5 DAILY HABITS to stop overlooking in your 30s, 40s & 50s if you want to eliminate LOW BACK PAIN

If you’re experiencing low back pain, you’re not alone!  According to a 2024 article in the Harvard Gazette, this common complaint costs the U.S. healthcare system an estimated $100 billion a year. 

After over 16 years as a Doctor of Physical Therapy - and navigating my own back pain related to scoliosis and a twin pregnancy - I’ve learned that staying pain-free isn’t just about stretching more or doing core exercises.

While hip mobility, thoracic spine mobility, pelvic floor function & deep core strength ABSOLUTELY play major roles, to achieve lasting relief, you also need to look at the DAILY HABITS that impact your back all day long.

Here are five often-overlooked daily habits that play a major role in low back pain, stiffness, and long-term spine health - especially in mid-life.

1. TOTAL DAILY MOVEMENT Matters Just as Much as Your Workouts

I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but if you work out in the morning, then sit the rest of the day for work, your back is going to be cranky.  Prolonged sitting leads to

• Hip stiffness

• Reduced thoracic (mid-back) mobility

• Increased compression through the lumbar spine

To keep your back feeling good, aim for at least 7,000 total steps & layering movement throughout your entire day.  Simple ways to increase daily movement include

• Taking a short walk or mobility break every hour when working (even a few minutes is helpful)

• Parking further away during regular errands like going to the grocery store

• Going for a 10-minute walk or doing 10 bodyweight squats after meals

• Alternating between sitting, standing, and supported floor sitting if you work from home

• Using a walking pad while completing work computer tasks (if coordination allows :)

Bottom line: Your body thrives on movement. Changing positions and moving often throughout the day reduces stiffness and helps prevent flare-ups.  Take the time to explore different movements & positions for daily tasks & include a VARIETY of movements throughout the day.

2. POSTURE

Poor posture doesn’t cause pain instantly - but over time can lead to muscle imbalances & increased pressure on passive structures (like joints, discs & the bony structures of our spine), which eventually leads to irritation & pain.  Pay attention to your posture when you’re sitting, standing & doing everyday tasks like watching TV, scrolling your phone, reading or playing cards/table games (Mahjong anyone?!!).

Common SITTING postures that contribute to back pain:

• Head pushed forward past shoulders

• Prolonged periods of tilting head down/looking down

• Excessively bending or extending upper neck to use bifocal glasses

• Chin jutting forward

• Slouched upper back

• Pelvis tucked under

Instead, aim for this when sitting:

Common STANDING postures that contribute to back pain:

• Hips pushed forward/Pelvis tilted forward with ribs flared

• Pelvis tucked under with knees bent

• Weight shifted onto one hip

Instead, aim for this when standing:

Ideally, if you have adequate mobility & your deep stabilizing muscles are firing properly, you can maintain the above mentioned neutral postures without much effort.  Although it does require attention, ideal posture should feel effortless, not forced or rigid. The goal is NOT to be constantly clenching, sucking in or firing your bigger muscle groups, like your glutes & upper shoulders. Posture should feel effortless, not forced.  

If you can't achieve a neutral posture without significant effort or pain, invest in a movement evaluation by a physical therapist or functional movement specialist!

3. RESTING MUSCLE TENSION

As mentioned above, you shouldn’t have to constantly clench your muscles throughout the day to maintain good posture & form with daily tasks.  Often times, we can accidentally clench our jaw, upper shoulder or glutes without even realizing it.  Other times, large muscles (like the QL in our lower back) can stay constantly tense as a protective response due to weakness/instability in other surrounding muscles.

Top reasons for excessive muscle tension at rest include

• Stress 

  • acute work/life stressors OR chronic stress from challenging childhood experiences, trauma, major life events or unresolved emotions

• Muscle Imbalances

• Weakness in deeper stabilizing muscles (foot, core & scapular stabilizers)

• Joint Instability - Hypermobility 

  
  

Step #1 - Build awareness & check in with your body throughout the day to see if you’re accidentally holding onto extra muscle tension

Step #2 - Incorporate strategies to decrease chronic tension, personalized to your individual needs.  For some, that might look like improving their ability to coordinate breathing while bracing the core during daily bending/lifting tasks.  Others might need to focus more on stress management strategies or specific methods to re-train the nervous system & help your body feel safe again. 

4. BREATHING PATTERNS

Speaking of stress management, think about your breathing patterns throughout the day.  Are you only using your neck, upper shoulders & upper chest to breathe? Or are you able to 

• Unclench/Relax the jaw while keeping your tongue gently pressed to the roof of your mouth

• Relax the upper shoulders

• Breathe IN through your NOSE

• Expand the lower ribcage & diaphragm 360 degrees (equal breath into the front, sides & back of your ribcage)

Getting in this habit of diaphragmatic breathing

• Supports optimal core and pelvic floor function

• Reduces excessive muscle tension

• Helps shift the nervous system out of “fight or flight” & into a relaxed parasympathetic state (so optimal healing, rest & digestion can happen)

If you want to learn about even more benefits as well as explore different positions to perform diaphragmatic breathing, check out this video.

5. MOVEMENT PATTERNS for DAILY LIFE TASKS

After treating hundreds of older clients in physical therapy, I can say with certainty that how you move during everyday life tasks WILL add up over the years. For example, do you only round your lumbar spine/low back forward with daily tasks like

• Loading the dishwasher

• Brushing your teeth

• Doing laundry

• Lifting a toddler off the floor/out of bed

• Lifting that heavy bag of dog food from the lower shelf at Costco

OR can you complete these tasks by HINGING from your HIPS or performing some sort of SQUAT or LUNGE variation?

You certainly don't have to move "perfectly" with every task, but learning to move well through your hips, as opposed to repetitively over-using the lumbar spine, will ABSOLUTELY make a positive impact as you age & help keep low back pain at bay.

Want Help Building Pain-Free Daily Movement Habits?

If you’re dealing with recurring low back pain and want to feel better & move with more confidence in your 30s, 40s and beyond, this is exactly what I help my clients do. Through in-person physical therapy & virtual/in-person pain-free movement and nutrition coaching, I help mid-life adults

• Reduce daily aches and pains

• Improve posture and functional movement patterns

• Build strength and resilience for long-term health & performance

  
  

If you’d like support building a plan that fits your lifestyle, let’s chat!  Schedule a free 15-minute strategy session & start on the path to moving better, feeling stronger, and ENJOYING life without limitations.

-Emily

REFERENCES:

1. The Harvard Gazette. “Despite prevalence, arthritis, neck and back pain receive few research dollars.” 8 Mar. 2024, https://news.harvard.edu/gazette/story/2024/03/despite-prevalence-arthritis-neck-and-back-pain-receive-few-research-dollars/

2. Ding D, Nguyen B, Nau T, Luo M, Del Pozo Cruz B, Dempsey PC, Munn Z, Jefferis BJ, Sherrington C, Calleja EA, Hau Chong K, Davis R, Francois ME, Tiedemann A, Biddle SJH, Okely A, Bauman A, Ekelund U, Clare P, Owen K. Daily steps and health outcomes in adults: a systematic review and dose-response meta-analysis. Lancet Public Health. 2025 Aug;10(8):e668-e681. doi: 10.1016/S2468-2667(25)00164-1. Epub 2025 Jul 23. Erratum in: Lancet Public Health. 2025 Sep;10(9):e731. doi: 10.1016/S2468-2667(25)00199-9. PMID: 40713949.