Causes For Lower Back Pain - On a daily basis, you walk more than any other physical activity. How you walk defines most everything about you, including predisposition to pain, athletic prowess, and health with respect to aging. Most people have something in their style of walking; i.e. an extreme foot turn-out, locked knees, a weak abdomen, that elicits imbalance in their body. The way you walk is in fact the actual culprit in why you have pain.
Causes for lower back painCauses For Lower Back Pain - Your walk involves several body parts, all interacting together to produce your style of head carriage, shoulder girdle, arm swing, hip movement, knee action, and the way you plant your foot. It’s as natural as breathing, and if any of your six (two ankles, two knees, two hips) weight bearing joints is just the tiniest bit askew, or crooked, you’re at risk for structural pain. Realize that one minor walking error repeated millions of times can do an incredible amount of damage to your muscles, nerves, and joints, eventually causing incredible pain. For your information, the average adult takes approximately 2500 steps per day per foot! That’s a lot of chances to either strengthen a joint and the muscles around it or wear them down!
A poor walking pattern can give rise to a host of problems affecting the spine and hips. Walking is an activity that comes so naturally that few ever give much thought to it. But a poor walking gait - due to injury, disease or poor habits - can throw the whole body out of balance. This could give rise to numerous problems affecting the back and hips.
Causes for lower back painWomen who wear high heels, for instance, are at risk of such problems. Wearing high heels places more stress on the forefoot and shortens the calf muscle.
The woman will also tend to arch her lower back, thereby increasing the natural ‘S’ shape of the spine. This makes it less effective at absorbing shock from the ground when walking, said Mr Paul Richards, a physiotherapist at Tan Tock Seng Hospital (TTSH). This is why some women suffer lower back pain after prolonged wearing of high heels.
The gait, or the pattern of movement of the limbs, is a repetitive motion cycle in which one leg gives the body support while the other swings forward and makes contact with the ground. The ideal gait is one which enables the body to move smoothly using the least amount of energy, said Ms Malia Ho, a podiatrist at Novena Medical Centre. This requires the cooperation of the whole body. Mr Richards said: ‘If one part of the body is not functioning properly, particularly in the lower limb area, the whole body can be thrown out of alignment.’
If left untreated, a misaligned gait can lead to aches and pains in the musculoskeletal system. A poor gait can result in an increased risk of injury, falls and a degenerative joint disease called osteoarthritis.
Chronic gait problems can also accelerate the degeneration of the spinal disc and cause arthritis in the spine, said Dr Tan Jee Lim, an orthopaedic surgeon at Gleneagles Medical Centre.
Causes for lower back painMs Melissa Phua, a senior podiatrist at TTSH, said: ‘The worst thing that can happen is when a poor gait causes injury and severe pain.’ Over time, ‘a poor gait increases energy expenditure and increases oxygen demand, which might reduce the person’s tolerance to activity’, said Mr Anirban Banerjee, a physiotherapist at National University Hospital.
Anyone who has ever had a stiff knee would understand how exhausting an abnormal gait can be. One has to swing the stiff knee outwards to clear the ground whereas a normal person would simply bend the knee, said Dr Tan.
Such swinging of the leg outwards requires an abnormal movement of the hip and spine which, on a prolonged basis, would give rise to hip and spine problems, he said. People with bow legs, knock knees and musculoskeletal trauma like broken bones are more likely to have a poor gait. Stroke patients who lose their ability to move their limbs also tend to have poor walking patterns.
Physiotherapists or podiatrists can help to improve their motion through physical therapy.
Causes for lower back painFlat feet can also be a risk factor for an abnormal walking gait. This is because the problem can affect the alignment of the feet and the way the knees move when a person walks, said Dr Jason Chia, head of the sports medicine and surgery clinic at TTSH.
Depending on the root cause of the poor gait, treatment may vary from strengthening exercises to assistive devices, such as those worn by people with flat feet to correct their arches and therefore their gait.
Common signs of a poor gait are pain or aches in certain joints during or after walking. ‘You may also feel that your foot, knee or hip is not moving in the way that it should,’ said Mr Robert Ashton, a podiatrist at a podiatry center in Forum The Shopping Mall.
The soles of one’s footwear could give clues about one’s gait. If the sole of one shoe is wearing out more than the other, it may point to an imbalance in the pressure exerted by the two feet, Mr Ashton said.
Causes For Lower Back Pain - It is important to keep one’s body in a well-conditioned state. This includes no slouching when walking, said Ms Phua. Mr Richards said regular stretches and exercises, like squats, can help to correct poor posture and muscle imbalances. ‘For older people, it may be helpful to do some simple simple balance training,’ he added.
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