If you’ve been struggling with aches and pains in your lower back whilst at work, please take a look at the video above, where I offer advice on the best ways to curb the issue.

At Christopher Hole Training, my aim is to help you to overcome your injury, improve your fitness levels and become healthier. To do this, we will look at the life course of your back pain.

This can be broken down into:

The initial cause

In an example I give in the above video, I show how BBC News presenter Beth’s slipped disk was likely caused by her sedentary position at her job, where she spent too much time sitting down.

When you have a sedentary job, you aren’t very mobile and when you do move, there’s a good chance you aren’t protecting your lower back. This is why people working in sedentary positions experience lower back pain so frequently.

Reduced pain and increased stiffness

Over time, the pain caused by the initial injury begins to reduce, but stiffness gradually increases.

Decrease in stiffness

As more time passes, there will be a decrease in stiffness, but some will still remain. This is due to muscle guarding, which is the body’s protective mechanism to injury. The muscle locks up tight to protect the area from weakness and stabilises the joint.

Treatments for lower back pain

Medication

It’s important to rest after an injury. I don’t recommend taking medication unless the pain is too much to bear. This is because there is a possibility of injuring yourself further as a direct result of the numbness caused by the medication.

Activity

When the pain has eased enough so that you can move, start to open and stretch your hips and shoulders. You can do this while sitting at your work desk.

Causes of low back pain

Sitting at your desk for too long and carrying heavy items around the work place without supporting your lower back can cause an array of back problems. It’s important to implement this knowledge in our day to day lives to prevent further injury.