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Low Back Pain when Bending Over Sink to Wash Hair: Solutions
Have you found that while washing your hair over the sink, you must repeatedly straighten to relieve the pain in your low back?
Certain exercises will make the situation more tolerable.
For the people who experience this problem, the obvious solution of washing one’s hair in the shower isn’t always appealing.
So let’s put that obvious solution aside and focus on how to prevent or minimize low back pain when bending over the sink to wash one’s hair.
The “pain” is more like an aching or soreness, but if it’s accompanied by tingling or shooting-type pains that stop you dead in your tracks, you should see a doctor.
Otherwise, low back ache when sustaining the bent-over position to wash one’s hair in the sink is actually very normal.
It arises because the low back (lumbar muscles) is called on to perform a function that it is not designed to do: carry a load.
The lumbar or erector spinae muscles are small in structure and designed for stabilizing the spine.
This is why they hurt when they are forced to carry a load. They are NOT designed for force production.
Though maintaining a bent-over position over the sink may not sound like force production or carrying a load, the erector spinae muscles would beg to differ.
This position puts a strain on them, causing them to absorb forces beyond what they were intended to.
As you maintain the bent-over position, the length of your torso, combined with your head, acts as a resistance “arm” to the pivot point or fulcrum, which is your low back.
People with long torsos, relative to the length of their legs (regardless of overall body height) will tend to feel more aching in their low back while bent over the sink.
If you’re really tall, however, you’ll be forced to bend over more, which will make things even more uncomfortable.
Is there a solution to this problem other than washing one’s hair in the shower?
The stronger and more durable your core is, the less aching you’ll feel while sustaining the trunk flexion.
However, being able to deadlift 275 x 5 will not do a whole lot to make the sustained spinal flexion more comfortable.
Nevertheless, as a former personal trainer, I do recommend incorporating deadlifts into your fitness plan to help. They need not be heavy, just consistent.
Deadlift. Shutterstock/Everyonephoto Studio
A big brute who deadlifts 415 can hurt in the lower back while washing his hair just as much as a little aerobics instructor who deadlifts only 60 pounds.
You need an overall core regimen, one in which duration is part of the plan, not just brief lifts of heavy weight.
I deadlift 245 for reps yet must briefly straighten out a few times while washing my hair – though I do take time to lather up and rinse two or three times, then add a conditioner and rinse that as well.
If you take up yoga, which involves sustained core-recruiting positions, this will help tremendously.
Yoga. Shutterstock/fizkes
I do yoga moves in between some strength training sets, but an entire yoga class will be much better.
Four Exercises to Reduce Low Back Pain when Bending Over the Sink to Wash Hair
I don’t do barbell bent-over rows, but as a former personal trainer, I’d have to say that making these a part of your exercise regimen will help make your lumbar region more tolerant to sustained flexion. Do 12-15 reps.
Bent-over barbell row. Shutterstock/Catalin Petolea
Another exercise that may help blunt the aching is the “good-morning.” Start out with the lightest barbell possible (many gyms have 20 lb. bars, and even five pounders) and do 12 to 15 reps.
Third, you may want to try back extensions using back extension apparatus. Do not hyperextend your back.
Go only as high as making your entire body in a straight line. Going slightly past this is okay, but don’t overextend. Do 15 to 20 reps.
“One of the easiest things to do is to engage the lower core stabilizers,” says Dr. Tom Carpenter, corrective exercise specialist, certified personal trainer and chiropractor.
“Imagine a spot one inch below the navel and pull it towards the spine. Practice holding this isometric contraction while breathing normally.
“This engages the abdominal core stabilizers and protects the lower back when bending forward.”
For all first three exercises, increase resistance over time as 20 reps become easy. For the back extensions, hold a plate or dumbbell to your chest.
Despite developing a strong and durable core, you may still experience back discomfort or aching while bending over to wash your hair in the sink.
This is because, as mentioned, the erector spinae muscles were not designed to sustain resistance in this position.
Photo credit: Aleesia Forni
Based upon 30+ years of experience, Dr. Carpenter’s practice approach reflects his belief that restoring optimum health and function will enable his patients to enjoy a much greater amount of vitality and wellness. Chiropractic care is true health care, not sick care!
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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Top image: Freepik.com, jcomp
How Common Is Back Pain from Lung Cancer?
You may already know that lung cancer can cause back pain, but just how often or common is this?
After all, back pain is one of the leading reasons for visits to primary care physicians and is America’s No. 1 nonfatal health problem. (more…)
Can Cancer Cause Middle Back Pain?
Pain in the middle back can be more worrisome than the lower area, since this isn’t the most common area of back pain.
Cancer as a cause of mid back pain certainly impedes upon the minds of people who suffer from cancer anxiety.
“A variety of disorders can contribute damage of intervertebral disks, vertebrae, ligaments, neural structures, muscles and fascia leading to middle back pain,” says Ioannis Psallidas, MD, PhD, Honorary Consultant Respiratory Physician, Oxford Centre for Respiratory Medicine, Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, who has a focus in thoracic oncology.
“Although most patients with middle back pain have a benign condition, serious, destructive diseases (for example cancer) are uncommon causes of back pain,” continues Dr. Psallidas.
“Back pain is the presenting symptom in 90% of patients with spinal tumors, and the spine is also one of the most common sites of metastasis: About 20,000 cases arise each year1.
“In a study published by Brihaye and colleagues, 1,477 cases of spinal metastases were reviewed and found that 16.5% arose from primary tumors in the breast, 15.6% from the lung, 9.2% from the prostate and 6.5% from the kidney2.”
In addition, ovarian cancer has the potential to cause pain in the middle back.
The take-home message is that if you begin having back pain, you should not lose sleep over the worry that it could be cancer.
The No. 1 cause of back pain is a combination of poor biomechanics and insufficiently trained muscles.
Shutterstock/Thaninee Chuensomchit
In other words, an average person incorrectly lifting a heavy box off the floor. This is a setup for a back strain or injury, which may not be felt right away.
Back Pain from Cancer
“Rarely, it may be the first manifestation of cancer,” says a paper in the Journal of General Internal Medicine (Deyo et al, May 1988).
The study authors point out that out of 1,975 walk-in patients at a clinic, only 13 were found to have cancer as a cause of their back pain.
Certain findings correlate to this, but these findings certainly don’t automatically mean cancer:
• At least 50 years of age
• Previous history of cancer
• Pain lasting longer than a month
• No improvement with conservative therapy
What’s scary is that the paper says that metastatic cancer, when causing back pain, may not always cause other symptoms.
When cancer causes back pain, it’s more frequently in the lower region. Thus, pain specifically in the middle back, from this disease, would be even rarer.
Quite simply, pain in the back, be it low, middle or upper, has MANY causes including inflammatory bowel disease, irritable bowel syndrome, gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), fibromyalgia, aortic disease, imminent heart attack, premenstrual syndrome, benign ovarian cysts and overdoing it in a yoga class.
Dr. Psallidas is the main author of many peer-reviewed publications and book chapters in pleural disease and lung cancer.
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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Top image: Freepik/gpointstudio
Sources
-Gilbert RW, Kim JH, Posner JB. Epidural spinal cord compression from metastatic tumor: diagnosis and treatment. Ann Neurol 1978; 3:40–51.
-Brihaye J, Ectors P, Lemort M, Van Houtte P. The management of spinal epidural metastases. Adv -Tech Stand Neurosurg 1988; 16:121–176.
springer.com/article/10.1007/BF02596337Can middle back pain be caused by cancer?
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What are the hallmark features that would point towards skin cancer vs. a chalazion cyst if you have a bump under the eyelid?
Many people quickly think of cancer when they discover a “bump” somewhere on their body, and beneath the eyelid is no exception. (more…)
Can Crohn’s Disease Be Accurately Diagnosed with Only a CT Scan?
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Why Is My Baby’s Eye Crusted Shut Every Morning?
Are your baby’s eyes or even just one of them crusted shut every morning?
Here is what’s causing this and what you can do about it.
“In the first few months, a parent may note one [baby’s] eye crusted shut in the morning without any redness,” says Dr. Lisa Lewis, MD, a board certified pediatrician in Fort Worth, Texas, and author of “Feed the Baby Hummus, Pediatrician-Backed Secrets from Cultures Around the World.” (more…)
TMJ Disorder Doesn’t Always Cause Jaw Symptoms
It’s a myth that TMJ disorder can’t cause symptoms that are unrelated to the jaw, chewing and biting.
Fact is, temporomandibular joint disorder can cause a whole host of symptoms — several that you’d never even think were connected to a mandibular problem. (more…)
Can Tinnitus Be the Only Symptom of TMJ Disorder?
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Can Tingling in the Face Be Caused by TMJ Disorder?
It’s understandable that you’re hoping the tingling in your face is being caused by TMJ disorder, since multiple sclerosis can also cause this symptom.
Certainly temporomandibular joint disorder is much more preferable to having multiple sclerosis.
The so-called “TMJ” is often successfully treated with a custom-fitting mouthpiece.
“Any impingement on the craniofacial nerves of the head and neck can cause dysfunction of facial musculature,” says Jeffrey Haddad, DDS, of Doolin Haddad Advanced Dentistry in Rochester, MI.
“Tingling on the top of the head, on the face and down the neck are many symptoms I have seen in the TMJ patients I treat,” continues Dr. Haddad.
“This ‘tingling’ is a very subjective description, so others may refer to it as ‘tension or tightness, but nevertheless, it is the result of a poor jaw posture and TMJ disorder.
“However, the majority of these patients are also experiencing other head and neck symptoms and have the signs of a TMJ disorder.”
Those other symptoms may include a headache, ear pain or pain near the ear, issues with chewing and opening the mouth and even snoring.
How to Find Out if Tingling in the Face Is Caused by TMJ Disorder
“In order to assess if the ‘tingling’ is related to a TMJ situation, a thorough exam of the head and neck is necessary,” says Dr. Haddad.
“Using digitalized bite analysis, we can determine if the person has an unstable bite or any prematurities causing a poor jaw position.
“We also utilize computerized technology that measures the muscular activity of the four main facial muscle groups.
“If there is tension in certain muscles where the patient is experiencing the tingling, this is usually confirmation that it is a muscular issue caused by poor jaw posture.
“Despite our findings, a 3D cone beam CT is taken on all TMJ patients and sent out to be read by a radiologist to rule out any suspicious lesions or abnormalities that could be causing that ‘tingling sensation.”
Dr. Haddad lectures nationally on cosmetic dentistry, TMJ disorders and practice marketing, and utilizes the latest technology to ensure the utmost in patient comfort and care.
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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