Top 6 bad habits that are hurting your lower back

In collecting this tip list I reviewed the net and took 10 articles listing the most commons bad habits that people engaged in which lead to lower back pain and problems. Then took the most commonly mentioned 6 of those to talk about. These articles ranged from the top 5 bad habits to up to 25 habits. With numbers that high, as you can see, some of the habits really overlapped each other (such as poor diet / overweight) so I combined them, but that will become clear as you read along. Hopefully information in this post will help some identify some habits in their own life which contribute (or may soon contribute) to lower back pain. Ironically, lifting techniques were no high on the list and I personally feel that it should be.

So, here is the list for your information and use:

1. Lack of Exercise: Both core weakness and poor flexibility commonly contribute to back pain. Lack of exercise was the number one bad habit sited among the articles reviewed.

2. Poor posture: Sitting, standing and sleeping with poor posture was the second most cited unhealthy habit related to low back pain. Prolonged sitting, even in good posture puts a lot of stress on your back. But poor sitting posture is one of the most common causes, especially when combined with driving.

3. Overweight/poor nutrition: These 2 go together. Poor nutrition actually was cited more than being overweight. However the reason poor nutrition was most commonly cited as contributing to back pain was because it lead to being overweight!

4. Smoking: Smoking was the 4th most cited cause. Many surgeons counsil their patients to stop smoking before back surgery and avoid it due to recovery due to impeded healing. Smoking leads to restricted blood flow and poor calcium uptake to bones, thus leading to degeneration of spinal structures.

5. Poor mattress/poor sleep: A saggy mattress was or “poor mattress” was the 5th most common cause in the articles reviewed. This is a tough one as mattresses are expensive and people are built differently. Mattress too firm and it doesn’t conform to body. Mattress too saggy and you sink in, putting a sustained stretch on your spine (no support).

6. Improper shoes: Most common problem cited was high heels and Stillettos. Women like them for a number of reasons but they definitely contribute to low back pain. However, other shoe issues contribute as well. Shoes too heavy. Poor match for your feet? If you have pronated feet and don’t address it with proper footwear you will have compensatory changes in the legs and spine. Supinated feet without appropriate foot wear leads to lack of shock absorption with standing and walking.