A life attitude that has emerged on the Internet is called "lying flat", which is simply to stop actively working hard and give up compromise. For the lumbar spine, this lying flat state is also the least stressful. However, after many people try to lie flat in bed, they find that the more they lie down, the more uncomfortable they are, and even have low back pain. So he came to me and asked, "Why did you lie flat, but instead you hurt your waist?" "It's probably the wrong way everyone is lying!"
Lying flat does have minimal pressure on the lumbar spine!
In the daily activities of sitting, standing, and lying, the least compression of the lumbar spine is in the lying state. When the human body is lying down, the pressure of the lumbar intervertebral disc is minimal, about 70% of the time when standing. We lie flat, side, or prone to relax our lumbar muscles and reduce the pressure on the discs.
This is because when lying down, the contact area between the body and the bed is large, and the spine is subjected to very little force in the horizontal direction; and when we stand, the spine supports our trunk, and the intervertebral disc will bear the external force in the vertical direction such as body weight; when standing and bending forward, the center of gravity moves forward, and the pressure on the lumbar spine and intervertebral disc will also become larger; the lumbar spine is more stressed than the standing state, especially when the sitting posture such as forward leaning is not good.
Therefore, when many patients with lumbar disc herniation have severe pain during the acute attack, doctors will recommend that they take bed rest to allow the lumbar and lumbar discs to rest in this position, reduce compression, and relieve symptoms.
Since the pressure is small when lying flat, why does lying for a long time hurt the waist?
Everything has its limits, just like life can be "lying flat" for a while, reducing and adjusting the pressure of life at this stage, but it cannot be "lying flat" for a lifetime, otherwise it will do nothing. The same is true of our lumbar spine, and lying down for a long time will be harmful to the lumbar spine.
Many people lie down for a long time and experience lower back discomfort and even low back pain, which may be caused by the following reasons.
First, in addition to the intervertebral discs, our lumbar spine is very important, and the muscles in the lumbar region are also very important. The strength of the core muscles needs to be continuously strengthened, so that the stability of the lumbar spine and the physiological curvature of the lumbar spine can be maintained. With strong lumbar muscle strength, we can lay a good foundation for lumbar spine health.
But if you are bedridden for a long time, lying down for longer than standing and sitting, the strength of the core muscles cannot be well exercised, but the more you sleep, the more uncomfortable it is.
Second, friends who have observed can find that there is a gap behind the lumbar spine when we lie flat. This is because the lumbar spine is not a straight line from the side, there is a convex physiological curvature, so a part of the back of the lumbar spine is suspended, then the muscles behind the waist are in a continuous stretching state, sleeping too long will appear muscle fatigue, resulting in waist discomfort.
Especially friends who love to sleep on "hard bed", the back of the waist can not be supported, but the more they sleep, the more painful the waist. Therefore, the mattress should be soft and hard, and everyone should choose a mattress with certain support that can maintain the physiological curve of the spine in a normal position.
Third, prolonged bed rest can easily lead to a decrease in bone volume, which is what we often call osteoporosis. Because the bone is not stimulated by the upper and lower stresses, it will lead to an increase in blood calcium, and the decalcification of the bone will be more serious, which can easily lead to osteoporosis. Such patients have increased bone fragility, are particularly prone to fractures, and symptoms such as low back pain need to be vigilant.
The combination of these points will cause us to have lumbar spine injuries after a long period of bed rest.
Finally, I still advise everyone: whether it is life and lumbar spine protection, moderate "lying flat" can relieve temporary pressure, but "lying flat" for a long time will only get worse!
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