Table of ContentsView AllTable of ContentsSensationCausesUpper Back PainBest Sitting PositionHome RemediesStretches and ExercisesTreatment OptionsWhen to Contact a Healthcare Provider
Table of ContentsView All
View All
Table of Contents
Sensation
Causes
Upper Back Pain
Best Sitting Position
Home Remedies
Stretches and Exercises
Treatment Options
When to Contact a Healthcare Provider
This article explores possible causes to help readers find relief and know when to contact a healthcare provider.
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An estimated 75-85% of Americans experience some form of back pain during their life.
Lower Back Pain: What Causes Symptoms in Lumbar Spine
What Does Lower Back Pain When Sitting Feel Like?
Lower back pain while sitting can feel like a sharp, searing, dull ache, burning sensation, or a combination. It can be constant or intermittent (i.e., it comes and goes), or it can be related to specific activities such as lifting, bending, or sitting.
Lower back pain can be:
Emotional PainExperiencing chronic lower back can contribute to or worsen a mental health condition like depression, anxiety, or substance use disorder.
Emotional Pain
Experiencing chronic lower back can contribute to or worsen a mental health condition like depression, anxiety, or substance use disorder.
Lower Right Back Pain: Causes and Treatment
What Causes Lower Back Pain When Sitting?
Causes can be specific or non-specific. Examples of specific lower back include pain due to underlying medical conditions orstructural differences in the spine. In non-specific lower back pain cases, there’s no obvious cause. This type of lower back pain is much more prevalent, making up around 90% of cases.
Posture
Slouching while sitting affects the lumbar and cervical (neck) spinal curves and overstretches spinal ligaments, straining the spinal discs. This can lead to spine bone (vertebrae) misalignment and lower back pain. Good posture helps prevent back pain.
The 6 Best Posture Correctors, Tested and Reviewed
Obesity
The Meaning of Overweight vs. Obesity
Herniated Disc
The discs between vertebrae in the spine act as cushions. A tear, rupture, or injury to the cushion causes disc fragmentation.This leads the inner disc (nucleus) to push through the pillow case or annulus, pressing on spinal nerves and causing potentially severe pain.
What Is a Herniated Disc?
Muscle Strain
Lower back muscle strains happen when the muscle fibers are overstretched or torn during moving, twisting, and bending. Pain from muscle strain can be deliberating.
The Difference Between a Sprain and a Strain
Degenerative Disc Disease
Degenerative disc diseaserefers to disc deterioration that occurs with aging. Spinal discs can wear away entirely over time, providing no support and causing pain ranging from mild to severe to debilitating.
What Is Degenerative Disc Disease?
Sciatica
The sciatic nerve runs from the lower back down each leg. Injury or pressure on the sciatic nerve causes lower back pain and weakness, numbness, or tingling in the associated leg. Pain severity varies from dull ache to burning sensation and can be disabling.
Sciatica Exercises to Avoid
Spinal Stenosis
What Are the Spinal Stenosis Treatment Options?
Spondylolisthesis
Spondylolisthesishappens when one vertebrae slips forward and over the bone below it. The bone presses on the spinal cord or nerves, causing pain and weakness. It can happen in the lower or upper back.
What Is Spondylolisthesis?
Other Medical Conditions
Other medical conditions can also cause lower back pain. These include:
Why Does My Back Hurt When Lying Down?
Upper Back Pain When Sitting
Upper back pain when sitting can also occur for many of the same reasons as lower back pain. These overlapping reasons include but are not limited to slouching while sitting, obesity, degenerative disc disease, muscle strains, and spondylolisthesis.
The Best Sitting Position for Lower Back Pain
Here are some expert tips to ensure the best sitting position for lower back pain:
How to Improve Your Upright Sitting Posture
Home Remedies for Lower Back Pain When Sitting
Home remedies for lower back pain when sitting include:
If you sit for prolonged periods of time, experts recommend standing, stretching, and walking at least a minute or two every half hour.
10 Things to Stop Doing If You Have Low Back Pain
Stretches and Exercises for Lower Back Pain
The following are stretches and exercises that can help alleviate lower back pain:
The Bird Dog
Bird dog is a bodyweight exercise that engages and strengthens the core and lower back muscles.It involves being on all fours in tabletop position then slowly lifting and straightening one arm along with the opposite leg, holding, and repeating on the other side.
The Plank
The plank is another exercise that targets core muscles. It involves balancing on toes and forearms or palms while holding the rest of the body off the ground and maintaining a neutral spine. Planking helps improve posture.
The Arch
Foot health and lower back pain are interconnected.Foot arch exercises can strengthen foot muscles. Stand with feet directly under hips and toes gripping the floor. Roll weight to outer edges of feet, lifting arches while keeping toes on floor, and release foot back down.
Reps and SetsWhen it comes to reps and sets, the National Strength and Conditioning Association recommends:Strength-building (1–6 reps)Muscle growth (6–12 reps)Endurance (more than 15)
Reps and Sets
When it comes to reps and sets, the National Strength and Conditioning Association recommends:Strength-building (1–6 reps)Muscle growth (6–12 reps)Endurance (more than 15)
When it comes to reps and sets, the National Strength and Conditioning Association recommends:
Treatment Options for Lower Back Pain
Treatment options for specific lower back pain will focus on treating the underlying condition. For non-specific pain, treatment options include:
Pain-relievers should not be the first treatment. Medications used for lower back pain relief should be combined with other treatment options.
Causes and Treatment of Low Back Stiffness
Most cases of lower back pain are temporary and will resolve on their own. Contact a healthcare provider in the following situations:
The 8 Best Seat Cushions to Alleviate Lower Back Pain
Summary
18 SourcesVerywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.World Health Organization.Low back pain.American Association of Neurological Surgeons.Low back pain.American Psychiatry Association.Chronic pain and mental health are often interconnected.Harvard Health.4 ways to turn good posture into less back pain.National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases.Back pain.Sheng B, Feng C, Zhang D, Spitler H, Shi L.Associations between obesity and spinal diseases: A medical expenditure panel study analysis.International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health. 2017;14(2):183. doi:10.3390/ijerph14020183American Association of Neurological Surgeons.Herniated disc.Arthritis Foundation.Degenerative disc disease.Penn Medicine.Sciatica.National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases.Spinal stenosis.OHSU Spine Center.Spondylolisthesis.UCLA Health.Ergonomics for prolonged sitting: Back pain when sitting.UC Davis Health.8 tips to ease your back pain.Dafkou K, Kellis E, Ellinoudis A, Sahinis C.Lumbar multifidus muscle thickness during graded quadruped and prone exercises.Int J Exerc Sci. 2021;14(7):101-112.Szafraniec R, Barańska J, Kuczyński M.Acute effects of core stability exercises on balance control.Acta Bioeng Biomech. 2018;20(4):145-151.Washington Foot and Ankle Sports Medicine.The link between your feet and lower back pain.National Strength and Conditioning Association.Basics of strength and conditioning manual.American Association of Neurological Surgeons.Low back pain.
18 Sources
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.World Health Organization.Low back pain.American Association of Neurological Surgeons.Low back pain.American Psychiatry Association.Chronic pain and mental health are often interconnected.Harvard Health.4 ways to turn good posture into less back pain.National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases.Back pain.Sheng B, Feng C, Zhang D, Spitler H, Shi L.Associations between obesity and spinal diseases: A medical expenditure panel study analysis.International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health. 2017;14(2):183. doi:10.3390/ijerph14020183American Association of Neurological Surgeons.Herniated disc.Arthritis Foundation.Degenerative disc disease.Penn Medicine.Sciatica.National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases.Spinal stenosis.OHSU Spine Center.Spondylolisthesis.UCLA Health.Ergonomics for prolonged sitting: Back pain when sitting.UC Davis Health.8 tips to ease your back pain.Dafkou K, Kellis E, Ellinoudis A, Sahinis C.Lumbar multifidus muscle thickness during graded quadruped and prone exercises.Int J Exerc Sci. 2021;14(7):101-112.Szafraniec R, Barańska J, Kuczyński M.Acute effects of core stability exercises on balance control.Acta Bioeng Biomech. 2018;20(4):145-151.Washington Foot and Ankle Sports Medicine.The link between your feet and lower back pain.National Strength and Conditioning Association.Basics of strength and conditioning manual.American Association of Neurological Surgeons.Low back pain.
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.
World Health Organization.Low back pain.American Association of Neurological Surgeons.Low back pain.American Psychiatry Association.Chronic pain and mental health are often interconnected.Harvard Health.4 ways to turn good posture into less back pain.National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases.Back pain.Sheng B, Feng C, Zhang D, Spitler H, Shi L.Associations between obesity and spinal diseases: A medical expenditure panel study analysis.International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health. 2017;14(2):183. doi:10.3390/ijerph14020183American Association of Neurological Surgeons.Herniated disc.Arthritis Foundation.Degenerative disc disease.Penn Medicine.Sciatica.National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases.Spinal stenosis.OHSU Spine Center.Spondylolisthesis.UCLA Health.Ergonomics for prolonged sitting: Back pain when sitting.UC Davis Health.8 tips to ease your back pain.Dafkou K, Kellis E, Ellinoudis A, Sahinis C.Lumbar multifidus muscle thickness during graded quadruped and prone exercises.Int J Exerc Sci. 2021;14(7):101-112.Szafraniec R, Barańska J, Kuczyński M.Acute effects of core stability exercises on balance control.Acta Bioeng Biomech. 2018;20(4):145-151.Washington Foot and Ankle Sports Medicine.The link between your feet and lower back pain.National Strength and Conditioning Association.Basics of strength and conditioning manual.American Association of Neurological Surgeons.Low back pain.
World Health Organization.Low back pain.
American Association of Neurological Surgeons.Low back pain.
American Psychiatry Association.Chronic pain and mental health are often interconnected.
Harvard Health.4 ways to turn good posture into less back pain.
National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases.Back pain.
Sheng B, Feng C, Zhang D, Spitler H, Shi L.Associations between obesity and spinal diseases: A medical expenditure panel study analysis.International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health. 2017;14(2):183. doi:10.3390/ijerph14020183
American Association of Neurological Surgeons.Herniated disc.
Arthritis Foundation.Degenerative disc disease.
Penn Medicine.Sciatica.
National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases.Spinal stenosis.
OHSU Spine Center.Spondylolisthesis.
UCLA Health.Ergonomics for prolonged sitting: Back pain when sitting.
UC Davis Health.8 tips to ease your back pain.
Dafkou K, Kellis E, Ellinoudis A, Sahinis C.Lumbar multifidus muscle thickness during graded quadruped and prone exercises.Int J Exerc Sci. 2021;14(7):101-112.
Szafraniec R, Barańska J, Kuczyński M.Acute effects of core stability exercises on balance control.Acta Bioeng Biomech. 2018;20(4):145-151.
Washington Foot and Ankle Sports Medicine.The link between your feet and lower back pain.
National Strength and Conditioning Association.Basics of strength and conditioning manual.
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