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What is back pain?
In simplistic terms, back pain is a sensation designed to:
- tell us we have hurt ourselves (eg. sudden pain after lifting something incorrectly)
- protect us from hurting ourselves (e.g. aches and pains associated from sitting with poor postures)
The IASP's (International Association for the Study of Pain) definition is "Pain is an unpleasant sensory and emotional experience associated with actual or potential damage."
| Poor Sitting Posture |
Ideal Sitting Posture |
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Pain is a complex sensation that is controlled by the brain. Pain isn't always caused by something that is structurally wrong in the back. Therefore just because we feel back pain doesn’t mean that there is something wrong. We may potentially be causing our own back pain every day due to sitting in bad postures or repetitively lifting incorrectly. These activities may not produce enough force to cause major injury to our backs, but may produce just enough force to cause repetitive micro-trauma to your spine so inevitably it starts to ache and pain.
Studies also show that even if you have had a major injury to your back and have disc problems or changes on X-rays, MRI or CT scans, it doesn’t automatically mean that your back will continue to hurt. There is definitely the potential to be pain free!
The brain can sometimes maintain the sensation of back pain long after the actual injury occurred. Internally, the spine can be in good condition months after injury with no structural reason to hurt anymore as the tissues have healed. But pain can persist due to the neurological mechanism whereby the body wants to protect itself against any potential injury in the future. This is not always helpful and can lead us into a vicious cycle of rest, immobility, reduced fitness and strength, poor flexibility, depression and other psychological conditions. This is also when a chronic pain cycle can begin.
For more detailed information, please refer to books on chronic pain and neuro-physiology.For more information regarding the IASP (International Association for the Study of Pain) please click here.
Where does pain come from?
Your spine is made up of bones (vertebrae), ligaments, discs, joints, muscles and nerves. All of these structures are innervated with their own nerve supply which leads to the brain. This means that all of these structures have the potential to "hurt" or more scientifically that they can produce impulses that lead to the brain so we feel pain in that region of our back and/or referred pain. For a more detailed anatomy of the spine please click here.
Pain can be referred from our brains and felt in other areas of your body around the primary area of pain such as down your legs (sciatica) if we have low back pain. This occurs due to the nerves from the "hurt" structure in your spine that take the impulses up to the brain. They supply not only your spine but also your legs therefore your brain can send impulses down the same nerve but with the wrong message so that the whole region supplied by that nerve starts to hurt (e.g. the low back and down one leg).
For more information on back pain please refer to the Australian Physiotherapy Association by clicking here.
What causes back pain?
There are a multitude of causes that can lead to back pain. The most common reasons why people present to health professionals with back pain are due to postural or work-related reasons. Of these, poor sitting postures and incorrect lifting techniques are the most common activities that lead to back pain.
Our sedentary lifestyle also predisposes us to back pain. Most of our jobs are performed sitting at desks for 8 - 10 hours a day and, added to that, a major proportion of the population do little to no exercise. Our spines need a break from sitting as it is one of the worst positions for the spine as the discs get compressed, lose water content and consequently lose height and develop stiffness. This places an enormous strain on the discs and ligaments which can lead to long-term micro-trauma and eventually tissue damage and back pain and structural stiffness.
Other common external causes of back pain are old or poor pillows, mattresses, footwear and chairs (home/office/cars).
There are some sinister causes of back pain that are not caused by postures or actions, these include infections, tumors and rheumatic conditions. Therefore if back pain persists and you don't think it is related to your posture or activities and is associated with other symptoms such as fever, nausea, loss of weight, night pain etc, please see your local doctor immediately to exclude these conditions. For more information on the various causes of back pain, click here.
Also, over-pronation of the feet can lead to back pain due to modifying the alignment of the pelvis and spine which can lead to back pain. The use of orthotics can assist in the prevention and management of back pain (see below for more information).
How can I manage my back pain?
It is important to maintain ideal postures in sitting and standing. You also need to ensure that your pillows, mattresses and chairs are in good condition and are supportive.
To prevent pain from bending and lifting, it is imperative that you bend predominantly from the legs and maintain a straight spine. It isn't only bending to lift heavy objects that can lead to injury and back pain, it is also common to hurt yourself even when you pick up small objects off the floor such as remote controls. Therefore it is vital that at all times when you bend you maintain good movement patterns with a straight spine.
Posturally, it is also important that you maintain good postures for the majority of the day or else eventually your back and neck will hurt. When sitting, you should stand and stretch every 15-20 minutes to take the strain off your discs and allow them to recover and allow the water content to flow back into the discs. Similarly, if standing for prolonged periods you need to sit every 15-20 minutes to allow your back to rest. This principle is called postural reversal, reversing the posture that you maintain for any period for longer than 15-20 minutes. Below are some examples of stretches that you can do at work to maintain good posture.
Stretching, strengthening and attaining a good level of fitness are essential to maintaining your back in good condition. Physiotherapists are well positioned to educate you on these principles therefore if unsure or you are experiencing back pain visit your local physiotherapist for a basic spinal care program of stretches, strengthening exercises and a basic conditioning program to start you on the way. They will also educate you about ideal postures and give you strategies to find and maintain your best posture. Gym programs are also something to do in the mid to long-term to maximise the health of your spine.
Over pronation of your feet (as shown in the below diagram) may also be a cause of back pain. Pronation forces the pelvis to tilt forward, causing curvature of the lower back and tightening of the lower back muscles.
 
Correcting poor posture through the use of corrective devices such as Podlink foot orthotics, re-align the feet, therefore improve body posture and relax the back muscles. For more information on Podlink foot orthotics please click on the below.
Regular Physiotherapy or massage therapy treatments even when you aren’t feeling pain are ideal to prevent back pain as sore areas or tight areas can be found and treated before they become more serious and eventually painful or worse still a serious injury occurs. In a minority of cases, when there are serious conditions or spinal injuries, back surgery is required but exploring all conservative management strategies should be the initial steps.
In summary, you need to take responsibility for your own back pain as the most common causes of back problems are long-term postures and bending and lifting activities.
For more information on how to manage back pain please refer to the link to Active Australia. To find a physiotherapist near you please refer to the APA Find-A-Physio service by clicking on the APA logo.
How can BakBalls help?
Back pain and stiffness can develop from bad postures and poor bending and lifting techniques. BakBalls aren't a cure for back pain but they are a very important adjunctive treatment that can relieve back pain, reduce back stiffness and assist you to achieve good postures.
BakBalls are an ideal way to reverse a typically forward bent posture as all of our activities and postures are forward and hunched such as sitting, typing, talking on the phone, sleeping and driving. BakBalls stretch your spine and allow you to sit and stand up straight and reverse inherently bad postures.
Due to potentially permanent stiffness in our spine and muscles it can be impossible to get into an ideal posture without actual intervention from BakBalls or hands-on treatment from a health professional. BakBalls provide an extremely localised stretch at each vertebral level that maintains good flexibility in your spine and can prevent you from developing a stooped hunched stiff spine which can lead to long-term problems and chronic back pain.
The use of BakBalls is one technique that can prevent and treat your back pain which may assist in improving your posture, reducing your pain levels and back stiffness and improving your quality of life.
The use of BakBalls do not negate the need to visit a doctor or health professional if you are suffering from health problems or back pain. The information in this website is not intended as a substitute for professional medical advice or help but is to be used only as an aid in understanding back or neck pain. This website provides links to other organisations as a service to our customers and readers and we take no responsibility for their information, services or products provided by these websites, health professionals, associations or companies. See our Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy for further information.
"I get stiff and sore in the back and across the shoulders as do all of my fellow cabbies. I tried injections, creams and chiropractors for 2 years but nothing was fixing it. But after using BakBalls, I am a new man. I can now drive pain-free and touch my toes no problems" Mike Younger - Taxi Driver
To order your own BakBalls click here
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