What causes female lower back pain? In this article, we are going to discuss this. Back pain is one of the most common ailments in the UK with around 12 million of us experiencing it each year. And it seems to be a common female problem too, with around a third of women saying they get lower back pain at least once a month. But exactly what causes it and what should you do if you've got it? The NHS is full of advice on the subject, but there's more to it than what the medical professionals say. Emma Gelder has asked Dr. Rachel Taylor, a British Doula who specializes in helping women manage pain naturally, for her top tips.
How common is back pain in women?
It's so common. I would say one in three women will have back pain at some point in their life. It's the number one issue that affects women - yet it's something we rarely talk about. A lot of women think that being able to look after themselves means they're capable of looking after themselves when they're back in pain. And not talking about it actually increases your risk of developing it.
There are two different kinds of back pain that you could have: primary lower back pain, which could be muscular or it could be psychological.
Read also: Blood oranges health benefits
What could cause it?
There are a few different things. The first is just general, what are the normal things that we do in our everyday lives if we don't do those things then we put more strain on our backs and that can cause back pain.
The second thing is, a lot of us have never looked after our backs. I'm one of them. It's just never been something that's ever occurred to me to do.
What's the best thing to do if you're getting back pain?
There is a very specific exercise called 'lightning' that my clients do to strengthen their abdominals. To be able to do this you need to have an instructor, so you can have someone to hold your hips to encourage you to do it.
How often should you be doing it?
I would say if you're doing this three to four times a week for 10 minutes, that's the absolute minimum. But you also need to do it multiple times a day - it's not something that you can leave to one day a week.
Can you prescribe it?
That's a very useful exercise and a very valuable one. But you shouldn't necessarily turn to your doctor and prescribe it unless you have very bad back pain.
When you have a medical problem, it's really important that you talk to your doctor. If you feel a problem, you've been referred to the doctor and you've brought it up and he's given you some advice then there's very little point in having a conversation about this unless it's something really severe.
Read also: Anti-aging foods for men and women
Everyday tasks you need to put into practice
The things that we do every single day for a few minutes - if we don't do them well and then we walk around for a few minutes and our backs hurt, that's one of the problems that's caused. If we do the things that help us, we'll be feeling so much better.
What's the best thing to do if you're prone to back pain?
Be really careful about sitting. Don't spend long periods of time in front of a computer. If you do need to be sitting down for hours at a time it's really important to be mindful of that. You also need to be mindful of how you sleep at night. Don't sleep in an awkward way. You need to get your back support to make sure you're laying flat and not twisting - otherwise, your spine is twisted, and then that's going to cause you problems.
People have no idea about the impact they can have. Our spine is so important for how we function every single day of our lives.
What's the best thing to do if it gets to that stage?
My number one piece of advice is 'amplify'. If you can start doing one of the exercises above or the stretching one or the warm-up one of the gentle yoga one, then make sure that you do that for at least 30 minutes a day - I think it's really important that you do this, otherwise, you're not going to notice a difference.
I was quite surprised when people started finding their own ways to do it on their own because all they had done before is put their hand to their back and hope that it would start to feel better, or wait for a really bad day and then go to a doctor and hope for an OK and then use their back to do that.
By the time you're feeling that you're needing to go and see a doctor, it's already too late.
Information from the International Back Pain Society and the British Chiropractic Association can be found on the HMG Non-Injured Back Research Centre
This interview has been edited for clarity and length.
Blue teeth or toothpaste?
What a lot of people don't know is that blue toothpaste contains abrasive particles that really damage the enamel of your teeth. And there's no reason that you should be using blue toothpaste. So, if you're using it, wash it down with a glass of water or at least rinse it properly.
What if it hurts to stick your tongue out?
Most people have different things that they do, but a good tip is to breathe in and out a couple of times and then raise the tip of your tongue. Most of the time that will help.
Is there a clear-cut 'type' of back pain?
Back pain can be anything, depending on what's causing it. For example, if you injure your back at work, that's going to be more likely to be something that's going to happen while you're at work. You're probably going to be in a desk chair or a sofa.
On the other hand, if you injure your back in your home, most people don't actually go and injure their back in their home - it's more likely to be while they're sleeping.
Can back pain be prevented?
Certainly preventable. The most important thing is to keep moving. Don't take your back for granted.
We need to be really mindful of the things that we're doing to our back and do them in the right way. If you're sitting in front of a computer all day, you're certainly not going to want to sit down all day.
If you're sleeping in an awkward position - if you're sleeping with your spine twisted - then don't do that. You also need to make sure you're getting the right amount of sleep.
If you're falling asleep in your car, then get out of the car and get back to the office.
Or if you're driving a car to work, why don't you have an employee that drives you to work every day so that you're not constantly in the car - if you can do it with a bit of effort.
Going for a walk or exercising regularly.
Can back pain be prevented? Yes, it can. There are so many things that we can do to prevent back pain and get back in shape and live the life we want to live.
In the next article, we will discuss What causes female lower back pain and more. Stay with DailyHealthFitness