The Little Things In Life That Lead to Neck and Back Pain

Margaret was in the office this morning. She hasn’t been in in a while but when she comes in - it’s always for the same reason:

         Her neck hurts on the left side and her low back hurts on the right side.

No - there’s been no injury - not even an old one. Margaret has never had an accident. She doesn’t ski, skydive or play any other sports. She basically gets up every day, goes to work and comes home and feeds the cat. She goes to church every Sunday and the most exertion she gets is going to the mailbox.

So - why does her neck and back hurt?

                           It’s her pocketbook.

It probably weighs 10 - 15 lbs. And she carries it on her left shoulder.

Do you think if I asked her to carry a 15 lb. dumbbell in her left hand all day it might have the same effect?

               Of course it would.

It’s one thing to carry something in one hand for a few minutes and then put it down.

And it’s quite another to habitually carry a heavy weight in the same hand all the time.

We tend to forget, while we’re in the midst of our daily routine, how important it is to maintain our body symmetry and balance.

The same thing happens when you’re raking the lawn and you hold the rake the same way throughout the job...

Next day your neck and shoulder is killing you on one side and the other side... is fine

Another example is the way you hold your cell phone against your ear while driving...(As if the trooper can’t see you doing it), by holding your shoulder up against it - Fine for one call once in a while but what happens when that’s the way you drive / work all day?

You end up like Margaret who comes in and says: "but I didn’t do anything..."

One thing I have noticed is that necks and backs do not get out of alignment and start hurting for no reason at all.

Comments

[Lower Left Side Back Pain]

Dear Dr. John,

I read that back pain can be a signal of cancer too. The lower left side back pain can indicate the presence of colon or spinal cancer. Is it true? Do you have any opinion on that?

[BackPain Causes]

Hello,

Particular conditions may cause the joint from working rightly resulting in stiffness in muscle pain in the low back.

You can read more here.

http://www.causes-of-low-back-pain.co.cc/

Best wishes