Lower back pain in women is so common you could almost make book on it. Why? Well sad to say but it seems to almost be a right of passage for women doesn’t it? How many of your friends can you name that talk about lower back pain in women? And the causes? In most instances it could be chalked up to “women’s problems” like endometriosis, cramps during their period, fibroids, cysts and pregnancy.
Now having said that, there are also a fair number of jobs in the marketplace that will also cause lower back pain in women. A couple of examples should ring a few bells for you if you happen to have a job like this – sales clerks on their feet all day, day care workers who lift children a lot, female firefighters who carry heavy objects, women who work on the docks with freight and those who sit for long hours at computer desks without the benefit of a proper chair to support their backs. No wonder lower back pain in women seems to be fairly prevalent. They are doing jobs that require a lot of strength and flexibility and spending time in uncomfortable positions that don’t give them a lot of stretch time.
There are other causes of lower back pain in women and one of them – although rare – can happen if you happen to fall on your butt – a bruised, crushed or broken tailbone. It’s right at the bottom of your spine and man alive does it ever hurt when you sit on it. This kind of an injury can occur during childbirth as well. It might even be as the result of an infection or tumor. No matter what the cause, this kind of lower back pain in women is unbearable and merits a fast trip to the doctor.
Speaking of childbirth, pregnancy can definitely cause lower back pain in women. Every last internal organ feels like it is re-arranged to allow room for the fetus to grow and this puts a tremendous amount of strain on your lower back. Not to mention the fact you will likely put on extra weight as your pregnancy progresses. You will change center of gravity as well as your baby grows, which will cause lower back pain too. It’s not too hard to imagine your ligaments being stretched to capacity while carrying your baby.
Pregnancy while a healthy and happy time, does mean that you will need to NOT do some things that you took for granted before you got pregnant – like lifting heavy objects (like your other child and the dog). After delivery of your new baby, lifting heavy object is considered to be a major no no, and so is doing the vacuuming, and other household chores. So kick back for a bit until your body catches up with your soul.
And, while we are on the subject of things to NOT do while you are pregnant and just after delivery, one of them that ranks right up there is wearing the high platform and spike heels so darn popular today. If you want major back pain, wear those puppies and stand on your feet all day. Talk about poor support for your lower back. Why? Because there is hardly any arch support for your feet.
Basically, just use your common sense when figuring out what you should and shouldn’t do during pregnancy and really, what you should or should not do during the normal course of your day. If you are planning on hauling a cast iron stove out of your house that weighs 850 pounds, it’s likely not a great idea to do it by yourself. You get the idea.