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I mean this in all positivity. Move around and lose weight if you're sporting it. I'm over 40 and I'm in better shape than I was in my 20s because I move around a lot (owning a farm helps) but it's no excuse to not move if you don't. Stop being sedentary. Move and eat less. You will be surprised how little it takes to feel good again.
Also quit smoking, vaping, anything with nicotine, which causes your discs to degrade faster.
I have degenerative disc disease at 42, I'm looking at multiple fusions.
OK well my counter story is that I move a lot for work too and I'm only slightly overweight but my upper back feels like it's going to break in half when I wake up in the mornings, and my lower back tingles like a 9 volt battery to the tongue just always. 32 yo.
I guess just do whatever and maybe your back will feel fine and maybe it won't. Just like all health advice.
You might need a better mattress if that's how you wake up like that. Especially if it gets better during the day.
As this thread shows, back pain isn't caused by just one thing, so each specific person's back pain won't be cured by the same one size fits all approach.
If your back pain is caused by poor posture exacerbated by a weak posterior chain, lifting weights at the gym or doing other strengthening exercises/physical therapy can be helpful. As plenty in this thread can attest, gym time to offset laptop time can go a long way.
If your back pain is caused by repetitive stress from physical labor, adhering to proper form/technique and rest/recovery cycles to the best of your ability can help.
If your back pain is exacerbated by the weight you carry, losing weight (or in certain circumstances, breast reduction surgery) can help.
We're all just trying to get through life. Sometimes other people's tips can help, so it's worth sharing, but we also shouldn't get too tied to a particular solution that worked for us, as a the solution for everyone else.
100% encourage anyone past 30 to start working on your core strength, a sore back can frequently be caused by a weak core. I only take started focusing on that when I turned 40 and it's made a huge difference! Just a few minutes a day or every couple of days is all it takes. Get a kettlebell, do 30 swings, then a 1-2 minute plank, then 30 more swings and you're done. It will really help with the back pain, believe me!
What exactly is a swing? Cause I just imagine spinning in circles letting it go and destroying my TV. I assume back and forth? Or in front of me? Over my head? 90 degrees?
If you have 60 spare TVs to break everyday, that works out perfectly. Otherwise, I recommend watching this tutorial:
No joke I might actually go out and buy one today if it's this easy to do in my apartment.
I do like 10 kettlebell swings, no plank (because I hate it) and my back has magically just become young again. It feels a little bit cool to swing that bad boy too.
I do sincerely recommend.
I'm personally convinced that the cause of back problems is sitting way to much.
That’s one aspect of it but the main cause is weakness of the lower back muscles. This is in the case of office workers, if you have a manual job the causes could be many. But all of the causes can be addressed to a certain degree with deadlifts to strengthen to lower back muscles. But people don’t want to lift weights so 🤷🏽♂️
There are plenty of body weight exercises like squats and lunges that can strengthen the back. I think more than weights, people simply don't like to do targeted exercises.
I very much want to
Running also strengthens the back
Truth.
I do what I call the morning dump before runs now, squats + good mornings and then a 5k, my sore back is because I made it sore and it’s a good sore.
Dude, I picked up biking last season and on Monday I biked a new personal best of 12 very hilly miles without a rest. I decided literally the night before to join a local 4th of July 5k without any training (literally said "I can bike 12 miles, what's running 3? Those are similar enough muscles!" and I've been riding the high since because my leg muscles are still all sore and tight in all of the wonderful "I pushed my limits and achieved something!" kind of ways that make me feel so alive!
squat and deadlift are key to success. Really, anything that develops your posterior chain is a healthy bet
In my case, it's the combo of way, way to much walking in work boots and then later doing a lot of sitting. gotta shorten up those hip flexor, bae
This is why I never sit down. Not even to poop. I just stand above the toilet, and hope it goes in.
Sometimes it does!
Do you have a poop fork next to the poop knife to help pick them up?
My dad and brother had back problems and they were brick layers and then janitors. Only sat at breaktime.
Also bending your back for a job hours on end does more damage
I used to think this, until I started going to the gym.
Strength training helps, a lot.
and stretching. Gotta' stretch, especially if you're like me and aren't naturally very flexible. I've probably avoided dozens of injuries just by knowing my limits well and making sure they don't show up pitifully fast.
Yoga & lifting but mostly yoga. I got in a pretty bad car accident 10 years ago and did not get hurt, I mean got banged up but my back did not get hurt at all. Everyone told me "just wait" but that shoe never dropped, and I'm sure it's the yoga. Fell on my ass the other day (enthusiastic dog knocked my feet out from under me on a slippery surface) and didn't get hurt, and I'm old enough one of the questions the doctor asks is "any falls lately"
Move it in every direction, strengthen all those little muscles and yes, core but not just abs, every side of your core. Bodies are use it or lose it systems.
I feel you there. I’m in my 40s and have never been super healthy, but I have at least tried to take care of my joints.
Now, this year, my hobbies have had me doing manual labor like construction and landscaping in my yard. This is the strongest I’ve felt in a long time, and when slipping in a muddy yard or tripping over a toy or dog I seem to have the reflexes and supporting muscles to always catch myself without getting hurt. It’s been excellent for my mental health too.
In my 20s and 30s I mostly just wanted to be my recluse nerd gamer self (with my partner who I met at 19 by sheer dumb luck) but now after actively working for years to figure out wtf is wrong with me and how to get better results out of this body and brain I’ve been given… yeah it’s no surprise but things like fresh air and other people and petting an animal are all good shit!
I started doing pilates a few tears ago. I hate it, but really, 15 minutes a week make a huge difference for my back. All it takes is a yoga mat and some pilates instructor lady on YouTube. Curtains is recommended since even if you get good at it you're gonna look ridiculous.
I hope the tears stop eventually ✊
Other comments mentioned squats and deadlifts but the upper back is important too. Pullups and especially dead hangs are great for countering the effects of sitting at a desk.
Once you get your grip strength up you can hang and just let your spine decompress. It feels great. You can also do the opposite and keep your core engaged (AKA hollow hold) to build strength.
I played sports growing up but never had a strong core until I did this in my 30s. It was kind of shocking because I could suddenly do things like V ups with ease which used to make me shake uncontrollably.
I like the shaking aspect, usually a sign you pushed far beyond your limits and your body is going "wtf".
I'm basically 40 and deadlift in the 700s pretty frequently. You can bulletproof your back if you have the will
The arches of our feet stretch unevenly as we age. For some people, this causes one foot to pronate more than the other, which leads to a functional leg length discrepancy, which causes a knee to turn in, the hips to tilt, the spine to develop a functional scoliosis, one shoulder to drop, causing neck pain, etc. It's called the kinetic chain, and unfortunately it's been hovered up as a chiropractic talking point. But it can often be corrected with custom shoe inserts that can also help with balance. On the flip side, you then become reliant on those things and your back is weaker without em. So ya know, nothing's simple, I guess.
Not medical advice, but I got used to wearing shoes indoors after years of office work, but taking off my shoes when indoors and actually using all my muscles to hold myself upright, has lead to a real reduction in discomfort.
If you're used to shoes all the time, it HURTS at first to go without and you have to take frequent sit/stand breaks. This is GOOD and you should listen to your body and continue moving in ways that make you feel better.
Your point just reminded me that if you're capable, that one of the simplest mediations you can do is work with your muscles to keep yourself straight.
I’ve been suffering from severe sciatica for 6 months now. I am 33. I am in shape, exercise every day including running, yoga, and lifting. Gunna get steroid shots to hopefully help me break the cycle.
Lol, at 46 my heart said 'nah man, let's just stop'. 🤷
If I ever actually have a heart attack, I'm not sure if I would think it's a heart attack or a panic attack simply because the first time I ever had a debilitating panic attack, it felt like the way everyone I've known to have a heart attack described them (hard to breath, intense chest pains, left srm went numb, etc) and called an ambulance just to find out it was anxiety.
Same thing happened to me recently. Super fun loop.
At least now I know it's a panic attack so it doesn't feed itself as aggressively.
It's easy to miss but I didn't say heart attack. My heart stopped beating and I stopped breathing. Never experienced any of the typical symptoms, non smoker and drinker. I literally dropped dead and was lucky that everything afterwards went well (aside from the trauma inducing situation of course).
The cause is unknown to this day.
If I sit on the couch playing vidya games for 2 hours, my back hurts for 2 days.
I was born with my spine on the outside. I have felt this way my whole life!
It's not so much that your spine is old at 30. it's more that our body is not really adjusted to our fucking modern lifestyle. and also it seems to me, a lot of backpain is psychological. i.e., anxiety and stuff leads to lower back pain and such.
I'm literally scrolling my phone while side stretching because my back hurts just from a4 hour sitting shift rooofl 💀