4 Common Causes Of Spine Pain In Millennials

Category: Spine Pain | Author: Stefano Sinicropi

Spinal Discs Treatment

We oftentimes see spine pain as something that only affects older individuals, but the fact of the matter is back pain doesn’t discriminate, and we’re all only getting older. However, we’ve noticed that certain injuries or pain patterns are becoming more popular among a younger group of individuals. In today’s blog, we take a closer look at five common causes or contributing factors of back pain in millennials.

Millennials and Back Pain

Here’s a look at some of the causes and factors that put millennials at a heightened risk for back and neck pain.

  1. Smartphones – People of all ages are addicted to their smartphone, but millennials grew up with cell phones from a young age, meaning their cervical spine has been affected for a longer period of their life during a crucial stage of growth and development. If you spend too much time on your phone, you can overstress your cervical spine and develop chronic neck pain.
  2. Work From Home – Unlike Baby Boomers, millennials entered a technologically advanced workforce that allowed for a number of work-related tasks to be accomplished with little more than a computer and internet access. More millennials are working from home than ever before, and as we talked about on this blog, work from home conditions can be incredibly hard on your back. Read the tips to help learn how you can protect your back if you’re working from home.
  3. Sport Specialization – While this factor may be more useful for Generation Z, millennials may be feeling the effects of sport specialization. Decades ago, kids were more likely to play multiple sports throughout the year. Nowadays, as travel teams and the pressure to constantly be at your best has become more commonplace, more athletes are focusing only on one sport year round. This can lead to overstress on the spine or unequal muscle development, increasing your risk of injury. You need to ensure you’re cross training and giving your body some much needed rest and relaxation throughout the sports year.
  4. Not As Young As We Once Were – Most millennials will soon be 30 or are already on the wrong side of that number, and many of them are coming to the realization that they aren’t as young as they once were. Maybe you used to be able to get away with eating whatever you wanted and not gaining weight, or skipping a stretching routine before athletic activity. Not anymore! Doing so can easily lead to weight gain and stress-related injuries, or strains and tears because your spinal muscles aren’t ready for activity. We have to be more mindful of our physical health as we age, and many millennials would be wise to realize this before an injury occurs.

If you need help getting control over your back pain, regardless of whether you’re old or young, reach out to Dr. Sinicropi and his team for individualized care. Give his office a call today at (651) 430-3800.

Comments are closed.

Make an Appointment