Is Anyone Else Experiencing Back Pain From Wearing a Mask?
Maybe I was born with it, or maybe it's the quarantine.
At the age of 33, I'm no longer a young buck, but then again, I'm also not that old. I've recently come to terms with this. However, my 30s certainly don't feel like my 20s and that's a fact.
The time it takes to recuperate after a gym workout, a run, or even a long day of working on my feet is increasing by the day. I recall the days of pumping heavy iron until it felt as though my muscles were going to rip right out of the skin, just to do it all over again the next day. It was a necessary task to get that swell before going out on the town for the weekend.
Nowadays, not so much.
I've never really had lower back pain; the most common factors are having the wrong mattress or not lifting with your legs. Both of these things were never a problem for me.
These days, my lower back is on fire and nothing has changed in my life besides the age, and it all began when the pandemic hit the SouthCoast. I found it unbearable to go grocery shopping, which was my first sign of back pain, and then everything else slowly followed. All of these things have the same common factor: I was wearing a mask throughout the tasks.
Could it potentially be the fact that I was slouching all of these years and my posture was horrible? Perhaps, but how much of a difference should a mask make? We have all experienced the old "mask slip" off the nose while wearing one, so the first thing our bodies are doing is correcting themselves to stand a little taller, with our chins a little higher. Perhaps this small change is just enough to cause discomfort and in the long run, it's pinching nerve endings or putting pressure on the muscles in your back.
Trust me, I've been to physical therapy and it was a temporary fix because once again, I'm walking through the halls of my office, mask on and all, and my lower back is on fire. It's the only connection I can make at the time and would love to know if anyone else out there has a solution or perhaps any other idea as to what could possibly be hurting my back.
Reach out and chat at Gazelle@Fun107.com. I'd love to hear your thoughts on this, because it's becoming unbearable to even stand at this point in time.
Am I the only one out there who started getting back pain when the pandemic hit?
Here are some tips for self-care during the pandemic: