What causes back pain when I walk for a long time? I usually feel fine, but...
Even people who walk regularly may experience back pain after walking for long periods of time. When I walked for about two hours, my back and buttocks would ache, and I had to look for a chair while shopping. The right side of my back was particularly painful.
Why do I have pain for long periods of time when I normally have no problem? In this article,
- The causes of pain only after walking for a long time
- How to deal with the cause of the pain by yourself
I will tell you how to deal with the cause of the pain by yourself.
In fact, you may develop back pain, headaches, and hip pain in the future.
1: Pain is about to become an unacceptable alarm.
Why do I only have pain when I walk for long periods of time? It is because your body is out of balance and is alarmed that it has exceeded its limits. The reason you do not normally experience pain is because you are currently in a tolerable range of motion.
If you have bad posture or lack muscle strength or exercise, your body becomes distorted and out of balance. This makes it difficult for the joints to move properly. On the other hand, since humans are animals, it is very important for us to move in order to secure food and escape from danger. Therefore, we do not immediately stop moving just because we have problems with our muscles and joints. A smart body will try to move even if it dares to use its muscles incorrectly. This is both an advantage and a disadvantage.
When we use our bodies incorrectly, we put strain on various parts of the body. The muscles are always tense and stiff because they are used only in certain muscles. The joints cannot move properly, and the axis of the joints becomes misaligned. In order to correct this imbalance, the patient may have to turn his or her back.
This kind of jerky movement is not a problem over short distances, but it can be a problem over long distances,
- No problem for a short distance, but pain occurs when walking for a long time.
- Walking empty-handed is not a problem, but walking with luggage causes pain.
Some people have no problem climbing a mountain for a long time.
Some people have no problem when climbing a mountain for a long time, but have back pain only when walking in a supermarket for a short time. This is because even the stiffest muscles become stiff and painful due to the cold, but if you use your body in an unreasonable manner, the slightest thing can push you over the edge.
2: What are the factors that cause the body to lose its balance?
What are some of the causes of imbalance in the body? Here are some common ones.
1: The feet are not functioning.
There is a way of walking that crushes the arches of the feet. Technically, this is called hyper-rotation, in which the ankle falls too far inward. Causes include stiff ankle joints, lack of buttock strength, and shoe function problems. This is one of the causes of excessive inward rotation. This is one of the causes of hyper-rotation, which affects the knees and eventually leads to back and hip pain as the foot brakes while walking.
For more information on excessive inward rotation, please refer to the section on the relationship between stiff neck and lower back pain and the inclination of the legs.
2: Weak buttock muscles
The gluteal muscles, or buttocks, are important for hip stability. When the gluteal muscles are weak, it is impossible to keep the leg bones in the correct position. As a result, the thighs become inward-facing and the arch of the foot does not function properly.
Weak gluteal muscles are also responsible for the forward and backward tilt of the pelvis, so if they are weak, the pelvis will fall backward, putting stress on the muscles of the hips and back. It is a rule of thumb that muscles that are not used will deteriorate, but those of us who spend most of our time sitting have certainly forgotten how to move our gluteal muscles. As a result, few of us have strong muscles.
Upper part: gluteus medius Lower part: gluteus maximus
3: Stiff buttock muscles
In addition to lack of muscle strength, stiff gluteal muscles also cause imbalance. Tight gluteal muscles make it difficult to extend the hip joint. Therefore, the upper body tries to walk by shifting the center of gravity behind the hip joints.
Poor sitting posture and prolonged desk work stiffens the gluteal muscles. If the stiffened muscles are not actively loosened, they will remain stiff for a long time.
4: Tight thigh muscles
If the front thigh muscles (rectus femoris) are tight, the pelvis tilts forward. This causes the thighs and shins to rotate inward (internal rotation), which affects the function of the legs. On the other hand, slouching also tightens the muscles that connect the hips to the thighs (iliopsoas muscles). The iliopsoas muscle is the muscle that moves when the hip joint is bent and the leg is stepped forward. Stiffness in this muscle increases the strain on the lower back and hip muscles.
The rectus femoris muscle is the most easily strained of the four thigh muscles. There are various theories as to the cause, but the reason is that the rectus femoris is rarely in an extended posture in daily life. By the way, a posture in which the rectus femoris is stretched is lying on your back in an upright position. I don't do that...
5: Poor movement of the sacroiliac joints
The sacroiliac joint is located in the pelvis. It is the part that connects the sacrum and the ilium. The sacroiliac joints absorb almost all of the vertical impact that occurs when walking or jumping. Therefore, if the sacroiliac joints stop functioning properly, the shock that was previously absorbed is transferred to the surrounding muscles and ligaments, and the stress is expressed as back pain.
3 Solution
Since it may be difficult to determine which type you have, we will introduce the following solutions in order of easiest and least time-consuming.
1: Improve movement of the sacroiliac joints
This exercise releases the sacroiliac joints.
- Lie with both elbows up.
- Bend your right leg. If possible, place the left leg on the right leg and secure the right leg so that it does not move.
- Bend the upper body to the left. If possible, place the left shoulder on the floor.
- Bend the upper body to the right. If possible, place the right shoulder on the floor.
- Do 20 to 30 repetitions.
- Bend the left leg in the same manner on the opposite side and do 20 to 30 repetitions.
- Do this once a day. Do this 3 to 7 times a week.
- If your shoulders hurt, move your elbows back and forth to find a comfortable position.
2: Soften the muscles of the buttocks (gluteus maximus and gluteus medius)
Use a ball or towel to soften the gluteal muscles.
- Prepare a rubber ball about 5 cm in diameter (such as a Super Goal) or, if not available, a stiffly rolled towel.
- Lie down and place the ball in the position shown in the illustration.
- Continue in this position for 90 seconds.
- Do the same with the other leg.
- As you get used to it, try shaking your body to increase the stimulation from the ball.
- Once or twice a day.
- Change the position of the ball on the buttocks to stimulate areas that are hard and areas that feel good.
3: Soften the thigh and abdominal muscles (rectus femoris and iliopsoas muscles)
This stretch simultaneously loosens the rectus femoris and iliopsoas muscles.
- Spread both legs back and forth in a wide straddle.
- Bend the knee of the front leg up at about 90°.
- While keeping the upper body perpendicular to the floor, place your body weight directly below thefloor.
- Keeping your body weight directly under you, roll your upper body forward.
- If possible, bend the knee of the back leg.
- Hold for 90 seconds, feeling the stretch in the hip joint.
- Do the same with the opposite leg.
- By bending the upper body forward, the pelvis is also tilted forward. This effectively stretches the thigh and abdominal muscles.
- Once or twice a day.
- From the beginning, you may place your back foot on a stand and bend your knees.
4: Strengthen the buttocks muscles (gluteus maximus)
This deadlift is a well-balanced workout for the entire body, not just the buttocks.
- Increase abdominal pressure by putting pressure on the abdomen.
While maintaining abdominal pressure, step on the Thera-Band with both feet.
Grasp the band. Bring the shoulder blades to the center of the back. - Take3seconds to raise your body.
Extend the hip joints first, then the knees at the same time as the hip joints are extended further.
Be careful not to let the knees go inward (you could injure yourself or train different parts of the body). - Once upright,hold inthat positionfor 2 seconds.
- Take3seconds to return to the original position.
Bend from the hip joint, not theknee.
- Always keep your back straight and do not move it. Mainly extend the hip joints.
- Do10repetitions at most.Adjustthe length of the band ordoubleit.
- Perform3sets of10repetitionsperset, every other day (Monday, Thursday, Sunday, Wednesday, etc.).
5: Normalize foot function.
If there is a problem with shoes or socks, simply replace them, but if the function of the foot itself has failed, this is one of the most difficult treatments to restore. This is because the feet work in conjunction with the knees and hips, so the whole body's problems must be resolved. For this reason, insoles are a viable option for podiatrists in Europe and the United States, where research is more advanced∗1.
If you are considering this, you should definitely choose orthopedic insoles, which are available in a price range from 6.000 yen to 20.000 yen.
4: Summary
- Low back pain, which is limited to walking for long periods of time, is caused by an imbalance in the way the body is used.
- The cause of the imbalance is that each part of the body is not functioning properly.
- The main causes of dysfunction are lack of muscle and soft tissue release.
- This can be improved with muscle release, muscle training, and corrective insoles.
- If not taken care of as they are, daily back pain as well as headaches may appear.
I found that by loosening the muscles in my hips and back, my lower back pain from long walks disappeared; try the exercises one by one to narrow down which one is the cause. Once you know the cause, you can enjoy your weekend dates and family vacations as much as you want. And don't forget to seek medical attention, as the pain may be caused by an internal organ disorder.
References
∗1 Menz HB et al.
Foot posture, foot function and low back pain: the Framingham Foot Study.
Rheumatology (Oxford). 2013 Dec;52(12):2275-82.
