Bending over to pick up something off the ground is an easy task, until one day it’s not. Oftentimes this difficulty is caused by a problem in your spine, which can take on more stress as you bend down to grab something off the ground. If bending over has recently become painful or you can no longer bend down safely, consider syncing up with a spine specialist like Dr. Sinicropi. In today’s blog, we take a closer look at why your back may be in pain when you bend down, and how a spine specialist can help you treat the discomfort.
Back Hurts When Bending Over
A number of different conditions could be causing your discomfort when bending over, so it’s helpful to see a spine specialist or your primary care physician in order to get a true diagnosis of your pain. With the help of a physical examination and imaging tests, your provider can typically pinpoint the source of your issue. Oftentimes pain when bending over is caused by one of these problems:
- Muscle Strains – If you’ve pulled or strained a muscle in your spine and then you put it under a lot of stress when bending over, odds are it will be uncomfortable. Strains and pulled muscles typically heal just fine after a few days of conservative treatments like rest, physical therapy or gentle stretching.
- Pinched Nerve – A number of crucial nerves traverse the spinal canal through foraminal openings in the vertebral column. When you bend down, this canal can narrow and compress nerves, causing localized pain or shooting discomfort. A spine specialist can help to calm this nerve irritation with the help of conservative or operative techniques.
- Bulging Or Herniated Disc – Your spinal discs act as a cushion for the vertebral segments that sit above and below them, but due to excessive strain or wear and tear, these discs can shift out of place. If they compress a nearby spinal nerve because they shift when you bend over, you’ll feel pain in your back or in your extremities.
- Spinal Stenosis – Spinal stenosis involves the narrowing of the foraminal space that we talked about above. When the area through which these nerves pass ends up shrinking, either as a result of natural wear and tear or acute injury, the nerves and nearby structures that are compressed can cause symptoms when you bend down and put pressure on these spinal segments.
- Traumatic Injury – Finally, if you recently suffered trauma to the spinal region, there’s a chance that there is a bigger issue at play with your spine, like a fracture or ligament rupture. If you hurt your back and it feels fine when you’re standing or laying down, but bending over causes discomfort, it’s time to see a physician.
Most of the injuries on this list respond well to conservative treatments like rest, physical therapy and posture improvements, and a spine specialist can set you up with an individualized care plan based on your underlying problem. They can also provide some hands-on care in the form of manual manipulation or corticosteroid injections to help calm irritation.
If these conservative methods fail to provide relief, we’re confident that we’ll be able to make bending down a more comfortable process with the help of a minimally invasive procedure. We can safely address the problemed disc or irritated nerve and get you back to moving with less pain. For more information, or to talk with a spine specialist about the discomfort you’re experiencing when bending or performing other physical actions, call Dr. Sinicropi and his team today at (651) 430-3800.
