When back muscles are stretched a bit more than they like to be, they get crabby. They can get really crabby. Why?
They are trying to tell you something.
They are saying, “Help! I’m not happy! You are straining me! Stop it!”
But what do we often do?
> Take a couple of pills to hopefully relieve the discomfort in your back. But that doesn’t really cure the back pain; just helps cover it up, maybe.
> Use heat. Oh, not good! Why?
Because heat helps those poor overstretched muscles relax and get even more stretched. And even more unhappy.
There are lots of articles at Simple Back Pain Relief to help you get rid of all types of back pain.
And you will find lots of articles right here at Simple Strengthening to help you get rid of your aching back by doing gentle movements to strengthen your back and core muscles. When they are strong, your back muscles are less likely to be stretched too far.
If your mother ever told you to ‘watch your posture’ or ‘straighten up’ she was right! 🙂 A strong back will help you do that.
And that means…the crabby overstretched muscles in your back will be less likely to give you a back ache.
4 replies on “What Causes Your Aching Back Muscles?”
Hi, I am a college student with a history of back problems and hunched over books and lap top caused my back to scream every day by dinner time (even though I have plenty more to do til bed time). Is there another position, sitting propped on my bed or something I can do to to relieve this pain? unfortunately my school does not have fancy chairs with back support, nor do they fit in my room, all I have is a wooden straight back chair and a desk that sits too far from my body so I must stretch or lean forward to write or use my computer. HELP!!!
Hi Jessica,
You have figured out the cause of your pain and that’s half the battle! For your laptop, perhaps a keyboard that you could place in a neutral position and then you could use your laptop monitor closer to eye level to help you straighten out. It works well for me to have my keyboard on my lap but that depends on the length of your torso and arms. You can raise your keyboard monitor on books if need be. A keyboard on your lap would avoid the stretching. Tucking a pillow or rolled towel behind your waist when you use the straight back chair will help you stay more upright and keep the necessary curve (toward your tummy) in your lower back.
You can put your back in the opposite position by studying while laying on your stomach but only for a while. Otherwise, that will cause other problems. And take lots and lots of stretch breaks to reach upward and roll your shoulders up and back, up and back.
Every time you catch yourself slumping forward straighten up again. Eventually your back muscles will start to get stronger and be able to hold themselves up. And when you do lay in bed, lay as flat as possible on your back to give your back the chance to get straight. In fact, taking ‘flat breaks’ is a good idea, too. And that’s a good time to squeeze your shoulder blades together and gently push your head into the mattress. Those two things will help you have stronger back muscles, too.
These actions should help relieve your strained back muscles and good job with the studying! 🙂
Kathryn
The Pain Relief Coach
One of the major cause of back pain is poor posture. In addition, muscle strain and underlying disease condition may contribute to the occurrence of back discomforts. To prevent back pain, when bending one should bend on the knees and not on the waist.
Hi Sunny,
Poor posture is definitely a major cause of back pain but most folks don’t realize that is the cause of their discomfort!
Poor posture causes muscle strain and compresses or squashes the lungs, stomach and other organs of our bodies.
Yes, bending from the knees rather than at the waist certainly does help prevent back strain and pain. I have more information and articles on natural back pain relief at http://SimpleBackPainRelief.com
Kathryn
The Pain Relief Coach