One of the most common culprits is the fetal position, where your spine rounds excessively and overstretches your backs, Westervelt says. But as she notes, any way you lay can be problematic if it sets you up to easily twist—and potentially tweak—your core, particularly if you’re not fully conscious of what you’re doing. Westervelt recommends putting a pillow between your knees to prevent yourself from turning if you’re on your side. If you prefer your back, slide a pillow under your knees to keep yourself stable. Though you might be less likely to flop around if you’re on your stomach, it puts extra pressure on your spine—so probably best to avoid it too, as SELF has previously reported.
3. Skipping your warm-up.
Exercise is, overall, a good thing—it can help make your muscles stronger and more limber, potentially preventing back problems. But if you workout without warming up, you could hurt yourself.6 Here’s why: When you don’t use your muscles, they can tighten. So when you jump straight into an activity, Westervelt says, you might experience a strain or micro-tear.
Returning to exercise too quickly after an injury or sedentary period can also lead to problems, Westervelt explains. If you sit all week and then spend Saturday morning shoveling your driveway, your back muscles might not be able to withstand the activity. “If you’re not trained to do what you’re asking your body to do, then you’re at risk for injury,” says Westervelt. Lifting movements—say, picking up a heavy box off the ground or reaching for a heavy kettlebell at the gym—can be especially risky for your back. (More on that in a minute!)
Try to do a dynamic warmup for five to 10 minutes with moves that mimic the motion of whatever activity you’re about to do.7 (For example, walk with exaggerated strides before setting out on a jog, or do a few windmills before picking up something heavy). “This kind of warmup activates your tissues and prepares them to work effectively,” Westervelt says.
4. Picking something up too quickly.
Speaking of lifting: Even if you consider yourself decently in shape, lifting something in even slightly the wrong way can lead to problems. This includes the “bend-and-twist,” or when you reach down to grab an item off the floor and then quickly turn to one side on the ascent, Westervelt says. (It’s what happened to Klompien when she picked up her babies.)
“In that position, all the structures in your back are elongated to the point where they are not strong enough to take the load,” says Westervelt. “You put more strain on the tissues than they can tolerate, which can result in tissue damage, inflammation, and pain.” This can cause disk herniation (like what happened to Klompien), which can take months to heal.
Here’s how to grab something safely: Keep your torso straight and bend your knees to squat down (don’t hunch over to reach it). Pick up the object, keeping it close to your body as you straighten your legs. Resist the urge to twist, and just use your feet to move where you need to go.
5. Worrying about things you have no control over.
Stress doesn’t only affect your mental health—it can also be a contributing factor to pain. That’s because, when you’re feeling tense, your body is in a heightened state of sensitivity— which can make any type of aching feel worse,8 Pudvah says. Plus, when you’re having anxiety, you might be sleeping poorly, which can indirectly contribute to problems for the same reason, Pudvah points out. If you’re super fatigued, “your muscles aren’t ready to work, so you’ll find yourself in a slouched-over position that can cause back pain,” she says.9