Back Pain and Fatigue - What is the Connection?

Have you ever noticed that you always somehow happen to experience back pain and fatigue at the same time? Of course, there are times when you might be experiencing both symptoms only because you stretched your own energy limits a bit much and over-exhausted yourself. But if you have been experiencing these symptoms for too long a period of time, then you should know that both fatigue and back pain are indeed connected with each other. Either of them can start off the vicious cycle, causing the other. So how are these two factors actually connected and what do you do about it? Read on to know more....

Moving on to find out more about how exactly back pain and fatigue are connected, let us first take up the back pain issue. The back is indeed the anchor of our body, supporting us and working along with us in every move we make. Back muscles are made up of an extensive network and are linked to the arms via shoulder muscles and to the legs via the hips. Hence, the back muscles control virtually all our movements. Why, these muscles work even when we are asleep. Considering all this hyper-activity, it is only common for the back to experience pain from time to time.

When we do not give the back its due rest, fatigue sets in over a period of time. The whole back starts hurting badly when we continue to ignore the initial pain. We still continue to be unmindful of how we sit, what posture we maintain while standing and walking, what body posture we adapt to lift weights and so on. Constant back pain obviously results in fatigue, as the body buckles under the strain of it all. So though we are not aware of it, our body sends us clear signals to slow down and take it easy.

Now let us look at the fatigue aspect alone. How is back pain caused by fatigue? Fatigue or weakness causes a person's whole body language to change. We tend to slouch or slump when we are tired and worn out. This creates a poor body posture, which in turn, gives rise to lower back pain. Not standing or sitting erect causes the back muscles to get knotted and cramped, resulting in poor oxygen and blood circulation to that area of the body.

Lack of exercise can also give rise to muscle fatigue and back pain, either one of the symptoms showing up first. Regular exercise loosens up the muscles and supplies blood circulation to the whole body, letting you feel instantly rejuvenated. Lack of exercise itself can cause tremendous exhaustion and lack of energy and enthusiasm.

It is of course advisable to rest a little if you are experiencing back pain and fatigue, especially if you have been over-reaching your stamina limits for too long. But remember never to do the rest bit either. Keep up moderate exercise as well, and you will again start feeling fit in no time at all!