How to Alleviate Lower Back Pain While Standing
If you experience lower back pain when you stand, it might be because of how you hold your body. To feel better, you can try stretching exercises and switch to a firmer mattress for sleeping.
If your lower back hurts, you're not alone. The National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke estimates that around 80 percent of adults in the United States experience lower back pain at some point in their lives.
What Causes Lower Back Pain When Standing?
The main reason many people have lower back pain is due to how they stand or walk. When you're upright and moving, your spine feels more pressure, which can make the muscles in your lower back tighten up and go into spasm, causing pain.
There are a few specific reasons why this happens:
- Strains from overstretching ligaments.
- Sprains from putting too much force on a muscle.
- Spinal stenosis, which is when nerves get pressed due to narrow spaces in the spine.
- Degenerative disc disease, where the discs between your spine bones wear down over time, reducing the space between them and irritating nearby nerves.
Self-Care Remedies for Lower Back Pain
Here are some simple ways to help ease lower back pain at home:
1. Take it easy: Sometimes just sitting down can relieve pressure on your lower back and reduce pain.
2. Use pain relievers: You can try over-the-counter medicines like ibuprofen (Motrin, Advil) or naproxen (Aleve) to help with the pain. These are available at most drugstores.
3. Do safe exercises: Exercise can be good for your back, but be careful. Some exercises can make the pain worse. Avoid toe touches and sit-ups, but try gentle stretches like hamstring stretches. Getting in better shape overall can reduce lower back pain during daily activities.
4. Improve your posture: Standing and sitting up straight helps distribute weight properly and can relieve strain on your back.
5. Get good shoes and support: Wear shoes that support your feet well, or use orthotic inserts to keep your feet in a comfortable position.
6. Check your mattress: Make sure your mattress gives you good support. Sometimes changing your mattress can make a big difference.
7. Apply heat and ice: When the pain starts, use an ice pack on your lower back for 20 minutes several times a day. After 48 hours, you can switch to using heat and ice alternately.
8. Avoid heavy lifting: Try not to lift heavy objects. If you have to lift something, keep your back straight and bend your legs so your leg muscles do most of the work.
9. Lose weight: If you are overweight, losing weight can reduce strain on your back and improve your overall health.
These steps can often help relieve lower back pain without needing to see a doctor right away. If your pain persists or gets worse, it's important to consult with a healthcare professional.
Alternative Treatments for Lower Back Pain
Here are a couple of other ways to treat lower back pain:
1. Massage: Getting a massage can help relax your muscles and target specific areas that might be causing your back pain.
2. Acupuncture: By using tiny needles, acupuncture can reduce inflammation and change how your nerves respond, which can ease lower back pain.
Upper Cervical Chiropractic Care for Lower Back Pain
To understand how caring for the top two bones in your neck can help with lower back pain, think of spinal health like a top-down system. Ensuring these upper neck bones are aligned properly helps balance your head, which in turn reduces strain on your entire back, including the lower back.
Adjusting the upper cervical (neck) area is a gentle approach compared to general chiropractic methods, which involve less force. Instead of intense twisting and popping, these adjustments use gentle movements to guide the bones back into place. This gentle approach supports longer-lasting corrections and allows the rest of your spine time to heal.
If you're experiencing back pain, consider visiting an upper cervical chiropractor. They can assess whether a gentle adjustment might bring you relief without relying on medication and its potential side effects.
Upper Cervical Chiropractor Dr. Brett examining a patient
When to See Your Healthcare Provider
Most of the time, back pain gets better by itself, but sometimes you might need to see a doctor. If your back hurts for more than a few days and you notice any of these things happening, it's a good idea to call your doctor:
- Your back hurts all the time and feels deep.
- You have trouble controlling your bladder or bowels.
- Your back feels very stiff in the morning and it lasts a long time.
- Your legs feel weak.
- Your back hurts no matter what you do or how you sit or lie down.
- Your spine feels stiff and hard.
- You have numbness in your private area.
- You have a fever or chills along with your back pain.
If your back pain happened because of an injury, like a car accident, definitely go see your doctor.
Takeaway
If your back hurts sometimes when you stand up, it's probably because of how you're standing or sitting. Usually, this kind of pain will go away by itself or with simple treatments after a few days.
But if the pain doesn't go away, gets worse, or comes with other problems, then you should make an appointment to see your doctor.
Disclaimer:
Dr. Berner does not diagnose, treat, or prevent any medical diseases or conditions; instead, he analyzes and corrects the structure of his patients with Foundational Corrections to improve their overall quality of life. He works with their physicians, who regulate their medications. This blog post is not designed to provide medical advice, professional diagnosis, opinion, treatment, or services to you or any other individual. The information provided in this post or through linkages to other sites is not a substitute for medical or professional care. You should not use the information in place of a visit, consultation, or the advice of your physician or another healthcare provider. Foundation Chiropractic and Dr. Brett Berner are not liable or responsible for any advice, the course of treatment, diagnosis, or any other information, services, or products you obtain through this article or others.
