It might surprise you to realize that the 2 most common reasons for back pain are the simple acts of either sitting or bending. These 2 fairly innocuous things are the cause of most of the back pain around the world – all deriving from the fact that originally humans were on four legs, and our spine isn’t really designed for certain weight bearing loads on two legs at certain angles. If you bend and twist the wrong way – you may hurt your back. If you sit for prolonged periods without proper lumbar support – you may hurt your back.

Sounds  a bit too simple – but in fact that is the reason for back injury most of the time. Lower back pain when sitting and bending is one of the most common ailments humans experience.

This recent article from the Daily Mail explains further:

Lower Back Pain When Sitting And Bending

Sitting and bending are the 2 major causes of back pain

The two greatest causes of back pain in our present lifestyle are simple things that we rarely think of, but dominate our lives. The first is poor sitting posture. We sit slouched and unsupported: in our car, on our couch, in church, or at the movie theater and on the bleachers at the ballgame. We sit at the desk hacking away at the computer. We sit while talking on the phone with no thought of using the proper muscles to correct our posture or to sit supported.The second major reason for back pain is the frequency with which we bend forward in our everyday lives.
 

Studies show the average American bends forward 3,000 to 5,000 times a day. This is a difficult number to believe, but look at it this way. We go to the grocery store and let’s say that we purchase 100 items. We may bend forward 100 times to pick up the items, and then an additional 100 times to place them in the cart (200 bends). After this, we could add another 200 bends to our count in unloading the cart and placing the items at the checkout area (now 400 bends). To complete our shopping spree, we are left with 33 bags to load and unload from the cart, for a grand total of 466 bends.
 

Even bending over slightly can injure your back if you do it at the wrong angle

This may be a bit exaggerated, but it shows that if we can bend over almost 500 times with just a trip to the market, it’s easy to get to a number of 5,000 in one full day without giving it a second thought. This repeated stress on the neck and lower back contributes to stress on pain-sensitive tissue. The intervertebral discs soon distort and bulge backward and to the side, producing pain. We may interpret this as a pulled muscle, but the pain does not go away (as most pulled muscle pain does) in a few days.
 

Most of us sit to rest our back in poor, unsupported posture and the pain often moves into the buttock and thigh. Ouch, this is really starting to hurt. It is no longer coming and going; it is constant, and we cannot hide from its intensity. As a defense from the continuation of pain, we must maintain correct posture and avoid repetitive forward bending motion.
 

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3000-5000 bends a day??? You have to be kidding – but in reality it is no joke, and that is why technique in bending and lifting is so important. if you strengthen your core and use the correct straight back and bent knees technique when lifting, you significantly reduce your chance of lower back injury.

Similarly, if you sit with the correct posture using a chair with appropriate lumbar support, you greatly reduce the risk of injuries such as prolapsed disc.

It is in your hands – simple day to day habits that incorporate the correct sitting and bending techniques will help you avoid the twin evils of lower back pain when sitting and bending.

Videos On Correct Sitting And Bending Techniques

Here are some videos that will inform you about the correct techniques for sitting and bending to help you avoid lower back pain.

The first one is from Jesse Cannone and shows how you can avoid back pain from sitting.

In this video Jesse discusses correct posture for sitting.

This one looks at various seat cushions that can help give you back pain relief while sitting.

In this video Dr Corenman discusses the problem of injuries to the lower back from lifting and bending. It is really informative and includes lots of common sense information.

Here Dr Alan Mandell discusses and demonstrates how to lift correctly with the right posture to avoid back injury. He actually lifts a model of a spine to demonstrate. He also shows the right technique for putting it back down properly.

Get more details on lifting, bending and sitting using the correct techniques from the free back pain relief book from Jesse Cannone available on this website. Simply sign up for the free hardcover book on the top right of the website and you will have it delivered in a few days.
 

If you like this story and accompanying videos and you think it can help someone you know with back pain – feel free to share it with the social media buttons below.