Lower Back Pain When Coughing: Why It Happens and How to Treat It
Lower back pain when coughing can be uncomfortable, but there’s a lot you can do to feel better with these recommended tips and exercises.
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If you’re sick with a cold, the last thing you need is lower back pain when coughing on top of the sneezing and congestion that’s already dragging you down. But coughing fits that trigger your lower back to spasm in pain aren’t uncommon. “When you cough, it increases pressure in your abdomen and lungs, which, in turn, puts more strain on your back muscles,” explains Dorian Logan, PT, DPT, a physical therapist at Hinge Health. And if you cough so hard that you’re forced into a bent-over position as you hack away, you may notice even more back pain.
Thankfully, there’s a lot you can do to feel better if you experience lower back pain when coughing.
Read on to find out why you may experience lower back pain when coughing and how to relieve it, especially with back exercises recommended by Hinge Health physical therapists.
Reviewed by our clinical and medical experts
Dorian Logan, PT, DPT
Claudia Canales, PT, DPT
Causes of Lower Back Pain When Coughing
If coughing triggers lower back pain, you’re most likely to feel it around your intercostal muscles — the muscles between your ribs that help expand and contract your rib cage as you breathe. They’re the ones that get activated the most when you cough. But what’s causing the pain in the first place? There are many possible culprits, including:
Muscle strain. If your back muscles are already sore from a tough workout or a day of strenuous housework, it can be normal for them to feel uncomfortable when you cough.
Spinal stenosis. This condition occurs when your spinal column narrows and puts more pressure on your spinal cord and nerves. If you twist or bend to the side when you cough, like when trying to direct your cough away from others nearby, you may move into an aggravating position and irritate the region, causing an increase in pain.
Osteoarthritis. This is the most common type of arthritis and is due to changes in the shock-absorbing cartilage between your bones that can naturally occur with age. It sometimes causes symptoms such as pain and stiffness, which can be exacerbated by coughing.
Exercises for Relief From Lower Back Pain When Coughing
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- Knee Rocking
- Abdominal Bracing
- Bridge
- Thread the Needle