Our Edmonds chiropractic clinic deals a lot with the role that your back plays in the pain you feel in other parts of your body, but it works the other way around, too. There are times when your back is suffering from pain because of problems in your extremities. One of the biggest culprits here, naturally enough, are your legs.
While your back spends most of its time supporting most of the rest of your body, your legs are the ones in charge of supporting your back. If they are out of balance, your back is going to feel it. If one of your legs is longer than the other, if you habitually wear mismatched shoes, or if one leg is simply not pulling its weight, this means that one side of your pelvis is getting less support than the other. Even a miniscule tilt in your pelvic region has the power to twist your spinal column, which weakens the entire structure and puts you at greater risk of back injuries.
With this in mind, consider the way you use your legs. Do you make a habit of sitting on one foot but not the other? Does one leg get more stretched than the other? Tall people can have a particular problem if they find themselves sitting on chairs that are too short for them; over time, their leg muscles can tighten and pull on the pelvis in uncomfortable ways. Try to balance the use of your legs, practice some basic stretches for your leg muscles, and see your chiropractor for more information on how to maintain a set of back-friendly legs.