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Virtually everyone over 25 is familiar with back pain of one type or another. Doctors, physios, chiros, and others take care of patients every day, dealing with issues ranging from normal tension pain to herniated discs. While many people can feel like the spine is the issue, most cases of back pain are caused by muscle weakness and issues.
What often happens is a vicious cycle of a lack of exercise and strength that leads to back pain, which makes it harder to exercise. In this way, treating muscular back pain is very different from treating spinal and skeletal issues.
Back Pain is a Widespread Problem
Among the "widespread conditions", e.g. the most common health issues, back pain is one of the top problems. On average, more than 80 per cent of adults complain about back pain; around a third of them suffer from it regularly. It’s no surprise that a quarter of all sick notes and work absences fall under the category of spine/back problems. On average, those affected stay at home for more than 13 days according to various studies. A continuous increase over the past few decades has also been observed.
One of the causes is interesting: Unfortunately, more and more patients suffer from regular and stubborn tension and weak back muscles. Experts speak of an increase in " back pain due to muscle weakness."
Trigger Stress: Emotionally and Physically Stressful
Discussions with the back pain experts make it clear that when it comes to back pain, the person as a whole must be focused on. In many patients, there are not only physical but also emotional causes: Regular stress, work pressure, emotional stress and more all lead. It’s said that the eyes are a window to the soul, but the back can often be too. In addition, more time at the desk for work and meetings, as well as extended time in the car driving to work and back, can also strain everything. Between work, family and daily tasks, there’s hardly any time for sport and relaxation. The effects can be clearly seen if there are additional stresses or injuries.
Back Pain and Muscle Weakness - a Vicious Circle
When less rest and more work are combined with increased stress and tension, a vicious cycle can develop. Tense posture can easily occur once there’s stress and a lack of exercise. As a result, people often use painkillers to treat the pain, often disregarding the core cause. The issue then becomes worse over time as the muscles simply become more tense and strained. Bit by bit, the muscles become weaker and more strained, and chronic back pain occurs.
Weak Muscles and Back Pain Often Start at Home
The start of the vicious circle makes it clear: Chronic back pain most often starts at home. If you don’t strengthen and exercise the core back muscles, they won’t function properly. What starts as back pain due to muscle weakness can then develop into greater damage and discomfort.
Muscle weakness can also come from other things. A long illness with little exercise, physical misalignment or other reasons, such as mental illness, can lead to muscle weakness in the back.
What to do With Back Pain Caused by Muscle Weakness?
The main treatment for back muscle insufficiency is the activation and targeted development of the weakened muscles. It’s important to release and ease tension in the back before strengthening to allow the muscle to build up. In this exercise against muscle weakness and rebuilding of the muscles, back supports and braces can be used to guide movements and stimulate muscle activity in a targeted manner.
An important part of this treatment is learning the cause of the injury. By confirming what is causing the issue, whether it’s poor posture, home or work environment, injury or something else, you have the best chance of treating and recovering the condition.
Exercise, Strengthening and Stabilising - Building Muscles to Treat Back Weakness
LumboTrain Back Brace
Depending on the type and location of tension, back pain, and muscle weakness, Bauerfeind offers various back supports to strengthen the stabilising and strengthening of the muscles. The compressive weave, anatomically shaped, combined with the special gel pads, promotes blood flow, stabilises and soothes the muscles, and strengthens the back.
Back pain is a warning sign of something more serious on the horizon and often an important indicator of excessive stress and lack of exercise. Targeted strengthening and build-up exercises, as well as regular, gentle endurance sports, are good not only for the back but also for the cardiovascular system, the rest of the body, and the soul.
