Sciatica, a form of back pain, is one of the most common complaints. In fact, around 70 to 80 percent of people across the world complain of back pain at some point in their lives.
The pain originating in the back and continues down through your hip and buttocks down your leg is known as sciatica.
It comes with in lots of different forms and can be accompanied by upper, lower, or middle back pain.
Common Causes of Sciatica
There is a variety of causes of back pain, including nerve disorders, arthritis, muscle problems, degenerative discs, and more.
What you may not realize is that you can experience back pain if you regularly sit on your wallet.
Keeping Your Wallet in Your Back Pocket
Most men keep their wallet in their back pocket- no big deal, right? However, this is actually one of the most common reasons behind the back pain experienced by men.
From a very early age, boys are taught to keep their wallet in their back pocket and therefore, as they get older, they’re sitting on it while working, while driving, and while sitting around the house.
When you sit on your wallet, you’re forcing your body- especially your spine and pelvis out of the proper posture alignment.
Though you may not really notice it in your daily life, it is something that, as a man, you need to be aware of.
You should keep in mind that every time you sit- for any reason- you should pull your wallet out of your back pocket and put it either in a front shirt pocket or somewhere else that will be safe.
What’s Happening and What are the Risks?
Most men are in the habit of keeping at least a half inch wallet in their back pockets- sometimes bigger.
This can cause problems with the back, muscles, waist, bones, and even the nervous system. By keeping your wallet in your back pocket, you create an imbalance in your posture when you’re sitting.
Sitting on a thick wallet will cause your body to have to compensate, by changing posture to keep your head positioned above your pelvis.
This means that your spine ends up being turned and slanted. Therefore, you experience extreme pains in your back and even compression of the sciatic nerve.
Of course, sciatica pain is not a truly life-threatening condition, but it can have an effect on your quality of life, making it difficult for you to enjoy activities that you used to.
What to Do
Read carefully- the following advice will help you to prevent further sciatica pain and damage.
However, there will be those who ignore it- you will continue to be in pain. When you’re experiencing pain due to having a wallet in your back pocket, you should take it out and either place it in your front shirt pocket or somewhere else safe before you sit down.
When you sit down, your pants pockets, especially the back ones, should be empty.
12 Tips for Avoiding and Reducing Back Pain
Following are some important tips that will help you to avoid and reduce back pain. Additionally, since you’re not hurting so much anymore, you’ll have to visit your physician much less often.
1- A poor sleep posture will cause or contribute to your back pain. You should never sleep on your stomach because it puts unnecessary pressure on your neck, back, and spine.
Professionals recommend that you sleep on your side or your back, which is the best position for you back as well as your entire body.
Additionally, it is very important that you have a good mattress that offers support for your body.
2- Upon waking, never jump right out of bed. Take a few minutes to fully stretch and allow your body to wake up before you climb out of bed.
3- Make sure that you’re getting adequate exercise in order to promote the health of your muscles, flexibility, mobility, and to decrease the risk of strain or injury through every day physical activities.
4- Never attempt to lift a heavy object by bending over at the waist and lifting with your back.
Always use appropriate lifting techniques so that you can avoid experiencing lower back problems. It is better to not lift an object at all instead of lifting it incorrectly.
5- ever overstretch your body.
6- Always make sure that you offer adequate protection for your back when moving heavy objects so that you do not end up with an injury.
7- Improper posture is one of the most common reasons for back pain. Always make sure that you maintain correct, heathy posture at all times, whether sitting, standing, or walking.
8- Smoking causes your blood to be unable to properly carry oxygen around your body.
When the disc don’t get enough oxygen, they are unable to stay in shape and repair themselves when strained. This ends up leading to inflammation and lower back pain.
9- Standing for long periods of time can cause strain and pain in your back. Therefore, you should try to get off of your feet on a regular basis.
If your job requires that you stand for long periods of time, do what you can to sit down when you have the opportunity.
10- If you’re overweight or obese, this will put extra strain on your entire body, including your spine.
Therefore, try to lose some weight and get rid of that back pain and the problems that are connected with it.
11- Stretch often in order to keep your back supple, tight, flexible, and even injury-free.
12- If back pain lasts for more than just a few days, you should go see your physician to get proper treatment.
Being aware of the mechanics of your body can go a very long way in preventing aches and pains.
It is vital that you are aware of and take the precautions to avoid those situations that can cause stress and pain on your back- especially the ones you can control, such as sitting on your wallet.
