Back pain is one of the commonest reasons adults stop working, and most of it comes from how things are lifted and carried and how long people sit still. Almost all of it improves without scans or surgery.
Lifting
- Stand close to the load, feet apart.
- Bend the knees and hips, keep the back straight, and lift with the legs.
- Keep the load close to the body.
- Turn with your feet, not by twisting the back.
- If it is too heavy, it is too heavy. Split it or get help.
Carrying
Carrying on the head is efficient when the load is balanced and the neck is straight, and harmful when the load is too heavy or carried a long way. Balance it, keep the spine upright rather than leaning, and share the distance. With a bag, use both shoulders; a heavy load on one shoulder pulls the spine sideways all day.
Sitting
- Feet flat on the floor, hips level with or slightly above the knees.
- Back supported. A rolled cloth behind the lower back works as well as an expensive chair.
- Screen at eye level, so the neck is not bent forward for hours.
- Get up every 30 to 45 minutes. Movement matters more than the perfect sitting position.
If your back already hurts
- Keep moving. Bed rest makes ordinary back pain worse, not better.
- Walk gently, and carry on with normal activity as far as pain allows.
- Heat helps many people. Simple painkillers help in the short term.
- Most episodes settle within a few weeks.
See someone now if
- Loss of control of urine or stool, or numbness around the buttocks and between the legs. Go to hospital immediately.
- Weakness in a leg or foot that is getting worse.
- Back pain after a fall or accident.
- Back pain with fever, or with unexplained weight loss.
- Pain that is severe at night and wakes you, or that keeps worsening over weeks.
- Back pain in someone with HIV, TB or a known cancer.
Neck
Most neck pain comes from hours with the head bent forward over a phone or a desk. Raise the screen, take breaks, and roll the shoulders. Neck pain with a severe headache, fever and a stiff neck that prevents putting the chin on the chest is a different matter entirely and needs a hospital the same hour.
