Back pain exercises are much sought after these days because back pain is a common phenomenon amongst people under the age of 45 and can be rectified effectively only if the true cause behind the pain is identified. Barring a few exceptions, exercises for back pain are effective for all types of back pain, be it the pain in the lower back ore pain in the upper back. Exercises also provide a solution for back pain related to genetically or trauma related deformities and subsequent pain.
Causes of Back Pain
Before we understand about the exercises to relieve back pain, we should have an understanding of human spine and possible causes of back pain. Human body depends on the spinal column for structural stability and mobility. It is the spine which provides us the necessary support to bend, twist or move around. The spinal column is made up of 24 vertebrae which are placed one on another from the skull to the pelvis. The spinal column is tightly wrapped by muscles and ligaments. Now any type of injury in these muscles or ligaments can result in pain. You can rectify or reduce such back pains by carrying out proper back pain exercises.
Exercises- The Safest Cure For Back Pain
Backache usually is a result of the spasm of muscles supporting our spine. This occurs due to improper posture, or sudden movements or jerks or repetitive actions. Diseases such as osteoporosis, osteoarthritis, viral infection, and bladder or kidney infection, gynecological problems in women, tumors and trauma can also cause back pain. Excess body weight, wearing of improper shoes and carrying heavy weights can also result in back pain. The best remedy for backache occurring from these reasons is back pain exercises. This is mainly because exercises to relieve back pain are safe and free from any possible side effects that is a possibility with other treatments for back pain.
However, back pain exercises may not prove to be effective in cases where the pain is not caused by an improper posture or sudden movements, jerks or is accompanied by bowel or bladder control problems. In such cases, it is advisable that the person suffering from backache consults a physician and gets a proper treatment.
The best way to avoid back ache is to maintain a proper posture and keep your muscles well conditioned by undertaking proper back pain exercises. One should never bend at the waist or stoop to pick up an object. Instead, we should lower our body to the level of the object by bending our knees.
The most common back pain exercise is to stand straight or sit on a comfortable chair that provides adequate support to your back. You should avoid sitting or standing in a single posture for a long time. Even while sleeping, you should be careful as to the type of mattress being used. Slouching or leaning forward should be avoided at all times. Yoga and mediation go a long way in relieving back pain and are very good exercises.
Prevention, it is said is the best cure for back pain. You can avoid backache by undertaking back pain exercises on a regular basis. These exercises strengthen the muscles in the abdomen and the spinal area and ensure that there is adequate support to the spine. Wall slides, leg raises and leg swings are the best exercises and abdominal strengthening exercises prove to be effective in toning up our back muscles.
Read our related articles for Back pain massage, and other back pain exercises to have detailed information about exercises to cure back pain.
Friday 13 February 2009
Back Pain Management And Relief
Well now, I've done a lot of research on back pain management and I'm as confused as you are. As if it's not enough that one has to endure back pain, one must also, all the experts agree, manage it. Odd. They never talk about managing toothache.
So, why back pain management? Although it's never said in so many words, I suspect that back pain is one of those rather nasty disorders that, while not socially unacceptably nasty, doesn't ever really go away. We're not talking here about your wife's pregnancy back pains or back pain caused by a tumour; we're talking your average Joe's back pain that just ... won't go away.
The bad news is that this sort of general back pain is usually caused by bad posture and incorrect back health. The good news is that essentially general back pain is a consequence of bad back pain management and can be managed by good back pain management. Make sense?
When back pain treatment doesn't work, it's time to start managing the pain. Back pain management, like back pain, varies for different individuals. For some, back pain management means learning to put up with it and maybe taking a pain killer when it becomes really unbearable. But that's not good back pain management.
Good back pain management starts with changing your lifestyle and your attitude towards your body, particularly your back and spine.
--Your spine supports you; without it, you'd be a a floppy toy. Your spine is supported by the muscles of your back. When they're weak and / or inflexible, your spine strains to perform even the most simple movements, including bending and carrying. So, the first step in managing back pain is to develope a gentle exercise program to keep your muscles fit, supple and healthy.
--There are many types of exercise that are good for your back muscles, including yoga, walking and swimming. Water aerobics, for instance, is fun, inexpensive and recommended by most doctors and experts in the field of back pain management.
--Adopt a healthy lifestyle. This includes eating correctly, exercising and substituting cigarettes and punishing exercise routines with homeopathic herbal and vitamin supplements.
--Learn about good posture, particularly if you have a job that has you always sitting at a desk or if you are on your feet all day. Always bend the knees when bending or lifting; always hollow the back when kneeling; when carrying, distribute weight evenly; when standing for long periods stand with your feet slightly apart; when pushing or pulling try to keep your back straight and take the strain on your arms.
Back pain management should be seen as a long-term investment in good health.
A long soak in a hot tub, the steam delicately scented with the fragrance of oil of lavendar. Candles throw thin shadows on the damp walls. Music plays softly in the background. You're content, relaxed, following a delicious meal including oysters and just a few wicked drops of champagne. Your partner has promised you a sensuous back massage when you get out of the tub ... and then, who knows?
An erotic fantasy? No, just sure-fire back pain relief.
Back pain relief doesn't have to be only about traction or exercise routines thought out by a particularly sadistic ex-marine (probably on the run) or vile-tasting herbal back pain relief remedies created by Hyde's evil twin - the chemist from hell.
Back pain relief should be pleasant, relaxing, relieving, simple, enjoyable and effective.
Visualization techniques, massage, hot or cold therapy treatments, good posture training programs, light exercise routines, a sensible diet, yoga for back pain relief, hynotherapy, acupuncture and the purchase of a good bed will all contribute to relieving your back pain.
Unless, of course, your back pain is caused by a seemingly unrelated disease; but most Americans suffer some form of backache at some stage in their life and the reality of back pain is that it is most often caused by poor posture, too little exercise, work-related back strains and stresses, sports injuries or a touch of arthritis.
For these conditions, back pain relief involves a variety of sensible treatments that include stopping smoking, learning new posture habits, taking the dog for a walk every night and pampering your back with regular massage.
I suffer with severe upper back pain, caused by sitting over a typewriter most of the day, even when I'm not working. I relief it by massaging my shoulders when I take a break; I swim every day and then lie on the firm grass and do some gentle yoga; I make a conscious effort to sit with my legs comfortably and firmly on the ground when I'm at my desk; I treat myself to a hot bath once a week that includes an infusion of garden herbs; I take vitamins daily and I make sure I walk around every half hour to relieve muscle tension.
My oldest friend (in both senses of the word) suffers with what she calls her 'bad knees'. She can hardly climb a flight of stairs. And so she avoids exercise. Fatal mistake. Back pain relief is a matter of practicing good back health; just as you shower or bath every day to keep your skin healthy. Exercise is vital to keep the muscles of your spine supple and strong to enable them to perform their job - keeping you upright.
So, why back pain management? Although it's never said in so many words, I suspect that back pain is one of those rather nasty disorders that, while not socially unacceptably nasty, doesn't ever really go away. We're not talking here about your wife's pregnancy back pains or back pain caused by a tumour; we're talking your average Joe's back pain that just ... won't go away.
The bad news is that this sort of general back pain is usually caused by bad posture and incorrect back health. The good news is that essentially general back pain is a consequence of bad back pain management and can be managed by good back pain management. Make sense?
When back pain treatment doesn't work, it's time to start managing the pain. Back pain management, like back pain, varies for different individuals. For some, back pain management means learning to put up with it and maybe taking a pain killer when it becomes really unbearable. But that's not good back pain management.
Good back pain management starts with changing your lifestyle and your attitude towards your body, particularly your back and spine.
--Your spine supports you; without it, you'd be a a floppy toy. Your spine is supported by the muscles of your back. When they're weak and / or inflexible, your spine strains to perform even the most simple movements, including bending and carrying. So, the first step in managing back pain is to develope a gentle exercise program to keep your muscles fit, supple and healthy.
--There are many types of exercise that are good for your back muscles, including yoga, walking and swimming. Water aerobics, for instance, is fun, inexpensive and recommended by most doctors and experts in the field of back pain management.
--Adopt a healthy lifestyle. This includes eating correctly, exercising and substituting cigarettes and punishing exercise routines with homeopathic herbal and vitamin supplements.
--Learn about good posture, particularly if you have a job that has you always sitting at a desk or if you are on your feet all day. Always bend the knees when bending or lifting; always hollow the back when kneeling; when carrying, distribute weight evenly; when standing for long periods stand with your feet slightly apart; when pushing or pulling try to keep your back straight and take the strain on your arms.
Back pain management should be seen as a long-term investment in good health.
A long soak in a hot tub, the steam delicately scented with the fragrance of oil of lavendar. Candles throw thin shadows on the damp walls. Music plays softly in the background. You're content, relaxed, following a delicious meal including oysters and just a few wicked drops of champagne. Your partner has promised you a sensuous back massage when you get out of the tub ... and then, who knows?
An erotic fantasy? No, just sure-fire back pain relief.
Back pain relief doesn't have to be only about traction or exercise routines thought out by a particularly sadistic ex-marine (probably on the run) or vile-tasting herbal back pain relief remedies created by Hyde's evil twin - the chemist from hell.
Back pain relief should be pleasant, relaxing, relieving, simple, enjoyable and effective.
Visualization techniques, massage, hot or cold therapy treatments, good posture training programs, light exercise routines, a sensible diet, yoga for back pain relief, hynotherapy, acupuncture and the purchase of a good bed will all contribute to relieving your back pain.
Unless, of course, your back pain is caused by a seemingly unrelated disease; but most Americans suffer some form of backache at some stage in their life and the reality of back pain is that it is most often caused by poor posture, too little exercise, work-related back strains and stresses, sports injuries or a touch of arthritis.
For these conditions, back pain relief involves a variety of sensible treatments that include stopping smoking, learning new posture habits, taking the dog for a walk every night and pampering your back with regular massage.
I suffer with severe upper back pain, caused by sitting over a typewriter most of the day, even when I'm not working. I relief it by massaging my shoulders when I take a break; I swim every day and then lie on the firm grass and do some gentle yoga; I make a conscious effort to sit with my legs comfortably and firmly on the ground when I'm at my desk; I treat myself to a hot bath once a week that includes an infusion of garden herbs; I take vitamins daily and I make sure I walk around every half hour to relieve muscle tension.
My oldest friend (in both senses of the word) suffers with what she calls her 'bad knees'. She can hardly climb a flight of stairs. And so she avoids exercise. Fatal mistake. Back pain relief is a matter of practicing good back health; just as you shower or bath every day to keep your skin healthy. Exercise is vital to keep the muscles of your spine supple and strong to enable them to perform their job - keeping you upright.
Low Back Pain - An Occupational Hazard
Low back pain is one of the oldest occupational health problems in history and one of the most common causes of work-related complaints among adults. Approximately 15 million people visit the doctors each year because of lower back pain. It is estimated that a total of $25 billion is spent every year to treat this form of body ache. For this reason, the back pain relief and muscle relaxant industries are growing by leaps and bounds.
Low back pain is a muscular and skeletal ailment that afflicts millions of people around the world. People with blue-collar jobs or those who are required to do heavy manual work are more prone to lumbar aches. No wonder, construction workers are often diagnosed with low back pain. If left untreated, this ailment can result to absenteeism and decreased productivity. Worse, it could even be the cause of more serious health problems.
To determine the severity of low back pain, you may use the following parameters to see how “bad” your back is:
l Acute Low back pain last less than 6 weeks
l Sub-Acute Low back pain between 6 and 12 weeks
l Chronic Low back pain persists for more than 12 weeks
The good news is that there are a variety of treatments for back pain. One of the easiest ways to ease the aches is to use a muscle relaxant. Back pain relief is as easy as popping a pill. However, it is important to get your doctor's advice since medications for back pain are often doctor-prescribed and cannot be bought over the counter.
These are other helpful tips, procedures and strategies on back pain relief that you may want to consider:
* Apply a cold pack to the painful area for 5-10 minutes at time
* Use an heating pad on the painful area if the pain is still there within a few days
* Protect your back. Avoid sudden turning or bending. Go on with your usual activities and try to
avoid bed rest
* Get expert professional treatments
* Nonprescription Pain Medications
* Spinal Manipulation
* Get a massage
* Try acupuncture
* Traction treatments
* Biofeedback
* Back Belts and Corsets
* Injections into the back
Certainly, back pain relief goes beyond office furniture and medication. The cause of back pain can also be stress at work, family problems, and other distressing situations that may not necessarily due to work or physical exertion. The build-up of everyday stress can make your muscles tighten up and contribute to the slow but painful tension of the back or lumbar muscles. Self-hypnosis, meditation and guided imagery are also being promoted as tools or techniques to reduce the discomforts association with lumbar ailments. Back pain relief options can be expensive, depending on the specific technique prescribed by the therapist.
But surely, regardless of the severity or degree of back pain, it is always best to consult a doctor or healthcare professional. The back pain may be a symptom of other illnesses or health problems.
Low back pain is a muscular and skeletal ailment that afflicts millions of people around the world. People with blue-collar jobs or those who are required to do heavy manual work are more prone to lumbar aches. No wonder, construction workers are often diagnosed with low back pain. If left untreated, this ailment can result to absenteeism and decreased productivity. Worse, it could even be the cause of more serious health problems.
To determine the severity of low back pain, you may use the following parameters to see how “bad” your back is:
l Acute Low back pain last less than 6 weeks
l Sub-Acute Low back pain between 6 and 12 weeks
l Chronic Low back pain persists for more than 12 weeks
The good news is that there are a variety of treatments for back pain. One of the easiest ways to ease the aches is to use a muscle relaxant. Back pain relief is as easy as popping a pill. However, it is important to get your doctor's advice since medications for back pain are often doctor-prescribed and cannot be bought over the counter.
These are other helpful tips, procedures and strategies on back pain relief that you may want to consider:
* Apply a cold pack to the painful area for 5-10 minutes at time
* Use an heating pad on the painful area if the pain is still there within a few days
* Protect your back. Avoid sudden turning or bending. Go on with your usual activities and try to
avoid bed rest
* Get expert professional treatments
* Nonprescription Pain Medications
* Spinal Manipulation
* Get a massage
* Try acupuncture
* Traction treatments
* Biofeedback
* Back Belts and Corsets
* Injections into the back
Certainly, back pain relief goes beyond office furniture and medication. The cause of back pain can also be stress at work, family problems, and other distressing situations that may not necessarily due to work or physical exertion. The build-up of everyday stress can make your muscles tighten up and contribute to the slow but painful tension of the back or lumbar muscles. Self-hypnosis, meditation and guided imagery are also being promoted as tools or techniques to reduce the discomforts association with lumbar ailments. Back pain relief options can be expensive, depending on the specific technique prescribed by the therapist.
But surely, regardless of the severity or degree of back pain, it is always best to consult a doctor or healthcare professional. The back pain may be a symptom of other illnesses or health problems.
Back Pain Is Easy to Prevent
Back pain, an urban comfort malady, is primarily the result of bad posture and weak muscles. The awareness on the working of lower back will go a long way in its prevention. The five lumbar vertebrae responsible for the erect human form are also the primary culprits for the back ache. These are flexible to permit hundred and eighty degree flexion or strong enough to support the weight of another human. But trying to achieve both simultaneously and you have a recipe for disaster. The weight bearing posture is an erect posture, read on to know the nuances of the dynamics of the lower back.
The more important reason for the publication of this article is the realization on our part that back-care should be directed more at prevention of back pain rather than its treatment. Prevention is better than cure. And back pain is a disorder that is easy to prevent.
The working of the lower back:
Let us now focus our attention on the five lumbar vertebrae as regards their working. These vertebrae are the trouble¬makers, responsible, directly or indirectly, for most backaches. You will recall that the thoracic vertebrae are attached to the ribs forming a rigid and strong cage that protects the heart and lungs. On the other hand, the lumbar spine is designed primarily for movement, although it must also bear weight.
However, these two functions, i.e., moving the trunk and bearing weight cannot be easily carried out at the same time. If such an activity is carried out this combines lumbar movements with lifting weight. For example, a ballet dancer or a gymnast moving and holding a partner aloft, the lumbar region becomes susceptible or vulnerable to injury.
Stacked one on top of another, the five lumbar vertebrae work as a unit, in a concerted manner, to permit forward bending, backward bending, etc. This working unit or column sits on a firm foundation or scaffolding called the pelvic platform. Our thigh bones, too, are attached to the sides of the pelvis. Therefore, the pelvis is the connecting structure between the spine and the hips of legs, i.e., between the top and the bottom halves of the body. Since the pelvis is the connecting and central point it acts like a pivot.
The position of the pelvis will control the position of the lumbar vertebras above it. If the pelvis is level or, .as we prefer to call it, balanced, the vertebrae above it will also be in a level or balanced position. This is the strongest position for the spine and makes it the least vulnerable to injury. However, if the pelvis is thrust forward, the vertebrae above it will curve out of alignment. Such out-of-alignment vertebrae cause wedging of the discs and potential discomfort to facet joints and make the spine weak and the back vulnerable to injury.
On the other hand, when the lumbar vertebrae are aligned properly because the pelvis is in a balanced position, pressure is taken off the discs, the facet joints are unloaded and maximum space is provided for the exit of nerve roots. This all-important 'pelvic balance' is a function of four groups of muscles. We shall learn more about these muscles soon.
The bones are the static, unchangeable part of the body. The muscles are the dynamic component, giving movement and life to the body. Back muscles play an important role in back pain. They are controllable elements responding to the environment and controlled by our conscious thought processes. Composed of contractile fibers that are responsive to nerve-impulses, muscles comprise almost 40 per cent of our body weight and a large part of our body-bulk. There are some 140 muscles attached to the spine alone and they do a prodigious amount of work.
A muscle is basically a contractile tissue, i.e., it functions and tarries out messages by contracting or shortening and relaxing or lengthening. The more a muscle is used or worked, the more it develops and gains in strength. If it is not used as much as it should be, it weakens and becomes flabby or loose. If it is not used at all, it atrophies or wastes away.
Conclusion:
The ignorance about the working of lower back leads to a callous misuse or disuse of our more than 140 back muscles and the lumbar region. The misuse of the lumbar region, essentially wrong posture, is the major reason for the wedging of the discs and potential injury to the spine. The continued disuse of our back muscles, a gift of the modern ultra comfort life style, brings about their enfeeblement and more pressure passes on to the spine, increasing the chances of injury manifold. The back ache can be effectively prevented by adopting the pelvic balance postures as a routine and strengthening the muscles supporting it.
The more important reason for the publication of this article is the realization on our part that back-care should be directed more at prevention of back pain rather than its treatment. Prevention is better than cure. And back pain is a disorder that is easy to prevent.
The working of the lower back:
Let us now focus our attention on the five lumbar vertebrae as regards their working. These vertebrae are the trouble¬makers, responsible, directly or indirectly, for most backaches. You will recall that the thoracic vertebrae are attached to the ribs forming a rigid and strong cage that protects the heart and lungs. On the other hand, the lumbar spine is designed primarily for movement, although it must also bear weight.
However, these two functions, i.e., moving the trunk and bearing weight cannot be easily carried out at the same time. If such an activity is carried out this combines lumbar movements with lifting weight. For example, a ballet dancer or a gymnast moving and holding a partner aloft, the lumbar region becomes susceptible or vulnerable to injury.
Stacked one on top of another, the five lumbar vertebrae work as a unit, in a concerted manner, to permit forward bending, backward bending, etc. This working unit or column sits on a firm foundation or scaffolding called the pelvic platform. Our thigh bones, too, are attached to the sides of the pelvis. Therefore, the pelvis is the connecting structure between the spine and the hips of legs, i.e., between the top and the bottom halves of the body. Since the pelvis is the connecting and central point it acts like a pivot.
The position of the pelvis will control the position of the lumbar vertebras above it. If the pelvis is level or, .as we prefer to call it, balanced, the vertebrae above it will also be in a level or balanced position. This is the strongest position for the spine and makes it the least vulnerable to injury. However, if the pelvis is thrust forward, the vertebrae above it will curve out of alignment. Such out-of-alignment vertebrae cause wedging of the discs and potential discomfort to facet joints and make the spine weak and the back vulnerable to injury.
On the other hand, when the lumbar vertebrae are aligned properly because the pelvis is in a balanced position, pressure is taken off the discs, the facet joints are unloaded and maximum space is provided for the exit of nerve roots. This all-important 'pelvic balance' is a function of four groups of muscles. We shall learn more about these muscles soon.
The bones are the static, unchangeable part of the body. The muscles are the dynamic component, giving movement and life to the body. Back muscles play an important role in back pain. They are controllable elements responding to the environment and controlled by our conscious thought processes. Composed of contractile fibers that are responsive to nerve-impulses, muscles comprise almost 40 per cent of our body weight and a large part of our body-bulk. There are some 140 muscles attached to the spine alone and they do a prodigious amount of work.
A muscle is basically a contractile tissue, i.e., it functions and tarries out messages by contracting or shortening and relaxing or lengthening. The more a muscle is used or worked, the more it develops and gains in strength. If it is not used as much as it should be, it weakens and becomes flabby or loose. If it is not used at all, it atrophies or wastes away.
Conclusion:
The ignorance about the working of lower back leads to a callous misuse or disuse of our more than 140 back muscles and the lumbar region. The misuse of the lumbar region, essentially wrong posture, is the major reason for the wedging of the discs and potential injury to the spine. The continued disuse of our back muscles, a gift of the modern ultra comfort life style, brings about their enfeeblement and more pressure passes on to the spine, increasing the chances of injury manifold. The back ache can be effectively prevented by adopting the pelvic balance postures as a routine and strengthening the muscles supporting it.
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