatica
You may have heard horror stories about sciatica–but what exactly is it? Well, this condition crops up when your sciatic nerve is damaged or when pressure is applied to it.
Sciatica can leave you wiped out and barely able to move from the pain in your lower back (and your leg as well) so if you’ve been suffering from a lot of discomfort and pain in those areas you may be dealing with this condition.
5. Poor posture
This one is kind of a no-brainer, right? When you’re walking, running, or even just standing with poor posture, you can create strain on your back which can lead to lower back pain. Arching your back, wearing high heels, bending over to pick something up instead of squatting…these can all lead to lower back pain that will ruin the rest of your day (or week).
You don’t want to deal with all that so pay attention to having correct posture and try not to strain your back by following common sense tips and techniques.
6. Kidney stones
Having kidney stones is one of the least-fun things ever! These awful little things can lead to lower back pain and make life miserable in general. Getting advice from your doctor, pain medication, and any other prescribed or recommended relief is a must while you wait for an end to the problem.
And this is why it’s important to see a doctor when you’re experiencing lower back pain–the discomfort can be an indication of a more serious problem.
7. Sitting
Our culture in general is one that sits more. Sitting at a desk, working from home. Sitting on the couch, watching a favorite movie or TV show. Sitting in the hammock outside, reading a book. Sitting, sitting, sitting. Did you know that all this lack of motion can lead to lower back pain?
When we sit, our spine is under more pressure than when we’re standing, walking, etc. Add to that the fact that we often don’t have the greatest posture while we sit and you’ve got a perfect storm of causes for nagging lower back pain.
8. A sprain
Does your lower back feel painful or strained? Then you may have sprained it. This can happen in any number of ways. Perhaps a car accident or picking up something too heavy for you (and without the proper technique).
Sprains occur when muscles and/or ligaments in your back are torn and damaged–even if you don’t think you’ve sprained or strained your back, it’s still worth getting the pain checked out just to be sure.
9. A herniated disc
There are discs that pad your spine vertebrae so that you aren’t in constant pain. But when something happens to cause one or more of those discs to bulge outward, then you can have some serious problems with back pain. The bulging disc can end up pressing on a nerve which usually leads to harsh discomfort and pain.
The author of this blog post is not a medical professional. Consult with your doctor at once if you are experiencing any kind of pain or discomfort.
