Job require standing for 10-12hrs/day...lower back pain

[backinbusiness]

My new job I have to stand all day...I do get to walk around, but not much. 3 days a week 8a-7pm.

Slowly my lower back and legs are getting really tight and just don't feel too great.

Any tips? This sucks...never happened to me before in my life.

[GreaseMark]

My new job I have to stand all day...I do get to walk around, but not much. 3 days a week 8a-7pm.

Slowly my lower back and legs are getting really tight and just don't feel too great.

Any tips? This sucks...never happened to me before in my life.

Check your posture, make sure you're not arching your lower back inward too much, which places pressure the nerves in your lumbar reigon, which causes your lower back and leg muscles to tense. You can control all that by keeping your legs straight, shoulders back and hips under your rib cage.

Then when your at home, you can stretch by bending over for the toe touch, also use a heating pad to improve circulation, and after the heat use ice to reduce the inflamation. That'll help you recover and get ready for the next work day.

Core strengthening helps support the back as well. Depending on your pain level you can do one arm DB bench press and situps. Depending on where you are with lifting, cleans and squats strengthen core also, done carefully of course.

Here's a good link:

http://www.healthline.com/blogs/exer...f-mystery.html

Hope this helps!

[beachguy498]

Make sure your shoes have good arch support. Flat shoes will contribute to your lower back pain.

BG

[backinbusiness]

Thanks guys...

I have 240 bench, 300 squad and 340 deadlift so my core and everything is great....I just still get this real tightness and it sucks.

It is not painful, it is just tight and does not feel right. I've never experienced this before in my life. It just has progressively gotten worse since my new job is not much movement. My prior job was standing all day, but I was moving.

I do actually arch my back because I thought it may help...maybe it contributing negatively. I'll try to stand up straight without arching. Its funny that article mentions we are always told to arch our backs and I always do for all my lifts. Not good in reality?

[GreaseMark]

Thanks guys...

I have 240 bench, 300 squad and 340 deadlift so my core and everything is great....I just still get this real tightness and it sucks.

It is not painful, it is just tight and does not feel right. I've never experienced this before in my life. It just has progressively gotten worse since my new job is not much movement. My prior job was standing all day, but I was moving.

I do actually arch my back because I thought it may help...maybe it contributing negatively. I'll try to stand up straight without arching. Its funny that article mentions we are always told to arch our backs and I always do for all my lifts. Not good in reality?

I would say that for bench, being horizontal, you're safe to arch for better lifting power, like Dave Tate teaches. But for MP or anything else involving heavy overhead lifting, since you're vertical, if you arch too much then your affecting the disk loading in the spine, and risking nerve impingement or even a herniation. On the squats, DL's and cleans you have to keep the back as straight as possible (lumbar and cervical will still have their normal curve), to avoid hyper-extension of the back muscles, including those that support the spine. Form gets really critical at the higher weights in order to avoid injury.

Glad you liked the article!

[backinbusiness]

Got the dr scholls lower back pain shoe inserts today...

...and a hot pad too. We'll see tomorrow if Dr Schools works or not.

[backinbusiness]

Should I be using ice on the back or just heat? Or a combination of both?

[mc-]

actually - sorry - but static posture and arch support - are not solutions.

standing for hours in one spot is going to be a challenge for anyone. in any static posture.
why? we're designed to move. standing in one place for hours is not natural. it's that simple.

yes we can assume postures like the tall spine or yoga mountain pose to decompress and align joints as optimally as possible, but even here, there's going to be fatigue.

having strategies that let you keep your joints mobile are really important. and maybe some padding in shoes is ok on concrete floors, but as neutral a shoe as possible and as highly flexible as possible is key based on the joints of the foot.
http://www.begin2dig.com/2010/01/do-...st-how-to.html
in fact the more you can move your whole foot during the day - from ankle tilts to ball of foot circles - the better. shaped insoles get in the way of that.

so the goal is not to help us keep still - but to let us move as much as possible. to take it on to find ways to be mobile. natural.

It takes about ten minutes to take each joint in your body through its Range of Motion, and there are videos that are great at demoing this, but if you only have time and money for a cheap fast fix, i'd recommend this vid that has 6 drills in it - all of which you can do standing around, and discretely - and will make a massive difference to your day.
here's a link http://tinyurl.com/2wzg4vm

if you're really keen, here's a wee bit more about what's going on in movement.
http://www.begin2dig.com/2009/06/why...wreview-z.html

best,
mc

[GreaseMark]

Should I be using ice on the back or just heat? Or a combination of both?

Both.

If you have tense or spasming muscles as the result of putting pressure on a nerve, the body will treat that as an injury, and the immune system will send in plasma and other healing agents in response. This effectively causes inflamation which stiffens and limits use of the muscle to avoid further injury. Typically heat is used to improve circulation in tissue that has that inflamation in order to flush out some of those agents, the theory being that the immune system always over reacts and sends in too much.

After the flush, ice is then used to cool the area and slow down some of the metabolic activity which then reduces the inflamation, and allows some flexibility. Several cycles of heat and ice over several days can lead to relief, but of course it does not resolve the impingement issue.

[GreaseMark]

Got the dr scholls lower back pain shoe inserts today...

...and a hot pad too. We'll see tomorrow if Dr Schools works or not.

How'd it go? Any better?

[mc-]

After the flush, ice is then used to cool the area and slow down some of the metabolic activity which then reduces the inflamation, and allows some flexibility. Several cycles of heat and ice over several days can lead to relief, but of course it does not resolve the impingement issue.

If it's primarily an impingement issue.

[backinbusiness]

Used the dr scholls on Friday and it was horrible. I don't know if the shoes made it worse or my back was just getting worse, but at the end of the day I was getting cold/hot rushes up that side of my back and it was almost unbearably tight that I could barely stand.

I've had 2 days to rest and I've done P90X's Yoga-X each day for the full 90minutes. Really helped, but still does not feel 100%.

I gotta work a full 10hour day tomorrow so today is my last day to rest it.

Not sure if I should go see a chiropractor or just keep stretching and hope for the best?

[mc-]

Used the dr scholls on Friday and it was horrible. I don't know if the shoes made it worse or my back was just getting worse, but at the end of the day I was getting cold/hot rushes up that side of my back and it was almost unbearably tight that I could barely stand.

I've had 2 days to rest and I've done P90X's Yoga-X each day for the full 90minutes. Really helped, but still does not feel 100%.

I gotta work a full 10hour day tomorrow so today is my last day to rest it.

Not sure if I should go see a chiropractor or just keep stretching and hope for the best?

your results are not surprising-and rather predictable.
it's really not helpful to try to stick bandaids on this problem arbitrarily rather than get a look at what you're doing and how you're moving.
did you see post 8? none of those suggestions feel reasonable?
likewise rather than a chiro, i'd suggest you check in with someone who can evaluate your movement and help you with the movements suggested above.

mc

[GreaseMark]

Used the dr scholls on Friday and it was horrible. I don't know if the shoes made it worse or my back was just getting worse, but at the end of the day I was getting cold/hot rushes up that side of my back and it was almost unbearably tight that I could barely stand.

I've had 2 days to rest and I've done P90X's Yoga-X each day for the full 90minutes. Really helped, but still does not feel 100%.

I gotta work a full 10hour day tomorrow so today is my last day to rest it.

Not sure if I should go see a chiropractor or just keep stretching and hope for the best?

Your day at work sounds pretty serious, with the cold/hot rushes and the unbearable tightness. Going to a chiropracter wouldn't be a bad idea, but I'm thinking due to the severity of what happened at work, a Neruologist may ultimatly be what's needed to really get at resolving this. You can start with a visit to your regular doctor, and if he thinks it's needed, he can refer you to a Neurologist. You need some imaging done to your lumbar region, at least an X ray from your doc to start, maybe an MRI later w/the Neuro.

[mc-]

Your day at work sounds pretty serious, with the cold/hot rushes and the unbearable tightness. Going to a chiropracter wouldn't be a bad idea, but I'm thinking due to the severity of what happened at work, a Neruologist may ultimatly be what's needed to really get at resolving this. You can start with a visit to your regular doctor, and if he thinks it's needed, he can refer you to a Neurologist. You need some imaging done to your lumbar region, at least an X ray from your doc to start, maybe an MRI later w/the Neuro.

Grease mark,
may i ask your background
that based on this report, you're able to make these recommendations?
with thanks
mc

[backinbusiness]

Yesterday at work wasn't too bad....I made it through the day although it was getting tighter as the day progressed. It wasn't anywhere near as bad as the previous friday though.
This AM I ran 2 miles and did more yoga-x and my back feels good.

My health insurance isn't that great so I think it will be majorly expensive to go see anybody. If it gets worse I will go, but so far it is slowly getting better.
I think it was just a buildup of non-movement. I just went to work then lifted, but never did any cardio or walking at all.

Like I said, I've never, ever had any back issues in my life. The only thing that has changed is my job. My previous job was walking + moving all day long.

I saw post 8 mc -- I have incorporated those ROM moves while at work and in my yoga-x routine. They were good links I read them all.

[backinbusiness]

Well ****.....everything was looking good. Back was feeling much better.

Today, back to absolute **** again. Hot/cold rushes up my body by the end of the day. I told my boss and on the way out she was shocked and said how pale my face was. I was feeling cold from the rushes.

Time to go see the doctor and figure out what the hells going on....I know standing for 10hours a day isn't ideal, but I don't think I should be having this back trouble. It shouldn't be happening, ESPECIALLY since I have such a strong base, I eat healthy, never get sick and am in pretty good shape.

Gonna go see a doc tomorrow and hopefully get somewhere. I'll let you guys know how it goes. 2nd time going to the doctors in the last 8 years. 1st time was due to broken wrist snowboarding. go figure.

[GreaseMark]

Well ****.....everything was looking good. Back was feeling much better.

Today, back to absolute **** again. Hot/cold rushes up my body by the end of the day. I told my boss and on the way out she was shocked and said how pale my face was. I was feeling cold from the rushes.

Time to go see the doctor and figure out what the hells going on....I know standing for 10hours a day isn't ideal, but I don't think I should be having this back trouble. It shouldn't be happening, ESPECIALLY since I have such a strong base, I eat healthy, never get sick and am in pretty good shape.

Gonna go see a doc tomorrow and hopefully get somewhere. I'll let you guys know how it goes. 2nd time going to the doctors in the last 8 years. 1st time was due to broken wrist snowboarding. go figure.

Sorry, man. Best thing to do though. G/L!

[backinbusiness]

Saw the chiro today...got xrays, a quick adjustment and a 20min massage. He is going to look over xrays and when I go back on Wednesday to make a game plan.

[backinbusiness]

You guys won't believe this...

I decided to take my shoes off completely at work for the past 2 days and I was shocked to find by the end of the 1st day my back was no where NEAR as painful as it was. End of 2nd day same deal. This is the best i've felt in WEEKS.

Maybe the "new" shoes I bought were ****ty at support? It make sense now...pain started roughly a week after I bought brand new shoes. Dockers. Guess I didn't connect the dots and thought it was something else.

Either way, I am no longer wearing shoes at work. Taking that **** off since nobody can see my feet behind the counter. I stand on those rubbery mats too which makes it comfortable.
Maybe it was my shoes the whole time? I just cannot believe how much pain can come from SHOES!!! I am almost in shock...!

I'm going to give it a few more days to make sure it wasn't just a fluke event and then I am going to get back into the gym for the first time in a month.