BACK PAIN: I hate doing the dishes

August 8, 2009 12:42 PM

Why does my back always hurt when doing the dishes?

It always hurts when I'm doing the dishes, and sometimes hurts at other times. I need to strengthen my back muscles and I've been working on it but I'm worried that it might be something more than weak muscles. Sometimes I have pain in the area that I believe is the sciatic nerve, above my butt crack to the left just slightly. When I do back exercises and yoga it seems to worsen the sciatic nerve pain, but lessen the more lower central dish doing pain. What might be going on and what should I do?
I've never been to a chiropractor...should I go? Any recommendations for back doctors in the Seattle area?

posted by bdoop21 to health & fitness (24 comments total)

My back hurts when I do the dishes, because I'm leaning slightly forward over the sink. The muscles in my lower back just get tired.
posted by lucidium at 12:48 PM on August 8

Me too. I also have big boobs, so I think that exacerbates the issue. I find that if I stand with my feet a little further apart than I normally would it seems to help.
posted by kimdog at 12:54 PM on August 8

I've had this problem a lot myself...doing dishes and working at the kitchen counter. My best guess is that it's something to do with the counter height not being optimal--I'm about average height for a woman, 5'4" or so, but counters still never seem quite the right height for me.

One thing I've found useful is to have a good kitchen stool--not one so high and wobbly that I have to teeter atop it (though being as short as I am, this happens easily...) but one that's comfortable to sit on, a little shorter with a wider seat and footprint, while I work. Mostly I've used that for more prolonged cooking or prep work and not dishes, though.

When I worked in a cafe, we had thick padded mats to stand on (somewhat like so, but not quite as nice, and I seem to remember them helping, as well.

Good supportive shoes might be another possibility, but not one I've tried; if there are back alignment problems causing muscle strain I suppose that might help.

As far as doctors or other treatments, I'm afraid I have less experience in that area, but someone else likely will have more to say on the subject. :)
posted by miratime at 12:56 PM on August 8

Everyone leans forward to do the dishes, leaning foward increases the load on the spine rather dramatically, even with perfect posture. If you can't maintain the natural curves of the spine while leaning foward, the load increases even further.
posted by zentrification at 1:11 PM on August 8

I don't remember where I heard this advice, but try this: put a foot stool, or a couple of phone books on the floor, and put one foot on it, so that one leg is straight and the other is bent and higher.
posted by molecicco at 1:13 PM on August 8 [1 favorite has favorites]

Seconding counter height. I'm a little too tall for standard counters, but when I got a new sink I jacked it up and lost the backaches.
posted by rikschell at 1:15 PM on August 8 [1 favorite has favorites]

If you think you have a back problem, do not try to fix it yourself. I'd recommend seeing a physiatrist (rehab medicine doctor) for an evaluation. Hopefully all you need is some physical therapy to strengthen your muscles properly.

I do not recommend chiropractors. They essentially do what physical therapists do, but without the input from a medical doctor, and in sometimes physically dangerous ways. Chiropractic is a huge controversy in and of itself. Speaking as a person with a permanent back injury, I would rather have medical doctors and physical therapists working together than relying on a chiropractor.

Until you see whomever, please cease exercising on your own. You could be making a minor problem into a big one. I cannot emphasize that enough.
posted by vincele at 1:22 PM on August 8

I get this too, and the anti-fatigue mat doesn't really help. I think the putting-one-foot-up idea is a good one. Maybe the thing to do is install a rail in front of the toe kick, like they have in bars...
posted by bink at 1:26 PM on August 8

I got this advice for general back pain (posture/computer work/too much sitting etc etc but similar to your sciatic related lower back pain) from the physical therapist. Its not that the back muscles are weak, the problem is that you also need to engage the abdominal muscles while walking/working etc. If the latter are weak, your back has to do more work. So I was actually given exercises to strengthen the ab muscles for back pain. You might want to look into this as well.
posted by xm at 1:28 PM on August 8

Yup, see a doc or physical therapist and make sure that you are doing the exercises/yoga properly to begin with.
posted by xm at 1:30 PM on August 8

If you want to strengthen your back muscles, oddly enough walking up steep inclines does this. For a little while a few years ago I lived in an area where every day I could walk right out my door and do a half-hour loop that probably averaged perhaps 15° or 20° the whole way.

I've had poor posture and weak back muscles my whole life, and similarly I get back pain while doing dishes normally, and it was absolutely incredible the difference it made. Unfortunately I've long since moved away from there and so I'm a bag of spaghetti again.

I would imagine that using a stair-stepper machine might have the same effect but I've never had access to one of those regularly so I don't know for sure.
posted by XMLicious at 1:34 PM on August 8

I get this when I was dishes in the sink. Washing them in a dish pan on the counter prevents it.
posted by Mitheral at 2:35 PM on August 8

I have had this exact same problem, both with dishes and sitting down folding laundry. For me, the problem completely disappears if I have been working out regularly, especially ab work. The stronger my abs, the better my posture and the more I remain straight-backed as I do dishes or fold.

I would recommended strengthening your core abdominal muscles before seeking medical attention and see if after a few weeks you notice a difference. Good luck.
posted by click at 2:38 PM on August 8

What is your kitchen flooring made of? If it's not a sprung floor, or if it's stone or ceramic tile, in addition to other dish-washing issues noted above, standing on an unyielding surface can also be hard on your back. Buy a thick rubber mat (they should have them at any big box home cente or a full-line hardware store); these are made for people who have to stand, like clerks at kwikkie marts and such.
posted by nax at 3:00 PM on August 8

N'thing seeing a physical therapist for back exercises. I *cough* didn't see one, but did pick up some back exercises from a friend who did, and my lower back behaves nicely as long as I keep up with the routine (which only takes a few minutes every other day).
posted by dws at 3:38 PM on August 8

My back hurts when I do the dishes because I hate doing the dishes and my body is kind enough to give me a plausible excuse for not doing them. Good body!
posted by tim_in_oz at 3:45 PM on August 8

Why does my back always hurt when doing the dishes?

Because your kitchen, like every other kitchen and most of the work benches in the known universe, was designed by sadistic dwarves. Your sink is too low.

Get a big plastic tub and put it on the draining board, and wash the dishes in that. Bet you a dollar your back pain goes away.
posted by flabdablet at 5:45 PM on August 8 [1 favorite has favorites]

No advice, just to add I also have big boobs and a backache from doing dishes. I will try the lifting one foot up trick, too.
posted by Savannah at 5:46 PM on August 8

Try tilting your pelvis forward slightly (as if you're pushing your hips forward: the front of your hips goes up, the rear of your hips goes down) . It might take some conscious effort, but might relieve the symptoms. Then go and see a physical therapist.
posted by flutable at 3:18 AM on August 9

The pain (which I get, too) has a double cause -- leaning slightly forward and remaining in the same position for a long time. YEARS ago when I was doing KP in the Army and washing pots and pans for an hour after every meal, I vary my distance from the front of the sink, so that I would bend further forward part of the time. I'd also take one minute every 10 minutes to squat and bend forward and back and swivel around. Anything to vary the position.
posted by KRS at 6:59 AM on August 9

I had a job as a dishwasher in high school, and would be in front of the sinks for 8-10 hours at a time. The secret is to stand with your feet apart as wide as comfortably possible, such that you lower yourself to the level of the sink without leaning over. Works like a charm.
posted by (lambda (x) x) at 10:46 AM on August 11

Thank you everybody! I havent done the dishes since I posted this....haha.
I will try all the suggestions and see what works best. I think the core strength and incline walking will probably help a lot...I'm pretty weak right now.
I will always hate doing the dishes though, even if my back doesnt hurt.
posted by bdoop21 at 11:48 AM on August 13

Oh and my kitchen floor sucks, its beautiful but its hard ceramic tile. I have a cloth mat there now. I am going to get a rubber one...thank you!
Funny because I DO stand on a rubber sheet in my studio (concrete floors) while working and it does seem to help.
posted by bdoop21 at 11:51 AM on August 13

I have been seeing an Osteopath over the last couple of weeks.
He said that my sacrum is slightly twisted and that one of my legs is ever so slightly longer than the other which is probably the reason that my sacrum is twisted to begin with.
All of this is why my back hurts pretty much all the time.
He practices myo-fascial release and craniosacral therapy. He is gently persuading my sacrum to go back into place. The sessions are amazing. Not only does my back feel better but there is some heavy emotional release going on here too.
I think Osteopaths rule! My insurance covers it too!
posted by bdoop21 at 2:07 PM on September 14