Be careful of your waist even in the snow in sub-zero weather...My muscles are stiff. It's painful
Feb 13, 2025
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On top of that, the risk of falling on icy roads and road thin ice caused by overnight snow also increased.
What you should be careful about at this time is your back health. This is because if the temperature is lowered, pain can occur even if there is no usual back disease, and if you already have back disease, the pain can worsen.
On cold days, muscles and ligaments surrounding the spine become stiff, compressing bones and nerve tissue, increasing the risk of acute low back pain. Usually, it may be simple muscle pain, but if the spine is usually weakened, it may progress to a lumbar disc. In addition, low temperatures in winter also reduce joint flexibility and interfere with smooth blood circulation, so patients with chronic spinal diseases such as lumbar discs or spinal stenosis can feel pain more easily than in other seasons.
Jeong Sang-won (neurosurgeon), director of Barunseang Hospital's Spine Center, said "If you shake outside in cold weather, your muscles will become stiff and pain will occur more easily in your back than usual, and your blood circulation will not be smooth, which will lead to higher pain." If there is no improvement in the pain or the symptoms become severe even after a sufficient rest due to back pain, confirming and treating the disease with accurate diagnosis by a specialist can prevent it from developing into a larger disease.'
Depending on the duration, back pain is divided into acute if it is less than 6 weeks, subacute to 6-12 weeks, and chronic low back pain if the pain persists for more than 12 weeks.
About 70% of acute low back pain is a sprained back with a strained back, usually 50 to 60% improve within two weeks, and 90% improve within three to four months. However, it is very important to initially treat low back pain because once low back pain occurs, 60-80% of the cases recur within two years and may progress to chronic pain.
Low back pain varies depending on the duration, and if the symptoms are not severe, the symptoms can be improved just by taking a rest. If the pain does not improve within two weeks even after a sufficient rest, a quick effect can be achieved through medication or injection treatment. However, if you have chronic low back pain that lasts for more than six months, you should find the exact cause of the pain and start treatment. In the case of such chronic low back pain, lumbar intervertebral disc escape (back disk) and spinal stenosis can be suspected.
Temperature control is important to prevent acute pain and reduce back pain. It is helpful to keep warm not only when you go out but also indoors, such as covering your waist and stomach, and if you feel pain, it is helpful to do a hot pack. If you reduce your activity and shrink it because it's cold, muscle tension persists, so it's better to relax your body and facilitate blood circulation by stretching your back and turning it lightly.
This article was translated by Naver AI translator.
