In a world where we spend hours hunched over desks, craning our necks to look at screens, and carrying the weight of our responsibilities on our backs, it’s no wonder that back pain has become an all-too-familiar companion for many.
Back pain can strike anyone, regardless of age, occupation, or lifestyle, causing discomfort, limiting mobility, and impacting overall quality of life.
Pamela Mahlangu from Nelspruit shares how her back pain started suddenly around September 2023 and how she has since experienced it at least twice per week.
“The back pain I experience feels like tiredness from an activity that requires back use, except I don’t do anything intense that could cause it. I can’t sleep in certain positions because of it or sit in certain postures.”
Pamela Mahlangu
“I haven’t noticed something in particular that makes the pain worse. It’s just the same pain on the same level. I try to drink pain relief to manage it, or I just let it be, depending on how bearable it is,” she says.
For Simphiwe Dlamini from the East Rand in Gauteng, dealing with back pain since 2022 has not been easy to endure, however, she has found a means of managing it when it arises.
“I experience lower abdominal back pain from time to time. The pain feels a bit sharp, especially when sitting down. I experience it 60% of the time, and the pain tends to get worse as soon as I feel cold or if the air conditioning temperature is too low. Stress sometimes also contributes to my back pain, as does sitting for long periods. Planks, however, usually help manage it, as well as lying flat on the bed with no pillow,” she says.
According to Lucky Mahlangu, a physiotherapist based in Centurion, Gauteng, the most common causes of back pain include lifting heavy stuff improperly, bad ergonomics, a lack of stretching after exercises, old age, and a lack of dissociation of the spine.
“There are also conditions linked to back pain, such as obesity, osteoarthritis, renal problems, scoliosis, disk herniation, nerve route compression, and postural pain syndrome,” he says.
Prevention is better
Back pain has become a common enemy that has the highest prevalence globally among musculoskeletal conditions and is the leading cause of disability worldwide. Not forgetting that the human back is a very important network of bones, muscles, nerves, and ligaments, serving as the foundation of our body and providing stability, support, and flexibility.
Advising on what people should take note of to try and prevent severe back pain issues later in life, Mahlangu underlines that:
- People should exercise correctly and stay active while they’re young.
- Make a habit of stretching after every exercise session to prevent further complications.
- Recovery periods in between sessions of exercise are vital in preventing back pain.
- Be concerned about your health and consult about every small issue.
- Avoid being stressed, as stress can also cause back issues and pain.
- Avoid taking over-the-counter pain medication without consulting a doctor or physiotherapist first, as you are treating the symptoms, not the actual cause of the pain.
Additionally, he highlights that home treatments for back pain include back exercises, stretching, applying heat (using a hot water bottle) only if the pain is old, and applying ice if the pain just started.
“Back pain is so common that most people take it for granted. Also, I would like to highlight that taking over-the-counter medication without consulting first is the biggest mistake a lot of people make, as they’re numbing the pain and not treating the cause. It’s very easy to confuse renal problems with lower back pain, and people end up treating their back pain only to find out that they have renal issues down the line,” he adds.
“So it’s best to consult a doctor or physiotherapist immediately when the pain starts, as it prevents further complications.”
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