Severe Lower Back Pain When Sitting Or Bending
Lower back pain may occur while sitting or standing for a prolonged period of time. Pain may also occur when there is active spinal movement, such as attempting to stand up and/or bend down.
While in most cases the underlying cause of the pain can be identified, sometimes back pain may be non-specific with no identifiable cause.1
Here are a few possible causes for severe low back pain in such situations.
On The Front With A Pillow Under The Stomach
This is generally considered the least healthy sleeping position but for people who struggle to sleep any other way, placing a slim pillow beneath the stomach and hips can help improve spinal alignment.
Also, sleeping on the front may actually benefit anyone with a herniated disk or degenerative disk disease.
To get comfortable in this position:
Diagnosing Cause Of Back Pain
Living with back pain can be very difficult. Walking can be hard, sleeping might be disrupted, exercise can be painful, and your work can be affected by back pain.
To diagnose the cause of your back pain you will need to see a healthcare provider.
The most common causes of back pain are:
- Muscle sprain/strain
- Infection
Also Check: Back Pain Cleveland Clinic
Your Pain Extends To Other Body Parts
If you’re experiencing severe back pain that is coupled with pain in other areas such as shooting pain down your leg then you should see a doctor. This could be a sign that you have sciatica, a form of pain that affects the sciatic nerve, which runs from the lower back and through the buttocks before branching down each leg. This condition usually results from a herniated disk. A doctor will be able to offer a variety of ways that you can relieve this pain.
What Is A Back Spasm
A back spasm is an involuntary contraction of the back muscles. Moving in a certain way may trigger a back spasm. More often than not, spasms happen because of muscle weakness, overuse, or injury.
Chronic back spasms may be the result of an underlying condition. If muscle spasms are particularly severe, they may stem from nerve irritation or damage.
You May Like: Aleve Or Advil For Back Pain
Change Up Your Sleep Position Or Mattress
Switching to a more supportive sleep position can reduce lower back pain. Also consider how you can use pillows or invest in a new mattress to support better spinal alignment and relieve lower back pain.
Research suggests medium firm mattresses are the best mattresses for back pain. In one study of people with low back pain, those who slept on medium firm mattresses reported lower pain scores both during sleep and upon getting up in the morning.
The Spine Supports The Body
Back pain comes from the tissues around the spine. The spinal column is the structure that supports the body and is made of bones called vertebrae. There are dozens of vertebrae that lead from the neck down into the lower back or lumbar region. Cushioning pads between the vertebrae called intervertebral discs act like shock-absorbers and prevent the vertebrae from grinding. The vertebrae are held together by ligaments, and muscles are attached to the spine by tendons. The spinal column is not solid bone the spine is like a sturdy, segmented tube. The open space within the spine protects the spinal cord. The spinal cord runs from the brain down into the base of the spine and is made of the many nerves the body needs to transmit electrical signals that let us feel and move. Nerves come out of the spine at various places to transmit signals to and from different parts of the body to the brain. Strain or injury to any part of the spine can result in back pain.
Also Check: Is Aleve Good For Lower Back Pain
Alternate Sides If Youre A Side Sleeper
Some evidence suggests that habitually sleeping on one side on an ill-fitting mattress may contribute to muscle imbalance and pain. Always sleeping on the same side suspends the middle of your body between your hips and shoulders, the broadest parts of the trunk. Place a pillow between your knees as shown below to keep hips, pelvis and spine aligned.
Back Of The Neck And Neck Pain
If you experience pain on the back of your neck or your neck in general, it could be one of four things. Here are the four possible reasons for this type of headache:
- Bad posture. This first reason is pretty self-explanatory. If you have a bad posture, this will create tension in your neck, shoulders, and back, which can cause a headache.
- Arthritis. If you have an inflammation in your neck and the inflammation swells, you probably have an arthritis headache. This will cause pain and tension in the neck and head.
Also, if you have arthritis, you probably will suffer from arthritis headaches more often. The two most common arthritis types are osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis.
- Occipital Neuralgia. This is a condition that can happen if nerves from the scalp and spinal cord are damaged. If you get this type of headache, you might mistake it for migraine. The pain from occipital neuralgia is sharp, and youâll feel pain at the base of your neck and your head.
You can tell you have this type of headache if you have any of the following symptoms. Light sensitivity, tender scalp, pain behind the eyes, neck pain, or a sharp feeling behind your neck and head.
- Herniated disks. Herniated disks can cause a painful and tense neck. If you have that, you could have a cervicogenic headache. This kind of headache can get worse when you lie down. If you have this headache, youâll feel some pressure, just like weight, on the top of your head.
Read Also: Aleve For Lower Back Pain
Why Your Pain Worsens While Lying Or Sitting Down
Have you ever wondered why your back pain or hip pain worsens when you lie or sit down? There are a number of reasons for this, but it could also indicate a particular problem that a physical therapist can help diagnose and fix.
Its a problem many people experience when they have chronic pain, particularly back or hip pain. Often, the pain worsens when they lie down or are sitting for prolonged periods of time. After being sedentary, movement increases the pain in the troublesome area. It makes resting difficult and can keep you from getting a good nights sleep. It can make mornings terrible and, if you have a desk job, it can make your days more painful.
Its common to believe that when youre in pain the best option to stay still. However, that can lead to more problems and pain. Furthermore, pain worsening during rest can indicate particular problems that a physical therapist can help fix. This is why its so important to let your doctor and physical therapist know that your pain worsens during and after rest.
Causes Of Lower Back Pain When Sitting Standing And Walking
Lower back pain is a widespread condition affecting over half of all adults at some point in their lives. Some of these adults find sitting, standing and/or walking painfully difficult. While lower back pain is common and at times debilitating, there remains no consensus on the optimal way to diagnose and treat patients with this condition. There are a variety of causes for lower back pain and it can be difficult to identify the specific anatomical structure that is causing the pain. Fortunately, successful treatment is not always predicated on finding the specific pain generator.
Given that most people will sit, stand, and walk on any given day, a lot of research has been conducted on how these specific activities relate to the spine and lower back pain. The remainder of this article will discuss why sitting, standing, and walking can change the severity of lower back pain and how it can be helpful in diagnosis.
Read Also: Mayo Clinic Lower Back Pain Exercises
With Back Pain Getting Out Of Bed Can Help
If you have back pain, bed rest can be useful, especially if you are in severe pain while sitting and standing. But it’s best to limit bed rest during the day to a few hours at a time, for no more than a couple of days. That’s because too much time in bed can do more harm than good.
If you need to be horizontal, lie down on a bed or sofa, in any comfortable position. To ease the strain on your back, try putting pillows under your head and between your knees when lying on your side, under your knees when lying on your back, or under your hips when lying on your stomach. These positions reduce the forces that sitting or standing impose on the back especially on the disks, ligaments, and muscles.
Bed rest is no longer the go-to treatment for moderate back strain. Although it does minimize stress on the lower spine, it can also create other problems. Too much time in bed weakens muscles, including those needed to support the back. Some people develop gastrointestinal problems, such as constipation. Inactivity also boosts the chances of developing a blood clot in the veins of your pelvis and legs. This can hurt, and damage the affected vein. If a piece of the clot breaks away, it can lodge in the lungs. This condition, called pulmonary embolism, can be deadly.
Home Remedies For Lower Back Pain When Sitting
In addition to improving your posture when sitting, try these at-home remedies for lower back pain:
- Change your position. Consider a standing desk or one thats ergonomically designed to help you maintain good posture by allowing you to adjust the height of your monitor.
- Apply ice.Cold helps reduce inflammation that may be affecting your back. Leave the ice pack on for about 20 minutes, and then remove it. You can do this every hour or so.
- Use a heating pad. After any inflammation is under control , many people find heat soothing. It also promotes healing by bringing blood to your back.
- Take over-the-counter medication.Pain relievers like nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs can reduce discomfort and swelling.
- Use a support. Placing a rolled-up towel or special lumbar pillow at the base of your spine while sitting will help you remember to sit up straight and provide you with some stability.
- Get a massage. This can help loosen and relax tight muscles.
- Consider yoga.Yoga is known for its ability to stretch and strengthen the body. Many programs allow for modification of the poses as needed.
There are several exercises that will help strengthen your lower back. Try these three stretching exercises to help make your back stronger and better toned:
Also Check: Will Aleve Help With Back Pain
Listen To Soothing Audio
When your lights go out and your head hits the pillow, almost all of the stimuli that have held your attention during the day dissipate, and you tend to focus more on your back pain. As you pay more attention to your back pain, your anxiety can start to risewhich in turn often makes it harder to fall asleep.
The practice of listening to various forms of soothing audio can relieve both your anxiety and your experience of back pain by redirecting your focus away from your symptoms. Several nighttime audio options you can try include:
- Classical music
- Audio books intended for children
- Relaxation podcasts
Regardless of what kind of audio you choose to play, make sure it is free of harsh sounds or intense plot lines.
Sharp Pain In The Lower Back
If youre experiencing a more sharp pain in the lower back when you lie down, this can quite often occur when you have hyperextension in the lower back or an anterior pelvic tilt. In simple terms, a hyperextension in the lower back is where you have more curve in the lower back than is ideal if you have this you may feel like you have a deeper curve in the lower back where your stomach is pushed slightly more forward. An anterior pelvic tilt may also cause hyperextension in the lower back to become more apparent, but with this kind of posture your pelvis will be tilted, angling more forward, meaning your bottom may appear more pronounced at the back. These two types of postural positions usually occur from having very tight hip-flexors from any hobbies you may have, or if youre based in a desk job where having tight hip-flexors can naturally occur when you spend lengthy periods of the day sat down. If you have this type of posture, when you lie down your back is pulled into extension, so its forced into a flatter position. This will give you that sharp pain at the bottom of the lumbar spine as the joints are effectively being more squashed, and pushed into one another.
Returning your spine to a neutral position, correctly supported can really help you lying on your back without pain and is an excellent exercise you can do at home with just a towel, theres a video further down on this page which will explain how to do this.
Don’t Miss: Aleve And Back Pain
What Are The Symptoms Of Back Pain
Most people have experienced back pain sometime in their lives. The causes of back pain are numerous some are self-inflicted due to a lifetime of bad habits. Other back pain causes include accidents, muscle strains, and sports injuries. Although the causes may be different, most often they share the same symptoms.
Symptoms of back pain can include:
- Persistent aching or stiffness anywhere along your spine, from the base of the neck to the tail bone
- Sharp, localized pain in the neck, upper back, or lower back — especially after lifting heavy objects or engaging in other strenuous activity
- Chronic ache in the middle or lower back, especially after sitting or standing for extended periods
- Back pain that radiates from the low back to the buttock, down the back of the thigh, and into the calf and toes
- Inability to stand straight without having pain or muscle spasms in the lower back
Nausea When Lying Down Early Pregnancy
In cases of childbearing mothers, morning sickness is a common occurrence. What happens during an attack of morning sickness? Well, it makes nausea worse when lying down in the morning.
Despite it being termed as morning sickness, the feeling of nausea accompanied by vomiting may happen to you at any point of the day.
The morning sickness usually takes place during the first trimester of the pregnancy. The complaint may extend for a lengthy time for some mothers. They sometimes complaints about nausea when lying down pregnant third trimester. This condition is also known as hyperemesis gravidarum.
Why does pregnancy induce nausea then? When a woman gets pregnant, hormones in her body increases. The hormone called human chorionic gonadotropin or hCG triggers morning sickness during maternity.
Read Also: Aleve Or Ibuprofen For Back Pain
Main Causes And Treatments For Headaches When Lying Down
You may experience headache when lying down. But why and how can you get relief from that annoying headache? Let’s throw some light on various causes and treatment.
1. Cluster Headache
The most painful, rare but not life-threatening type of headache gets its name from the cyclic pattern/clusters when it occurs. The phase of frequent attacks, or called cluster period, is consistent from period to period lasting from weeks to months and is usually followed by a remission phase where headaches disappear completely that can last years as well.
Symptoms: With cluster headache, you may experience excruciating sudden pain which is generally located around one eye but can radiate to neck, face and other regions of head. Symptoms of this headache may also include
- Sharp, penetrating and burning pain
- Restlessness
- Redness in the affected eye
- Swollen around the affected eye
- Stuffy nose
- Sweaty and pale skin, especially the face
- Drooping eyelid
- Aggravation in headache when lying down
- Sensitivity to light, sound and aura .
Treatment can reduce the frequency, duration and severity of attacks, but the condition itself is difficult to treat because of its sudden onset and end. Acute treatments for cluster headaches include:
- Inhale 100% oxygen via a mask with a minimum rate of at least 12 liters per minutes
- Use medications like triptans, octreotide, local anesthetics and dihydroergotamine.
2. Brain Tumor Headache
Brain tumor is a mass of cells growing at an abnormally high rate.
Pelvic Pain In Pregnant Women
In pregnant women, causes of pelvic pain happen due to hormonal changes, uneven and increased movement of the pelvis. You may experience pelvic bone pain when lying down at night due if you were particularly active during the day. As you lie down to get some rest, you may notice pain and discomfort.
However, it is also important to mention the following causes of pelvic pain in pregnant women:
- Ectopic pregnancy the fertilized egg grows outside of the uterus. Pain is sharp, stabbing, and appears quickly and often in waves. Only one side of the pelvis can be affected.
- Miscarriage loss of a baby before week 20. Severe pain and cramps are a sign of miscarriage. Other symptoms may include bleeding or spotting.
Also Check: Does Aleve Work For Back Pain
