What Is The Difference Between Mechanical And Inflammatory Back Pain?
As an executive mum, juggling a high-stress job and family responsibilities can take a toll on your body, particularly your back. Back pain can stem from various causes, and understanding whether it’s inflammatory or mechanical can be crucial for effective management. In this blog lets discuss the difference between these two types of back pain and how you can identify them.

Back pain is a common issue for many, especially for busy executive mums who often neglect self-care amidst their hectic schedules. Back pains are classified in many ways and one of the simpler ways of doing so is to divide them into the categories of Inflammatory and mechanical back pain. They both have their distinct causes and symptoms.

Inflammatory back pain is often caused by conditions like ankylosing spondylitis, arthritis, etc. This type of pain is associated with inflammation in the spine and is typically characterized by the following features:

  • Morning Stiffness: Inflammatory back pain typically causes stiffness and pain that is worse in the morning or after periods of inactivity. This stiffness usually lasts for more than a few minutes to a few hours.
  • Improvement with Movement: Unlike mechanical back pain, inflammatory pain tends to improve with physical activity and exercise.
  • Chronic Nature: Inflammatory back pain often persists for more than three months and can gradually worsen over time.
  • Systemic Symptoms: Other symptoms may include fatigue and general feelings of being unwell, which are not usually present with mechanical back pain. 

    Here is a video explaining inflammatory back pain: 



Mechanical back pain, on the other hand, is more common and is often due to musculoskeletal issues such as muscle strains, ligament sprains, or degenerative disc disease. Key features of mechanical back pain include:

  • Activity-Related Pain: Mechanical pain typically worsens with physical activity and improves with rest. Lifting heavy objects, prolonged sitting, or standing can exacerbate the pain.
  • Localized Pain: This type of pain is usually localized to the lower back and may radiate to the buttocks or thighs but rarely below the knee.
  • Short Duration: Mechanical back pain often lasts for a few days to a few weeks and tends to improve with conservative treatments like rest, physical therapy, or over-the-counter pain relievers.
  • Absence of Systemic Symptoms: Unlike inflammatory back pain, mechanical back pain is not associated with systemic symptoms such as fever or tiredness.
To summarize, lets consider Sarah, an executive mum, who wakes up every morning with intense stiffness in her lower back that lasts for over an hour. Despite her busy day, she finds that her back pain improves slightly after her morning jog or yoga session and a hot shower. She also notices occasional fatigue and tiredness, due to inflammatory back pain.

Emma, another executive mum, experiences sharp lower back pain after lifting her toddler or sitting for long hours at her desk. Her pain worsens with physical activity but subsides with rest. She has no other symptoms and finds relief from her mechanical back pain with stretching and over-the-counter pain medications. 

If you are not sure about the cause of your back pain click HERE  to get a free guide on "What is the Source of your Back Pain?"

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MEET SWATI

 
Hi there! 
I am Swati, an Executive Mum Power Coach and a Certified Posture Expert. I use my proven system to help mums of younger kids working in high-stress executive jobs manage their back, neck, and nerve pains, despite low energy levels and brain fog. I do all this without taking away a big chunk of their time out of their already busy day. This enables them to be more productive and capable professionals at work and guilt-free mums who can focus on their kids instead of always being distracted by pain. 



My passion for helping executive mums stems from my own experiences. I have been in the same boat and understand the frustration and helplessness of being in constant pain or being afraid to engage in activities due to the fear of pain. After two pregnancies in the span of three years and juggling my two kids, housework, and a demanding job, I was constantly in pain. The weight gain from motherhood added extra stress to my already overburdened spine and joints. I was stuck in a vicious cycle of weight loss and spinal/nerve pain that I just couldn’t break free from.

On top of the physical pain, I also suffered from adrenal fatigue. I often felt exhausted, waking up groggy even after a full night’s (10 to 12 plus hours!) sleep, and struggled with low energy levels and brain fog. Simple tasks became challenging, and I found myself forgetting things and unable to think clearly. It was incredibly frustrating and made it even harder to balance my professional responsibilities and family life.

My work involved long hours of standing during the day, prolonged hours on the laptop in the evening, and lots of running around and rocking my kids to sleep in between. Despite my knowledge and expertise in pain relief, I still found myself unable to escape the constant daily pain and fatigue.

Sitting at a desk job from 9 to 5, or longer, plus endless meetings that seem to go on forever. The frequent traveling, the uncomfortable hotel pillows that make it impossible to get a good night’s sleep—I’ve experienced it all. I remember not being able to share my discomfort at work because I felt like an imposter, talking about pain relief strategies and focusing on work while I was not able to achieve it myself. I didn’t disclose the extent of my pain and forgetfulness to my colleagues for years. Even though I loved my kids and my job, I couldn’t give 100% to either. The discomfort held me back from reaching my full potential, making me feel guilty as a mum and less productive at work. I felt like I was constantly running on empty, unable to catch a break from the pain and exhaustion.

finally got fed up after years of trying and decided to make a New Year’s resolution to get ‘healthy’ instead of focusing solely on my pain, fatigue, forgetfulness, and weight loss. When I shifted my focus to getting healthier by reducing the inflammation in my body and addressing my adrenal fatigue, the pain started to decrease, my energy levels and focus improved, and the pounds started shedding off too! That, of course, meant a happier spine, nerves, joints, and a happier me! Today, my neck, back, and nerve pain are down to zero, my knee pain has reduced by 75%, my brain fog has reduced drastically and my energy levels are higher than ever. I realized that I had been focusing on the wrong solutions for over a decade!

Now, my mission is to share my knowledge of pain relief and managing adrenal fatigue along with my personal experience with other mums, especially those with younger kids who work in high-stress executive jobs. My goal is to help you find lasting relief, boost your energy, and reclaim your life, just as I did. 

If you can relate to all this, you are not alone. As a mum, I have been there and done that—momma, I got you! I’ve helped hundreds of mums in this situation over the years find their solution to manage spinal and joint pains, low energy levels, and brain fog that hold them back. This enables them to feel confidently in control and empowers them to cultivate that confidence and productivity at work and enjoy being with their kids, to be able to run around with them without the fear of injury or pain.

Are you ready for this journey? Ask me how if you are curious.

Let's DO THIS!
xx Swati
** Executive Mum Power Coach **

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