7 things that can cause stiff/sore low back on waking?
7 things that can cause stiff/sore low back on waking?
Do you wake up in the morning with a stiff or sore lower back? But then it eases as you get moving? Have you wondered what might be causing this issue and whether you should see treatment for this? Well today we are going to answer all your questions and hopefully help you!
2 consideration when looking at stiff/sore low back on waking
There can be a number of reasons that can be contributing to your sore low back in the morning. We will go through both these areas in this post:
- Lifestyle factors may be playing a part
- What criteria you should use to assess whether your low back discomfort should be assessed by a health professional
1. Lifestyle factors
It’s important to look at your daily life postures and activities that can contribute to a stiff/sore low back on waking:
- How good is your mattress? The lifespan of a good quality mattress is 7 years. How old is your mattress?
- What is your sleeping posture like? Do you sleep on your stomach?
- Are you spending longer than 7-8 hrs in bed?
- When sitting on the couch watching television, do you find yourself slumping? Do you go straight from the couch to bed of an evening?
- On average, how many hours are a day are you sitting at the desk in front of the computer?
- How much regular stretching of your back are your getting into your day?\
- Spinal alignment? Is your spine in need of an assessment from a health professional? Areas of your spine that aren’t aligned optimally will contribute greatly to a stiff and sore low back in the morning.
Adding to this list is the question around the presence of arthritis in your lower back, as this will increase the likelihood of a stiff/sore low back on waking. Professional help may be required here to assess if any thing can be done and what specific exercises and stretches would be appropriate for you.
All of these factors listed will contribute to a stiff and sore lower back, especially in the morning when you have been immobile for a period of time.
The reason that you may find you lower back stiffness easing as you get moving in the morning is because the movement receptors (mechanoreceptors) in the low back joints fire up and dull down the pain receptors (nociceptors). The problem still remains as you wake up in the next morning again with low back stiffness or soreness.
It is not normal to wake up with a stiff and sore low back.
2. When should you seek professional help
If you are waking regularly with a sore low back even after you have made changes to your daily routine then its advisable to get your spine assessed by a professional.
A spine that is optimally aligned and functioning well, will allow the challenges of daily life to be better tolerated and fully optimised. Better spinal health will often help to improve pain and stiffness in the low back.
If you would like any further information or would to know how chiropractic can help you wake up with ease in the morning then please contact us.
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Here are a couple of useful tips for you to help reduce the strain on your low back in the day. The Australian Chiropractic Association has an app called Straighten Up Australia. Click here for some more information on it – and it’s free. This next link is to a short few minute stretch routine with a local yoga instructor from Yoga Flame, click here.
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