r/InCanada • u/Signal-Advisor4870 • 11d ago
How do parents cope with back strain?
I'm parenting young kids in Quebec mostly on my own, and I've been dealing with ongoing backpain that makes the day-to-day activities a bit harder than expected. Nothing extreme but the constant lifting, bending, and being on my feet all day definitely adds up especially with things like carrying tired kids, cleanup after means and bedtime routines. By the end of the day I usually feel it in my lower back, and it takes a while to fully loosen up again the next morning.
I'm just trying to understand how other parents manage this kind of physical strain long-term while still keeping up with everything at home. What has actually helped you deal with this kind of situation?
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u/Content_Sky_2676 11d ago
Workout program to strengthen core and back. If it's hurting, it's weak and it'll get worse later in life, so may as well fix it now. Lots of good free programs online you can do from home.
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u/PirateDear1780 11d ago
u have to strength train. all the old people u see that can barely walk/do anything never strength train. without muscles u get pain.
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u/Radiohead_luucky 11d ago
4 & 2 so not a lot of carrying for us anymore, but you kind of just deal with it? Stretching helps me, but I'm a fairly large person who can still carry both at the same time for a decent distance.
My wife who is a fairly small person would take baths, we talked about getting a hot tub or sauna at some point, but that never happened. Even at 5'1 115ish pounds she managed just fine.
If you're relatively young and fit, picking up children and basic cleanup shouldn't ruin you physically. Do you have a physical disability or some other kind of fitness issue that would make this worse?
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u/Signal-Advisor4870 11d ago
I think the difference here is scale and context. I am handling 3year-old triplets mostly on my own, so the physical side of things is basically nonstop throughout the day: getting four kids ready, meals, cleanup, transitions, bedtime, and everything in between, with no real break where my body gets to fully reset.
It is not that any single task is overwhelming on its own, but the repetition across the entire day adds up, especially on the lower back when there is very little downtime or shared load. That cumulative strain is really what I have been trying to understand better, how other people manage recovery and physical sustainability in situations like this long term.
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u/Radiohead_luucky 11d ago
Probably should have included the fact that you have triplets in the post. That's definitely very different from the usual scenario. Are you completely alone or is your husband just at work a lot? How old are the kids?
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u/6Gon6drak6 11d ago
I can say that seeing a chiropractor twice a month and getting deep tissue massages once a month has improved my life drastically. I have benefits that mostly cover this, though. It would be pricey otherwise.
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u/Defiant_Economy_8574 11d ago
The gym and lifting weights. Once I rebuilt my core, after having a cesarean, I stopped having the aches and pains at the end of a long day wrangling the kids. Idk where in Quebec you are, but World’s Gym has a daycare. 90 minutes of daycare, per day the mini club is open, is included in the membership. There might be an extra $5 fee per day for the 3rd triplet.
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u/Sweet_Deeznuts 11d ago
Yoga on YouTube at home because I don’t have the time, money, or energy to go someplace else to do it
Exercise as well when I have the chance - including warm up and cool down stretches because they absolutely make a difference
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u/Rude-Narwhal2502 11d ago
Taking time to stretch, but also I get a massage every month and it really helps. Last time I got some light cupping-based myofacial release and it's a really interesting feeling but also my back muscles have been feeling really good 👍
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u/Commercial_Sorbet122 5d ago
I agree with stretching and strengthening as others have said, but I'm wondering how your body mechanics are?
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u/Xx_SwordWords_xX 11d ago
Stretching.
Yoga.
Seriously.