Take Control of Low Back Pain : Q & A with Steven Agabegi , MD
Are you living with acute or chronic back pain ? Steven Agabegi , MD , an orthopaedic spine surgeon , discusses the general causes of low back pain and treatment options .
Why Is Low Back Pain So Common ? As a physician , I notice that many people neglect their back health , mostly due to poor physical conditioning and a sedentary lifestyle , which can cause weakness in the core muscles . Excessive sitting at work or in a car can also wreak havoc on the lumbar spine .
When you sit in a chair , your pelvic muscles and your legs are doing absolutely nothing , and all of the weight of your upper body is shifted to your lumbar spine . But when you are standing and walking , your pelvic muscles , legs , and quadriceps muscles are contributing to maintaining that upright position . There is a lot less stress on your lower back when you are standing and walking as opposed to sitting .
Obesity is another contributing factor to low back pain because if you are overweight , there is going to be more stress on the lower back .
One of the main goals in treating low back pain is to take the stress off the lumbar spine . There are three things I recommend : sit less , exercise more , and try to lose weight . Try to avoid sitting as much as possible . Maintaining a healthy weight can help as well because the less you weigh , the less stress there will be on your lumbar spine . It ’ s also important to exercise and strengthen your core and the muscles around your spine . Doing so will help take the stress off of the lumbar spine .
Can Stress Cause Low Back Pain ? Yes , stress can be a source of low back pain . The central part of the nervous system is typically affected by stress . When feeling stress , people generally have headaches , neck pain , and low back pain . Some people even develop tailbone pain when they are in severe stress .
What Are the General Causes of Low Back Pain ? There are many causes of low back pain . Some people have a structural problem , which is identified by taking x-rays and an MRI . If these tests do not show a source of pain , it may just be a case of weak core muscles and we often recommend physical therapy . Genetics also play a role , as low back problems and disc degeneration tend to run in families .
How Does Spine Alignment Affect Back Pain ? Two terms that you should be familiar with are lordosis and kyphosis . The lordosis is the arch that you have in the lumbar spine and in your neck . In the mid-back , which is also called the thoracic spine , you have a reverse curve called kyphosis .
Your spine is essentially maintained in an upright posture because of these curves . It ’ s very important to understand these terms because they have a lot of relevance to the long-term health of your back . If you do not have an arch in your lumbar spine , then you potentially could have problems with alignment and poor posture . Poor posture , in turn , can contribute to additional stress on the low back .
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