5 reasons why your back is killing you

FRIDAY MARCH 18 2016 YOU don’t have to be old enough to qualify for a pension to have back pain. About 85 percent of adults younger than 50 have experienced it at least once, and the onset of chronic back pain most frequently occurs between the ages of 30 and 50.

So information in the March issue of American Association of Retired Persons magazine – “Five surprising reasons your back is killing you” – may be of interest to a younger cohort.

Depression: Researchers from the University of Sydney found that people with symptoms of deep depression had a 60 percent greater incidence of back pain than people without such symptoms – possibly because depressed people sleep poorly and don’t get enough exercise, both of which are linked to back pain.

Tight hips: Anyone who spends a lot of time sitting develops thickening of the fibrous tissue encasing the hip joint. This puts extra strain on your lower back. One way to address this is practising yoga’s frog pose: Drop to your hands and knees, knees wide apart, and slide forward to lower your elbows and forearms to the floor; hold.

Foot issues: Something as seemingly unrelated as plantar fasciitis – inflammation of the tissue across the bottom of your foot – can produce back pain by throwing off your gait. So get foot and ankle pains treated.

Forward body weight: All excess weight contributes to back pain, and carrying those extra kilos around your gut can make it worse.

Smartphone addiction: Bending your neck too often or for too long can put about 25kg of extra force on your spine. If you’re too FOMO-inclined to cut back, keep your head up and just look down with your eyes. – The Washington Post