If you’re fed up with morning back pain, a chiropractor explains the causes and how to treat this problem.
“When low back pain predominantly begins in the morning, the source is often from arthritic facet joints and degenerative changes,” begins Dr. Jeff Langmaid, DC, Founder/owner of The Evidence Based Chiropractor, LLC, in Florida, a research-based marketing and practice growth company that serves thousands of chiropractors across the world.
“Often, patients will tell their health care provider that it takes them a while to ‘get their engine going,’ or sometimes it takes a few minutes before they are able to stand up without fear of a painful episode.
“Others will say that they have to take a hot shower before ‘things loosen up’ enough to get moving throughout the day.”
Cause of Morning Back Pain Explained in Detail
Dr. Langmaid says, “When we go to sleep at night, the capsules around the facet joints of our spine essentially shrink because we don’t move as much at nighttime as we do during the day.
“When we wake up in the morning, it can take a little bit of time to get the blood pumping to the surrounding muscles and tissues to lubricate those facet joints.
“This is the same for any degenerative spine condition that creates stiffness or pain that predominantly takes place in the morning.
“As we go through our normal ranges of motion, it pumps blood to the area and creates a more dynamic environment as we get our day started.”
Solutions
“Common solutions are to take a hot shower, which will increase the blood flow to the area and can loosen up that tissue as you start your day,” says Dr. Langmaid.
“Some of the other things that can be extremely helpful are going through a stretching routine that is approved by your health care practitioner.
“One thing that I think has been of great value to some of the patients I have had in the past is to perform a stretching routine before you go to sleep at night.
“Many people report waking up with less pain, stiffness and dysfunction when they’re able to do some stretching before they go to sleep at night and when they wake up in the morning.”
Jeff Langmaid, DC
Lorra Garrick has been covering medical, fitness and cybersecurity topics for many years, having written thousands of articles for print magazines and websites, including as a ghostwriter. She’s also a former ACE-certified personal trainer.
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