Back Pain while trying to sleep.

[Dastardly]

I am 25 now and have lumbar spine pain since I was 19. This pain occurred mostly when lying down but also when standing for longish periods.

At that time I was slightly overweight and had poor posture due to very inactive musculature.

Last year, aged 24 I began strength training, which involved ab work like prone planks as well as barbell lifts.

My posture and back pain dramatically improved. I know only got mild ache when oversleeping (lying down for waay too long) and when being bent over doing things like washing dishes for a long time.

This was a vast improvement to before. My posture and 'core stability' felt awesome. I felt my 'core' strength/stability continually improving too and expected to eventually be fully cured as barbell lifts went up.

However recently something weird has happened.

When the gym closed for christmas and I was without lifting for a while, I began to get very significant aches while lying down again. This took me by surprise, was quite a shock as it had been almost non-existend for a good while. This ache was now much worse than ever before, and could be felt immediately when lying down.

I presumed it must be because I was not lifting.

But I have now been lifting again for over 2 weeks doing SS consistently. And this back ache has persisted. So much so that it is now disprupting my sleep.

If I somehow awake just 2-3 hours into sleep, my backache is so distracting that there is no chance of falling back to sleep again.

I was just wondering if anyone has come across this kind of back pain before? Is there anything I can do about it?

I tried putting a pillow under my back which worked temporarily.

I get no pain during heavy lifting. But when lying down all muscles are relaxed, and spinal vertebrae very loose. My hips inevitably tilt when lying leaving my spine sagging in the middle, bending under strain.

[Mr.City]

ever try putting a pillow under your ass/ hips?

[msingh]

I get this, sleeping without a pillow over a few nights makes it better

[Dastardly]

Right, yesterday I did stuff like planks at the end of my workout which I was doing regularly last year but had given up to focus on the "purity of SS"

The ache was still there but milder, so I could sleep quite well.

I will continue to do planks and other isometric holds and see if it continues to reduce.

[crc]

A 1-2" memory foam topper might do the trick, and make sure that your mattress isn't sagging. I had a lot of back problems until I invested some thought and money into a new sleeping setup. I also had some luck with incorporating daily back/stomach exercises into my (desk job) workday.

[Sami]

I don't how you're doing it but stop trying to bypass the swear filter when you write "c*re".

[Sgsolberg]

Have you tried sleeping on your side/stomach?

When my back acts up, I sleep on my side and I feel fine in the morning. Of course, YMWV.

[Mr.City]

They really blocked out "core"?

[lylemcd]

'Low back pain' is a staggeringly general description that can refer/be caused by a whole lot of things. You won't get an answer until you figure out what's causing it.

Lyle

[Dastardly]

Have you tried sleeping on your side/stomach?

When my back acts up, I sleep on my side and I feel fine in the morning. Of course, YMWV.

Lying on Side and stomach are actually the worst affected. This is especially annoying as they are my favourite way to sleep.

I made a crappy drawing for you on an online app to show you what I mean:



When lying on side my mid section sinks downward as my hips and upper body are both wider. This causes spine to bend sideways producing strain and pain.

When lying on front the hips are usually half twisted with one leg to the side. (does anyone lie totally flat on their front?) this produces a rotational strain in addition to the bending strain.

Lying on back, especially with rolled up sweater under lumbar area has proven to be the most comfortable. The problem is I cannot sleep like this and end up going to side/front.