One of the widespread culprits is the fetal place, the place your backbone rounds excessively and overstretches your backs, Westervelt says. However as she notes, any manner you lay could be problematic if it units you as much as simply twist—and doubtlessly tweak—your core, significantly should you’re not absolutely acutely aware of what you’re doing. Westervelt recommends placing a pillow between your knees to stop your self from turning should you’re in your facet. In the event you choose your again, slide a pillow below your knees to maintain your self secure. Although you could be much less prone to flop round should you’re in your abdomen, it places further stress in your backbone—so most likely finest to keep away from it too, as SELF has beforehand reported.

3. Skipping your warm-up.

Train is, general, an excellent factor—it could actually assist make your muscle tissues stronger and extra limber, doubtlessly stopping again issues. However should you exercise with out warming up, you would harm your self.⁶ Right here’s why: If you don’t use your muscle tissues, they’ll tighten. So whenever you bounce straight into an exercise, Westervelt says, you would possibly expertise a pressure or micro-tear.

Returning to train too rapidly after an harm or sedentary interval also can result in issues, Westervelt explains. In the event you sit all week after which spend Saturday morning shoveling your driveway, your again muscle tissues may not have the ability to stand up to the exercise. “In the event you’re not educated to do what you’re asking your physique to do, then you definately’re in danger for harm,” says Westervelt. Lifting actions—say, choosing up a heavy field off the bottom or reaching for a heavy kettlebell on the fitness center—could be particularly dangerous on your again. (Extra on that in a minute!)

Attempt to do a dynamic warmup for 5 to 10 minutes with strikes that mimic the movement of no matter exercise you’re about to do.⁷ (For instance, stroll with exaggerated strides earlier than setting out on a jog, or do a couple of windmills earlier than choosing up one thing heavy). “This sort of warmup prompts your tissues and prepares them to work successfully,” Westervelt says.

4. Selecting one thing up too rapidly.

Talking of lifting: Even should you take into account your self decently in form, lifting one thing in even barely the incorrect manner can result in issues. This contains the “bend-and-twist,” or whenever you attain all the way down to seize an merchandise off the ground after which rapidly flip to 1 facet on the ascent, Westervelt says. (It’s what occurred to Klompien when she picked up her infants.)

“In that place, all of the buildings in your again are elongated to the purpose the place they don’t seem to be sturdy sufficient to take the load,” says Westervelt. “You place extra pressure on the tissues than they’ll tolerate, which can lead to tissue injury, irritation, and ache.” This will trigger disk herniation (like what occurred to Klompien), which might take months to heal.

Right here’s easy methods to seize one thing safely: Preserve your torso straight and bend your knees to squat down (don’t hunch over to achieve it). Choose up the article, preserving it near your physique as you straighten your legs. Resist the urge to twist, and simply use your ft to maneuver the place you have to go.

5. Worrying about issues you don’t have any management over.

Stress doesn’t solely have an effect on your psychological well being—it may also be a contributing issue to ache. That’s as a result of, whenever you’re feeling tense, your physique is in a heightened state of sensitivity— which might make any sort of aching really feel worse,⁸ Pudvah says. Plus, whenever you’re having nervousness, you could be sleeping poorly, which might not directly contribute to issues for a similar cause, Pudvah factors out. In the event you’re tremendous fatigued, “your muscle tissues aren’t able to work, so that you’ll end up in a slouched-over place that may trigger again ache,” she says.⁹