How The Way You Walk Affects Your Back Pain

The connection between how we walk, sit and perform other physical activities usually plays a big role in how our bodies functions. Bones, muscles and organs making up the human body relate with one another; each functioning to either supplement or support the other on fulfilling a particular overall task. The way in which a particular body part functions, affects the activities of the other body parts.

This report intends to explain the relationship between walking posture (good and bad) and how they relate to the occurrence of back pains in our bodies.

Back Pain

Possibly, most people have undergone back pain one time in their lives. It is a fact of life. Back pains may vary due to their intensity and causes. Some of the causes of back pains may be attributed to bad lifestyle habits or to external factors such as accidents, sports injuries and muscle strains. Regardless of different causes, the symptoms usually remain the same.

Signs and symptoms of back pains include:

Continuing pain felt at the middle or lower back after sitting or standing for a long time
A deep chronic ache or stiffness experienced along the spine e. from the base of the neck to the tail bone
Radiant back pain felt from the lower back of the spine to the buttocks, down the hip through the thighs and into the calf and toes
A sharp pain felt in the lower back, upper back or the neck after lifting heavy items and indulging in strenuous activity
Incapability of standing straight without having pain or muscle spasms in the lower back

Severe symptoms that require medical attention include:

When you are experiencing back pains accompanied with a burning sensation on urination, frequent and urgent urination and fever
Pain running down along the spine and extends along the back of the leg. This is usually a sign of sciatica
Weak groins, legs and arms accompanied by numbness and tingling feel. This is usually a sign of damaged spinal cord.
Increase of pain when coughing and bending over which can be a sign of a herniated disc.
Experiencing problems controlling your bowels or bladder

The general red flag that could pinpoint a very serious back pain problem could be evaluated when the patient:

Unintentionally loses weight
Has a history of trauma and cancer
Experiences nighttime pains
Is unresponsive to back pain therapies done earlier
Experiences severe pain that has lasted for a month and especially after taking rests
Has been using steroids and other medication weakening the immune
Has a history of IV drug usage

The common types of back pains that will be discussed in this report include sciatica and lower back pains.

Sciatica

This is a form of pain or neurological symptom that is felt along sciatic nerve. Sciatic nerve is a huge single nerve located at each side of the lower spine and extends at the back of each leg to the foot. The extent of sciatica effects depends on the location where the sciatica nerve has been affected. Sciatica nerve plays an important role in connecting the foot and leg muscles with the spinal cord.

Common signs and symptoms of Sciatica:

Lower back pain
Hip pain
Buttocks and leg pain that intensify on sitting
Itching or burning sensation on the leg
Numbness and weakness that make it hard to move your leg
Constant pain at a specific side of the rear
A sharp pain that makes it hard to stand up

People experience different levels of sciatica with some undergoing severe and weakening pain while others experiencing occasional irritating pains. It is advisable to seek immediate medical attention when experiencing such pains especially when accompanied with a surprising loss of bladder and/or bowel control.

Causes of Sciatica

Irritation along the lumbosacral spine and the lower lumbar roots
Muscle spasm at the buttocks and back
Degenerative disc disease (collapse of discs acting as cushions amid vertebrae)
Lumbar spinal stenosis
Spondylolisthesis which is a disorder where a vertebra slides on top of another
Even pregnancy

Some of the things that can cause sciatica and back pains in general include:

Not practicing regular exercises
Overweight
Wearing shoes with high heels
Sleeping on hard mattress

Lower back pain

Lower back pain is an inevitable experience. Everyone is deemed to experience it sooner or later in their lifetime. Lower back pain is the main cause of back pains.

Lower back pains usually arise because of weakened strength of abdominal muscles and/or lack of strength in the gluteals and hamstrings due to lower back strain. There is a chain of muscles and ligaments holding the bones along the spinal column in your back. These muscles can be weakened by straining and stretching them too far leading to wear and tear of tissues. This reduces the capacity of the muscles in supporting and holding together the boned of your spinal column correctly and in place thus making the spine unstable causing lower back pains.

Weakness of abdominal muscles, hamstrings, gluteals and hip flexors can lead to misalignment and displacement of the pelvis causing it to slant forward or backward. While the abdominals function to stabilize the pelvis by pulling upward on the front, the gluteals and hamstrings offer stability by pulling down on the rear of the pelvis.

Exercises must be done to strengthen both the abdominals and gluteals. Walking correctly can give the gluteals a good workout. The abdominal muscles can be trained through physical therapy and easy, relaxed weight training exercises.

Low back strain can be mainly caused by; falling, bending or squatting repeatedly and heavy lifting of objects especially when you not fit. Other causes of low back strain include improper posture, emotional stress, overweight and sitting at a same spot over a long period of time. Even severe coughs can lead to low back strain.

Signs and symptoms of low back strain include:

Painful and stiff back
Sharp pain in the buttocks and the back of the legs
Pain that intensifies when coughing, sneezing, stretching or bending

People are advised to go for checkup once experiencing these symptoms especially when they are accompanied with numbness, tingling and weakness of legs, and bladder and bowel complications.

The good news is, even though low back strain can be very painful; it has remedies that will kick the pain away if it doesn’t heal by its own.

Remedies for Low Back Strain include:

Cooling your back with ice to reduce pain and inflammation on injuring yourself. You can apply heat on your back after swelling has reduced (can be done using hot water bottle or electric heating pad).
Ingestion of painkillers or other drugs prescribed and recommended by your doctor. Prescription painkillers and muscle relaxants are sometimes necessary.
Use support such as girdle and belt to your back.
Participate in physical therapy if recommended by your doctor to build up strength. Avoid resting all day.
Maintain good muscle tone in your abdominal and lower back muscles.

How to prevent Low back strains:

Halt during physical activity if you feel a low back pain.
Get in shape and exercise your back muscles regularly
Sleep on your side or back positions. Avoid sleeping on your stomach.
Reduce mass if you are overweight.
Take caution on picking heavy items. Your knees should be bent, not waist.
Adopt good walking and sitting posture.

Walking and back pains

Walking is a part of exercise that people know less about. It is an activity which facilitates movement but what most people don’t know is that it is an effective physical therapy in alleviating back pains. It prevents and the same time healing back pains effectively.

Studies have pinpointed that individuals experiencing chronic low back pains usually have walking abnormalities.
The back pains were seen to be corrected and reduced by physical therapy which involved proper walking posture, exercise and aerobics.
More doctors have come to recommend a natural way of relieving patients experiencing back pains by enabling them to learn correct walking strides rather than going to a time consuming and costly physical therapy session.
A 20-40 minutes’ walk for two to three days in a week is ideal for such problem.

A study done on two groups of patients suffering from lower back pains established that rest and immobility are the fuel of back pains. One group was involved in doing only physical therapy prescribed for back pains while the other group started with a walking program and later on continued with aerobics.

The study found out that both groups improved tremendously in all areas and ascertained that the walking program was as effective as the treatment received in the clinic. Muscle-strengthening programs in clinics usually involve specific equipment and expert supervisors. The researchers concluded that active walking with proper walking posture can suit as a muscle-strengthening program which is simple, effective and inexpensive.

Effective walking posture to reduce back pain

Exercise walking is a way of benefiting from regular daily exercise without triggering back pains. These health benefits include:

Nourishment of spinal structures. Walking as a means of exercise creates a strong circulation and pumps nutrients into draining toxins and soft tissues.
Flexibility and posture is Regular stretching and walking aids in increasing motion, helps prevent sloppy movement and protects from injury such as falling.
Strengthens feet, hips, legs and torso muscles. Stability of the spine is increased and muscles are conditioned to keep the body in an upright position.
Strengthens bones and reduces bone density loss. Walking prevents osteoporosis and helps reduce occurrence of osteoarthritis.

Appropriate body posture

This describes how to walk easily and comfortably without exposing your back to injuries and pains.

Head

The most effective way to achieve a better posture instantly is by walking with your head high. This immediately corrects a number of posture issues you had no idea even existed. Ensure that back is not arched and do not lean neither backward nor forward. Walk tall and straight!

Your body is a slave to your mind. Wherever your head goes, the body follows suit.
Your eyes should be looking directly forward, approximately 25 feet ahead.
It is important to keep your chin up and tucked. This reduces strain on the neck and back. Also, your ears should be directly over the shoulders and neck tall.
This allows your head to float lightly on top of your neck.
Focusing your head helps the rest of the body to be aligned, while dropping your head makes the rest of the body to be disoriented by falling out of a perfect alignment.

Clenching your jaw constricts your body into knots. This makes you stiff hence causing pain. Maintain a relaxed posture and float freely at your own pleasure.

Relaxed shoulders

Tight and raised shoulders are a sign of stress. Tension triggered by stress radiates through your neck and arms, and in a split second your jaw and fist are clenched, which leaves you feeling way more stressed than when you started walking.

Focus on pulling your shoulders gently back and forth by lifting your chest. Correct head alignment and a chest lift makes you feel taller.
When you walk, focus on gently pulling your shoulders down and back by lifting your chest. Slumping causes undesirable back pains

Swinging arms

Actively use of arms when walking generates an extra momentum because they possess key functions that aid in walking. Ever tried walking with your arms held tightly by your side? This might perhaps have made you feel unbalanced and lack of power to control your strides. Swing of hands not only aids in walking but also helps your body burn calories. Elbows should be bent closely to 90 degrees to enable your arms to be swung naturally backward and forward. Ensure that opposite arms and legs are swung forward together.

Vigorous swinging of arms side to side and above your head is discouraged. It will not only make you look insane, but also it is important to note that most work is done by the legs as arms simply assist. Naturally swing your arms slightly, not above the breastbone or the center of your body.

When you find yourself tired easily after actively using your arms, allow yourself to rest and repeat for 5-10 minutes.
Keep them relaxed and ensure not to clinch.
Clenching fists creates tension that radiates through your shoulders and neck creating back pain.
Your hands should be lightly closed and your thump should rest on top of your first finger.

Core

Core is a group of muscles that surrounds the midsection like a belt to provide essential stability to the spine. When walking, tighten your core from time to time. This activates your core muscles.

A way of tightening the core is by bracing yourself as you tighten a belt around your waist.
When you relax your core, you stomach tends to push forward.
This should act as a reminder that your core muscles are loose and then you will reset your core by bracing yourself.
This task should not be cumbersome, work on it naturally when you feel to maintain an upright Posture.

Legs

Overstriding is source of pain and injury when walking. It also slows down movement and may lead to clumsiness. Naturally, striding should be longer than the back part of the body. Not the front. This is because the front legs do not have any power in propelling forward as compared to back leg. Movement oomph is activated when you start off with your back leg.

Hips should be leveled when walking and have minimum rolling.
Movement of hips excessively is an indication of instability and wastage of energy.
Excessive use of energy when walking causes fatigue, which leads to a slumped posture hence back pain.
Properly set hips allow the legs to swing beneath you as you stride.

Knees should be kept slightly bent to absorb shock as you land your feet on the ground to help you lift your feet and propel you forward on your next stride. Ensure your knees do not roll in or out as you walk. Keep them aligned with your hips and feet.

Feet

Feet are the culmination of a walking chain. Walking steps should have a progressing motion. These include:

Your foot should hit the floor heel-first with the toes pulled up at an angle of 45 degrees and weight slightly behind your feet.
You should walk from heel to toe across the step.
When moving into your next step, push off with the big toe.

Shin muscles grow stronger with exercise. Inactive posture tires the shin muscles easily. Wear shoe pattern indicates whether or not your feet are working as they should. If your shoe wears out on the outside or inside of your feet is an indication that your feet are not working correctly.

In the vent that your feet are not working as they should, it is good to consult a podiatrist by taking the worn shoes. A podiatrist is a foot and ankle surgeon. He or she should prescribe orthotics. This is a special kind of shoe insert that is designed to rectify faulty footfalls. Stiff shoes lead to slapping down of feet rather than progression through steps. It is important to wear flexible shoes that allow you to have a systematic step progression.

Taking charge of your body allows you to have a controlled and healthy walking posture. It also makes walking comfortable and enjoyable and minimizes back pain. In case of prolonged back pains, it is important to seek the services of a qualified physician.

Poor walking postures that lead to back pains

Posture is the position of your body when standing, sitting or walking. The following are types of walking postures that might affect back pain.

Arched back posture

It is scientifically referred to as KYOPHOTIC LORDOTIC. It is a posture characterized by a face-down pelvis, arched spine and a chest that is pushed back. It causes a forward centered cavity, weak abdomen, abdominus of the rectus especially in the nether regions. It is characterized to roll the belly forward and draw the pelvis down. When the pelvis is pulled down, the belly tends to roll forward which creates an arched back whereby the lower back muscles are compressed. People with an arched back develop lower back pains which become severe by continuous walking and running.

This posture can be reversed through:

Exercise designed for hip flexors and a stiffened back.
Through motor control where physiotherapists train an individual on how to adopt neutral postures when walking by training you muscle memory to help connect muscles and nerves. This helps solve back pain issues.

Flat back postures

Walking while slouched leads to flat back postures. It is a result of a weak erector spinae; a group of muscles that move vertically to give you an upright posture. This posture tends to overstretch the erector spinae, hence when walking and looking downwards, the c-shaped form from this posture causes an increased load on discs that act as shock absorbers and provide protection of the vertebrae. Stretching of ligaments cause lower and middle back pain. This posture can be rectified through motor control and extension exercises.

Swayback posture

The chest has a tendency to lean backward with the shoulders behind the hips and the chin stuck out.
Weak abdominal muscles cause back muscles to work harder than they should hence causing a strain of joints and ligaments.
This leads to an unstable spine which makes the lower back more vulnerable to injuries.
This can be rectified by standing evenly and walking on feet, tucking chin and standing up tall without slumping backward

Take charge of your body by adapting to appropriate walking postures in order to prevent health complication such as back pains and strengthen your body muscles.