Repetitive Stress Back Pain

Repetitive stress back pain is common for people that work very physical jobs. Repetitive motion can occur with almost any type of work, but is usually more severe with jobs involving manual labor. The cause of the pain can vary and the severity can range from minor to debilitating.

What is Repetitive Stress Back Pain?

This condition is created when we perform a given motion over and over again throughout our day. This repeated motion might involve the back muscles directly, such as bending or lifting. The motion might also involve the back muscles in a less obvious role. Walking, running, reaching, and sitting are perfect examples of less obvious back muscle involvement.

The amount of pain will often be determined by the destructive potential of the activity. Repetitive sitting should not cause anything worse than minor muscle pain, unless there is another underlying cause, such as a herniated disc in the lumbar spine. On the other hand, lifting lumber in a construction yard exhausts muscles and degenerates discs and vertebrae quickly. This hard manual labor can cause severe back pain, especially if the back muscles are in poor condition to begin with.

Muscular Repetitive Stress Back Pain

Muscular pain is the most common form of repetitive motion pain. Muscles fatigue and begin to build up lactic acid. Lactic acid makes muscles feel sore and tired. Oxygen deprivation back pain is another common effect of repetitive motion. The muscles are working beyond the body's ability to oxygenate them. Oxygen deprivation can cause chronic pain at low levels, or super acute flare ups of muscular back spasm at high levels.

Degenerative Conditions

Hard labor will often wear down spinal bones and discs at an accelerated rate. If this is your type of work, then there is very little you can do to prevent it. The best strategy is to stay healthy and build up strong muscles to help support your back. Degenerative disc disease, spinal arthritis, degenerative spondylolisthesis, facet syndrome, and herniated discs can all be created through repetitive stress and motion. Know your limits and try not to push your body too hard.

Recommendation for Repetitive Stress Back Pain

Take time to rest during the day. Try to break up your activity as much as possible. Do a little of one type of work, followed by a different kind of motion. Make sure to stay hydrated and stretch out before doing any hard labor. If you are in a static position all day, such as sitting, take time to change your position every hour. If you normally do your work with your right hand, try switching off to your left every hour or so. You might be clumsy at first, but you will get the hang of it in no time.

Repetitive Stress Back Pain to Lower Back Pain Home page 8/18/06 Revised 5/14/08