Several factors can make you experience a stiff back. Being aware of the possible causes of your stiff back pain will help you have a detailed and productive consultation with your doctor. 

Here are the 4 most common reasons causing stiff back pain:

• Tightening of muscles in your thighs and hips: In case the muscles of your thighs and hips are tightened, it may affect the proper functioning of the spine. Some examples are:

Tight hamstrings: the hamstring muscles are located at the back of your thighs. The muscles are large and powerful and can tighten for several reasons like lack of physical activities, stretching or exercise. 

When the muscles get tightened, they become shorter in length. The decrease in length affects the shape of the lower area of your spine, leading to the disruption of the spine’s alignment with the pelvis. Therefore you might observe a stiff back with or without pain. You can feel the stiffness more significantly if you bend your spine forward. 

Hamstring stretching can help increase the length of the hamstrings and help you get rid of stiff back pain. 

Tight hip flexors: The iliopsoas muscles help lift the thighs and bring them nearer to your body. The activity is also known as flexion of the hips. 

If the iliopsoas muscles are tightened, it creates some stiffness in several parts of the spine. If the tightness gets severe, the spine might get unstable. The condition also results in swelling and irritation, causing stiff back pain. The hip flexors can be relaxed by stretching.

• Sitting with your spine bent forward: If you sit in this posture for a prolonged period, these changes can occur:

1. Increase in pressure in each segment of the spine. 
2. Weakness in the upper and lower back muscles. 
3. Lack of proper nutrient supply to the tissues of your spine. 

When we sit with our spine bent forward, it causes a lot of stress on the spine, leading to severe stiffness in the lower back. To fix the problem, make sure to maintain a straight posture as much as possible. For example, sit in such a way that your shoulders are aligned with your ears, and your upper arms are parallel to the body. Also, avoid using the backrest and sit straight to stimulate your core muscles.

• Inflammatory changes in the spine: Swelling in the spine can cause a decrease in flexibility and severe stiffness in the lower back. Here are the 2 most common examples: 

Ankylosing spondylitis: Ankylosing spondylitis occurs due to a certain kind of swelling, which results in the mixing of the adjacent vertebrae. The condition results in severe stiffness and chronic pain in the upper and lower back. The situation will gradually become better with the help of exercising. 

Osteoarthritis: Osteoarthritis occurs when there is a breakdown of the cartilage that protects the facet joints. The facet joints are located at the back of the spine. This condition results in the creation of friction in the joints while you are moving. As a result, you can experience severe pain and stiffness in the back. 

You can feel the pain more prominently during the morning after you wake up. But as the day progresses, the pain gradually decreases due to the movements in the body. However, the pain can increase again if you are resting or undergo a prolonged period without any physical activity. 

You can treat both the problems of ankylosing arthritis and spinal osteoarthritis with the help of correct medications, exercising and changes in your lifestyle. 

• Dehydration along with the shrinking of your spinal disks: Spinal disks are present in the body for absorbing shocks that are subjected to the vertebrae. The shock-absorbing pads distribute the shock loads throughout the spine. With ageing, these spinal disks can degenerate, which affects their functioning. 

After the spinal disk degenerates, the fibrocartilage breaks down along with loss of water and decreases in height. The problems result in stiffness in the spine, which you can feel while bending. 

Treatment of this problem can be done with the help of physiotherapy, exercise, medications and weight loss. Surgery is recommended in rare situations. 

If you have stiffness in the back and spine, consult your doctor to undergo proper treatment. 

So visit Ujala Cygnus Hospital and consult with our expert doctors if you are experiencing stiff back and pain in your body. They will diagnose your problem and treat it successfully.