2d ago

It doesn't get any better at 40

116 comments

As this thread shows, back pain isn't caused by just one thing, so each specific person's back pain won't be cured by the same one size fits all approach.
If your back pain is caused by poor posture exacerbated by a weak posterior chain, lifting weights at the gym or doing other strengthening exercises/physical therapy can be helpful. As plenty in this thread can attest, gym time to offset laptop time can go a long way.
If your back pain is caused by repetitive stress from physical labor, adhering to proper form/technique and rest/recovery cycles to the best of your ability can help.
If your back pain is exacerbated by the weight you carry, losing weight (or in certain circumstances, breast reduction surgery) can help.
We're all just trying to get through life. Sometimes other people's tips can help, so it's worth sharing, but we also shouldn't get too tied to a particular solution that worked for us, as a the solution for everyone else.

I mean this in all positivity. Move around and lose weight if you're sporting it. I'm over 40 and I'm in better shape than I was in my 20s because I move around a lot (owning a farm helps) but it's no excuse to not move if you don't. Stop being sedentary. Move and eat less. You will be surprised how little it takes to feel good again.
- Also quit smoking, vaping, anything with nicotine, which causes your discs to degrade faster.
  I have degenerative disc disease at 42, I'm looking at multiple fusions.
- OK well my counter story is that I move a lot for work too and I'm only slightly overweight but my upper back feels like it's going to break in half when I wake up in the mornings, and my lower back tingles like a 9 volt battery to the tongue just always. 32 yo.
  I guess just do whatever and maybe your back will feel fine and maybe it won't. Just like all health advice.
  
  You might need a better mattress if that's how you wake up like that. Especially if it gets better during the day.
  
  My cousin did construction work for a number of years and it wore this body out. He had to retire in his 40s.
- I eat twice a day, I never stop moving.
  I would say I’m doing better than most people at 40 if I hadn’t smoked since I was 10.
  I have something wrong with some nerves in my back though. Shit tingles to an annoying level if I carry my kids around.

I used to think this, until I started going to the gym.

100% encourage anyone past 30 to start working on your core strength, a sore back can frequently be caused by a weak core. I only take started focusing on that when I turned 40 and it's made a huge difference! Just a few minutes a day or every couple of days is all it takes. Get a kettlebell, do 30 swings, then a 1-2 minute plank, then 30 more swings and you're done. It will really help with the back pain, believe me!
- What exactly is a swing? Cause I just imagine spinning in circles letting it go and destroying my TV. I assume back and forth? Or in front of me? Over my head? 90 degrees?
  
  If you have 60 spare TVs to break everyday, that works out perfectly. Otherwise, I recommend watching this tutorial:
  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YSxHifyI6s8
- I do like 10 kettlebell swings, no plank (because I hate it) and my back has magically just become young again. It feels a little bit cool to swing that bad boy too.
  I do sincerely recommend.
  
  If you hate plank and don't have a kettlebell yet, start with some dead bugs.

I'm personally convinced that the cause of back problems is sitting way to much.
- That’s one aspect of it but the main cause is weakness of the lower back muscles. This is in the case of office workers, if you have a manual job the causes could be many. But all of the causes can be addressed to a certain degree with deadlifts to strengthen to lower back muscles. But people don’t want to lift weights so 🤷🏽‍♂️
  
  There are plenty of body weight exercises like squats and lunges that can strengthen the back. I think more than weights, people simply don't like to do targeted exercises.
  
  squat and deadlift are key to success. Really, anything that develops your posterior chain is a healthy bet
  
  Can't it be addressed with any regular, properly practiced sport, which many people don't do over 30? Lifting seems like effort without the fun of a game.
  
  It’s not just load back. People have to strengthen their core, chest, and upper back.
  All those muscles work together to help with good posture.
- Also bending your back for a job hours on end does more damage
- This is why I never sit down. Not even to poop. I just stand above the toilet, and hope it goes in.
  Sometimes it does!
  
  Do you have a poop fork next to the poop knife to help pick them up?
  
  Made me lol at the last sentence.
- In my case, it's the combo of way, way to much walking in work boots and then later doing a lot of sitting. gotta shorten up those hip flexor, bae
- My dad and brother had back problems and they were brick layers and then janitors. Only sat at breaktime.
  
  Repeated motion injuries can happen even in very fit people. The body needs time to heal even from low impact/low stress movement. Especially if it's at the edge of what's "easy".
  A good example is a food server. Even if you can handle the weight of a fully loaded tray easy enough, unless that weight is like throwing a nurf ball around for you, you're going to need a healing period after a long shift. Most likely longer than any asshole shift manager would ever allow if you're a small pretty gal.
- The human body wasn't designed to sit all day. We're walkers. Best to appreciate a job that keeps you moving. Haven't had back problems since I started doing manual labor. Before that, there were days I couldn't tie my shoes.
- Weighing way too goddam much is also a cause of back (and knee) problems.
- Adults don't know how to bend and squat properly. Watch people and you'll see that practically everybody bends at their back anytime they're reaching down.
  
  I still do if the weight in less than around 100lbs, but that's only because I've strengthened my back to the point where 100lbs is no big deal even in weird positions, and bending at the waist is sometimes way easier.

Strength training helps, a lot.
- and stretching. Gotta' stretch, especially if you're like me and aren't naturally very flexible. I've probably avoided dozens of injuries just by knowing my limits well and making sure they don't show up pitifully fast.
  
  I wouldn't say there aren't people who are naturally more flexible than average but all the people who are VERY flexible worked for it. The processes that improve your ligaments and muscles in that way require repetition and dedication like any other self improvement.
- 100%
  The reason that bowflex dude was 42 and in the best shape of his life was because at 42 it was the first time he needed to be.
  
  Shit, Anthony Bourdain had six-pack abs at age 61. You're never too old to stop whining about life and start moving some weights around and stop eating so much shitty food.

Yoga & lifting but mostly yoga. I got in a pretty bad car accident 10 years ago and did not get hurt, I mean got banged up but my back did not get hurt at all. Everyone told me "just wait" but that shoe never dropped, and I'm sure it's the yoga. Fell on my ass the other day (enthusiastic dog knocked my feet out from under me on a slippery surface) and didn't get hurt, and I'm old enough one of the questions the doctor asks is "any falls lately"
Move it in every direction, strengthen all those little muscles and yes, core but not just abs, every side of your core. Bodies are use it or lose it systems.
- I feel you there. I’m in my 40s and have never been super healthy, but I have at least tried to take care of my joints.
  Now, this year, my hobbies have had me doing manual labor like construction and landscaping in my yard. This is the strongest I’ve felt in a long time, and when slipping in a muddy yard or tripping over a toy or dog I seem to have the reflexes and supporting muscles to always catch myself without getting hurt. It’s been excellent for my mental health too.
  In my 20s and 30s I mostly just wanted to be my recluse nerd gamer self (with my partner who I met at 19 by sheer dumb luck) but now after actively working for years to figure out wtf is wrong with me and how to get better results out of this body and brain I’ve been given… yeah it’s no surprise but things like fresh air and other people and petting an animal are all good shit!

I started doing pilates a few tears ago. I hate it, but really, 15 minutes a week make a huge difference for my back. All it takes is a yoga mat and some pilates instructor lady on YouTube. Curtains is recommended since even if you get good at it you're gonna look ridiculous.
- I hope the tears stop eventually ✊

Other comments mentioned squats and deadlifts but the upper back is important too. Pullups and especially dead hangs are great for countering the effects of sitting at a desk.
Once you get your grip strength up you can hang and just let your spine decompress. It feels great. You can also do the opposite and keep your core engaged (AKA hollow hold) to build strength.
I played sports growing up but never had a strong core until I did this in my 30s. It was kind of shocking because I could suddenly do things like V ups with ease which used to make me shake uncontrollably.
- I like the shaking aspect, usually a sign you pushed far beyond your limits and your body is going "wtf".

I'm basically 40 and deadlift in the 700s pretty frequently. You can bulletproof your back if you have the will
- I'm working on it, but a lot of my issues stem from repetitive motion injuries.
- I don't know how some people do it. The max I can do without being incapacitated in bed is like 185 lbs, which is a farcry from what I heard you should be able to deadlift twice your weight.

Yoga helps 👍
- Stretching in general helps, it doesn't even have to be yoga. Though a good yoga routine makes it easier to hit most of the major areas.
  
  Agreed, I just wanted to mention the yoga 😁

The arches of our feet stretch unevenly as we age. For some people, this causes one foot to pronate more than the other, which leads to a functional leg length discrepancy, which causes a knee to turn in, the hips to tilt, the spine to develop a functional scoliosis, one shoulder to drop, causing neck pain, etc. It's called the kinetic chain, and unfortunately it's been hovered up as a chiropractic talking point. But it can often be corrected with custom shoe inserts that can also help with balance. On the flip side, you then become reliant on those things and your back is weaker without em. So ya know, nothing's simple, I guess.
- Not medical advice, but I got used to wearing shoes indoors after years of office work, but taking off my shoes when indoors and actually using all my muscles to hold myself upright, has lead to a real reduction in discomfort.
  If you're used to shoes all the time, it HURTS at first to go without and you have to take frequent sit/stand breaks. This is GOOD and you should listen to your body and continue moving in ways that make you feel better.
  
  Your point just reminded me that if you're capable, that one of the simplest mediations you can do is work with your muscles to keep yourself straight.

I’ve been suffering from severe sciatica for 6 months now. I am 33. I am in shape, exercise every day including running, yoga, and lifting. Gunna get steroid shots to hopefully help me break the cycle.
- I got sciatica at 37. I exercised regularly, running, yoga, lifting... What fixed it? Regular walking. Yep. Just an hour of walking around fixed the issue yoga and weight lifting couldn't.
- Got sciatica a few years ago, it was sudden and excruciating. Luckily it went away by itself, and so far it hasn't come back.
  I couldn't even lift my foot 10cm
  
  Pinched nerve?
- Are you doing deloaded weeks to help with recovery?
  
  Rn I pretty much only walk for exercise, plus the PT exercises focused on strengthening supporting muscles and providing spine extension.

If I sit on the couch playing vidya games for 2 hours, my back hurts for 2 days.
- The gamer in me says to set a timer and stop playing at 1:59.
  
  Stop at 1:59 and let stamina quickly recover before continuing. OP obviously not a real gamer.
  
  Am or Pm?
- Better ergs? More pillows? Shorter sessions?
  
  need a cat with a nervous bladder you have to take to the litter box to interrupt your sitting sessions

Lol, at 46 my heart said 'nah man, let's just stop'. 🤷
- If I ever actually have a heart attack, I'm not sure if I would think it's a heart attack or a panic attack simply because the first time I ever had a debilitating panic attack, it felt like the way everyone I've known to have a heart attack described them (hard to breath, intense chest pains, left srm went numb, etc) and called an ambulance just to find out it was anxiety.
  
  Same thing happened to me recently. Super fun loop.
  Have panic attack
  Symptoms mimic heart attack
  Panic more
  Mimics heart attack harder
  Repeat steps 3 and 4 until EKG, X-ray, and blood test come back clear, and doc gives benzos.
  At least now I know it's a panic attack so it doesn't feed itself as aggressively.
  
  It's easy to miss but I didn't say heart attack. My heart stopped beating and I stopped breathing. Never experienced any of the typical symptoms, non smoker and drinker. I literally dropped dead and was lucky that everything afterwards went well (aside from the trauma inducing situation of course).
  The cause is unknown to this day.

It's not so much that your spine is old at 30. it's more that our body is not really adjusted to our fucking modern lifestyle. and also it seems to me, a lot of backpain is psychological. i.e., anxiety and stuff leads to lower back pain and such.

I was born with my spine on the outside. I have felt this way my whole life!
- i am ~~jealous~~ envious of your fancy exoskeleton
  
  They put it back in when I was born. These days they do the corrective surgery in utero. Then there is the whole hydrocephalus thing
- That's fucking bad ass!
  
  yes, my ass is also bad, thanks to the spine, it has a way of ruining everything

I'm literally scrolling my phone while side stretching because my back hurts just from a4 hour sitting shift rooofl 💀

I'm 28 and I feel ancient. I wish I could start over in life, but I can't. I wasted my teens/20s and now, right when the long painful shitty grind until death is about to start, I still don't have shit, have accomplished nothing, never traveled or dated or moved out or got a degree or hit any of the typical milestones and am an unlikeable, crazy, unemployable pathetic loser everyone's forgotten about. Being born as this specific idiot person that I am is the worst thing that has ever happened to me.
- I have stuff, a job, kids, a wife, and all that and i’m still a miserable loser. Enjoying life is a thing you have to chose to do in spite of your circumstances, rather than because of them.
  For further reference, see Elon Musk: the dude literally has it all and i catch myself genuinely feeling sorry for how pathetic he is from time to time, that man couldn’t enjoy life even if he had literally everything
  
  Dude has an unlimited supply of ketamine. He probably is actually enjoying life most of the time, unfortunately.
- You'll always feel old, and you'll always look back at yourself a decade prior and marvel at what a fool you were for feeling old back then when you were really so, so young. This is a universal experience.
  I didn't really get going on anything until my mid 30s. I just cleaned floors and answered phones. Ended up meeting another late bloomer. We both graduated from mid college programs at the end of our 30s, and now we're both limping through our "careers" in our 40s.
  Yeah it might have been better if we started earlier but we didn't. And I sure as fuck look back at myself at 30 thinking how even with 000 to show for it I was still young and full of future, even if I felt like an ancient loser.

this is only true if you dont do anything with your life but just sit down in one spot all day and all night. im 38 and i feel find inside and out.

Not quite there yet. I’m thin and pretty active. But I take a lot of beatings and my bones just…fucking ache.

Muscle strength-focused workout. This is the way. Sitting all day is the death of your spine. Work out with weights, stronger muscles will save you

Air squats. Do them.
- I can't because I'm past 40
- At least for flexibility and balance. They're a nothing burger for strength, but strength can only come after your body can actually move without hurting itself.

I was there at 16

Yoga and strength training help quite a bit, but I always found the biggest help was to sleep well. I found sleeping in a hammock basically got rid of any lower back pain, but I'm sure a good bed will help as well.

Can check this out at the olympics. Sports that require flexibility like gymnastics and you have essentially kids. Sports around muscle like weight lifting and you get much older and ones that revolve around target shooting and you can get much older folk winning.

Wait, I am 30...

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