I'm almost 40, tall, not in great shape, have bad posture, and have two misaligned disks in my lower back and even my back pain isn't that bad, so I would say that no it's not normal. You should definitely get that checked out.
this post was submitted on 08 Jun 2025
120 points (99.2% liked)
Ask Lemmy
32563 readers
1817 users here now
A Fediverse community for open-ended, thought provoking questions
Rules: (interactive)
1) Be nice and; have fun
Doxxing, trolling, sealioning, racism, and toxicity are not welcomed in AskLemmy. Remember what your mother said: if you can't say something nice, don't say anything at all. In addition, the site-wide Lemmy.world terms of service also apply here. Please familiarize yourself with them
2) All posts must end with a '?'
This is sort of like Jeopardy. Please phrase all post titles in the form of a proper question ending with ?
3) No spam
Please do not flood the community with nonsense. Actual suspected spammers will be banned on site. No astroturfing.
4) NSFW is okay, within reason
Just remember to tag posts with either a content warning or a [NSFW] tag. Overtly sexual posts are not allowed, please direct them to either !asklemmyafterdark@lemmy.world or !asklemmynsfw@lemmynsfw.com.
NSFW comments should be restricted to posts tagged [NSFW].
5) This is not a support community.
It is not a place for 'how do I?', type questions.
If you have any questions regarding the site itself or would like to report a community, please direct them to Lemmy.world Support or email info@lemmy.world. For other questions check our partnered communities list, or use the search function.
6) No US Politics.
Please don't post about current US Politics. If you need to do this, try !politicaldiscussion@lemmy.world or !askusa@discuss.online
Reminder: The terms of service apply here too.
Partnered Communities:
Logo design credit goes to: tubbadu
founded 2 years ago
MODERATORS
I am 29, and I only once (and many years ago) had severe back pain for like half day.
I had really bad back pain when I switched to an office job, which kept going for like 4 years. I finally went to the physio and after a few trial and errors she discovered the issue was in my core strength. I was exercising and generally active, but because I wasn't engaging my core properly that was just leading to more back pain.
She taught me how to engage my core properly and a few really simple exercises for strengthening, and my low back pain is almost entirely gone now.
Go to the doctor or a physiotherapist. If it's not a medical condition then it's most likely just related to your lifestyle and can be improved with some changes.
Editing to add I'm also in my 30s.
Separate note: On my 30th birthday actually I did have a separate issue with my side where the pain came on suddenly. I did go to the doctor for that one and was told essentially "you're just old", but he wasn't totally wrong on that one because it was literally that I had gotten drunk and fallen asleep on a very broken uncomfortable couch that had fucked my side right up. What you're describing doesn't sound like one of these dumb 'old people' injuries though.
Plus one for PT: my partner went from unable to walk to walking up and down stairs thanks to PT in a pretty short time. She had knee pain.
If you need that spine surgery get it. I wish I had mine sooner. Most people don't need surgery as physical theorpy fixes it. However when a few weeks wasn't showing any improvement they sent me for a mri and that found something that surgery was needed before it parralized me. (Not cancer but still a growth)
hopefully you have the same pains as everyone else but only a doctor can figure out the rare exceptions.
Call your insurance company and ask for a list of physical therapist providers in your area. Make an appointment at the same time you’re asking your general practitioner for a referral to speed up the process if they’ll let you book the appointment without the referral. Follow all the instructions of the physical therapist to a T no matter how stupid it may seem.
In addition to spine and muscle issues, there can be other things going on like an enlarged prostate or other swelling that pinches nerves which hurt in the lower back area instead of where the cause is located. Less common than sitting too much, but is another possibility beyond spine or back muscle issues.
I was surprised to find out that could feel like a kidney stone!
The human body is kind of a hot mess, and the back is one of the trouble areas. That said, you might want to see a doctor. If you have insurance. Otherwise just do what I do and pop that ibuprofen.
How tall are you? If the answer is yes, then it's common
Go to your doctor, take the meds they give you and do the exercises and you'll feel better. Then focus on building back strength so that it doesn't happen again.
This is one of the scenarios where oats and squats actually do help
Your normal doctor will not have a good answer for you. You need to see a spinal specialist. Or a specialist for your back. No an x-ray will not show you what’s wrong. You will need something better like a MRI. Better to go and know then not go and regret it.
Do you have any hypermobility? Even in your fingers?
You thinking EDS?
I think hEDS is just when mutations in the TNXB gene are extreme enough to warrant a diagnosis, yes.
The 20% of the pop who is hypermobile have milder mutations, but can suffer all the same from the downsides of hypermobility, and benefit from targeted interventions.
I ended up at the doctor with severe back pain at 22. It was so bad I had to call a friend to help me get dressed. Had physiotherapy for quite some time. It'll come back to haunt me at some point because I have mild scoliosis.
I've had bad episodes of back pain off and on since I was 11. I'm now 59. I have seen my doctor on many occasions and I'm just told to try to get more exercise. I guess I just put up with it, then
Welcome to being old, it fucking sucks.
/S
I’m 54 and my backs hurts when I’ve been doing lots of physical activities I don’t normally do, like digging or anything not upright for several hours. But this pain is more inconvenient than anything. Like it’s uncomfortable to sleep, a sudden sharp thing like my body is saying “don’t do that dumbass!”, or more like sciatica and taking a shit hurts.
What your describing is definitely not normal and should be looked at for sure.
wtf no,not normal i m way over 30, and never had such symptoms
go see a doctor , not normal
Yoga helps tremendously.
Can also make it way worse if there is a problem with the spine.
Yoga was the start of my wife’s back problems. Too much flexibility and not enough strength.
I talked to a trainer at my YMCA about my pains. she suggested a specific machine and it's been working wonders.
load more comments
(4 replies)
Start weightlifting, more specifically deadlifts. I would discourage you to go to CrossFit and anything that involves mixing cardio with strength.
Also, use as little machines as possible. 99% of the work is with dumbbells, barbells and a rack
/me that had back pain in his late 20-mid 30… and then started weightlifting and had never had a back pain 🙂