Can Bedrest Cause My Lower Back To Hurt?

Can Bedrest Cause My Lower Back To Hurt?

 



I wanted to share this information that I read from back specialist Stuart McGill.  In a spine study, it was thought that during bed rest, the intervertebral discs have an inflow of fluid (fluid that was pushed out during the day due to gravity and other compressive loads).  This swelling of the discs causes the spine to lengthen during 8 hours of bed rest.  Upon assessment of astronauts who spend prolonged time in a state of weightlessness (no gravity), it was noted that most of the bones lost mineral density, except the spine, which showed an increase in mineral density.  This indicates that the spinal bones were actually stimulated in response to increased loads (Wolff's Law), while the other bones began to weaken due to lack of stimulation.  The conclusion was that the higher load and spinal bone stimulation was caused by the swollen discs.  This means that being in bed for periods longer than 8 hours places more, not less, stress on the spine.  So bed rest may actually be causing some of your back pain.  I ask all my clients how long they sleep and if they feel a higher pain level in the morning.