Dealing with back pain that never fully goes away?

You stretch. You move. You might even exercise regularly.

But that dull ache in your lower back keeps returning — especially after long hours of sitting or busy days when you barely have time to rest.

If that sounds familiar, you're not alone. For many women back pain is a daily frustration. And it’s often caused by things you might not even realize — like how you breathe, how you stand, or how your pelvic floor is working.

Let’s look at 5 surprising reasons your back pain might be sticking around — and what actually helps.

1. A tense pelvic floor

Your pelvic floor isn’t just about bladder control — it connects to your lower back and your entire core.

When your pelvic floor is chronically tense (which is very common in women, especially if you are chronically stressed ), it pulls on the pelvis and places extra load on your lumbar spine and deep back muscles like the erector spinae and quadratus lumborum (QL). This constant tension can lead to pain and stiffness in the lower back.

What helps:
Start by releasing the tension. Try gentle 360° diaphragmatic breathing — where you breathe into your ribcage all around including your back, — to calm and relax the area. Add simple stretches like child’s pose or sitting on your heels with arms reaching forward, focusing on deep breathing into your back and the pelvic area to allow it to soften and lengthen.

2. Shallow, chest-only breathing

A lot of us breathe high and fast into the chest — especially during stress. This shallow breathing pattern activates the neck and shoulder muscles, making them tense and overworked. It keeps the upper body rigid and limits the natural movement of the ribcage and spine, leading to stiffness and poor mobility.

It also raises pressure inside the abdomen, which pushes down on the pelvic floor and strains the lower back.

What helps:
Practice diaphragmatic (360°) breathing, expanding your ribcage in all directions — front, sides, and especially into the back. This kind of breath helps open the spine, relax the deep back muscles, and releases unnecessary tension in your whole core and pelvic floor.

3. Weak glutes

Your glute muscles are meant to stabilize your pelvis and support your spine. But when they’re weak or not activating properly — which can happen for example due to sitting too much — your body can't maintain a neutral, stacked posture.

As a result, your back muscles have to work overtime to keep you upright. This leads to tightness, fatigue, and eventually pain.

What helps:
Focus on glute-strengthening exercises like bridges, hip thrusts, and lunges — but do them with proper posture and mindful breathing. When done correctly, these exercises build support from the hips up, helping relieve your lower back.

4. Poor posture

If your head, ribs, pelvis, and feet aren’t stacked in one vertical line, your spine gets compressed and misaligned. Over time, this overloads your back muscles and reduces mobility in your vertebrae.

What helps:
Try this simple posture reset:

• Imagine a string pulling you gently up from the crown of your head

• Tuck your chin slightly to create a soft “double chin.”

• Align your ribcage over your pelvis, and pelvis over your ankles.

5. Constantly sucking in your belly

It might feel like you’re “engaging your core” — but pulling in your belly all day actually increases pressure inside your abdomen. That pressure pushes down on your pelvic floor and back, often worsening both tension and pain.

What helps:
Let your belly soften when you're not training. A functional core isn’t built on tension — it’s built on proper breathing, posture, and strength. You can absolutely tone your abs without holding them in 24/7.

Ready to feel better in your body?

If you want less back pain, a calmer core, and a stronger pelvic floor — all without Kegels or complicated exercises

👉 Try my free hypopressive starter class and learn

✅ The right breathing pattern to tone & relax your pelvic floor and core at every breath

✅ Posture fixes to decompress your spine after hours of sitting

✅ How to reduce pressure on your pelvic floor & back for less leaking, less pain