Lower back pain afflicts millions and millions of people every day.
The numbers are staggering both for how many people are affected, and how much money gets spent each year on doctors, hospital visits, and medication.
Individuals suffer from lower back pain for many reasons– from birth issues to genetics to illness and injury.
Many types of lower back pain can manifest in many ways.
Poor posture is one of the reasons that we tend to suffer from lower back pain. Habitually leaning backward– one of the hallmarks of modern posture is one of the main culprits/ factors in the high incidences of lower back pain.
The spine has four curves that, when we are standing, should line up vertically.
In between the hard bones, there are soft fluid-filled discs that allow for movement and shock absorption.
Observing the vertical spine in the picture on the left, you should be able to draw a perpendicular line through the bones that pass through the top of the sacrum, the middle of the lumbar, and the center of the cervical spine.
A spine aligned in this way can bear the load of the upper body successfully.
A misaligned spine is going to suffer when it comes to bearing and transferring weight.
If someone leans backwards habitually they will be compressing the lower spine the whole time. This affects skeletal alignment as well as muscular balance.
As a result, all of the muscles on the backside of the trunk will be short and very often tight.
Is standing up straight without leaning backward the answer to all lower back pain? No, but it is an essential first step for most people who suffer from these issues. You need to make an honest assessment about how you align your upright body.
If you do lean backwards it might be a smart move to make some postural changes and alleviate some of your lower back pain.
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