Pulled your back while lifting, bending or working out? How to recover, move again and prevent future injury

WHY IS THE LOWER BACK SO PRONE TO INJURIES?

That’s because your lower back works very hard to keep you upright and mobile. According to this 2023 study, the compressive force on the spine, specifically the fourth and fifth vertebrae in your lower back, is strikingly high. 

These two bottommost vertebrae bear the brunt of your back’s load-bearing function. For instance, simply walking exerts a force that is 2.5 times your weight on your spine; if you weigh 80kg, that’s 200kg of force your back has to endure. Runners punish their backs further with six to eight times their bodyweight with each step. 

Even bending forward strains your back by a force that’s 2.5 times your bodyweight, the same study found. And if you lift a 20kg object with poor form, you’re subjecting your spine to up to nine times your bodyweight. So, yes, bruh, you do lift – or at least your back does. 

Furthermore, “a formerly injured back can make you more vulnerable to future incidents because the damage is already done”, said orthopaedic surgeon Dr KC Ang from SBF Sports and Hand Centre. “It’s a degenerative condition and once it starts, it’s a slippery slope.”

WHAT’S THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN A BACK STRAIN AND BACK SPRAIN?

“A back strain can be a straining of the back muscles, or it can be an injury to the intervertebral disc,” said Dr Ang. A sprain, according to Cleveland Clinic, is the stretching or tearing of a ligament that can occur after a sudden twist, fall or blow to the body that forces a vertebra out of its normal position. 

You’ll know that something is wrong when you feel a sharp, electric-like pain zapping across your back, and sometimes, down your leg due to the compression of the nerve roots, said Dr Ang. At times, it could be an uncomfortable, tingling sensation, which could point to a pinched nerve or more serious issue like a herniated disc, he added.