With a very few exceptions, exercises for back pain are an extremely effective treatment for all kinds of back pain. Gone are the days when you would be told to lie flat on a hard surface and rest until the pain went away. That turned out to be probably the worst thing you could do.

The human body depends upon its spinal column for support, structural stability, as well as mobility. The spine is made up of 24 vertebrae, stacked one on top of the other from skull to pelvis. Separated by discs (basically shock absorbers made of protein, collagen, and water), and wrapped by muscles and ligaments.

So, a lot to go wrong, and it can be easily seen that any injury to any of these components can, and usually does, result in pain. The likelehood of such injuries, and the recovery time when they do occur, can be greatly reduced by a sensible program of back pain exercises.

Having said that, there will be times when exercise may not be appropriate. Such as in cases where the pain is not caused by bad posture or sudden movements. Or where the back pain is accompanied by bowel or bladder control problems. It is vital in such cases that appropriate medical treatment from a qualified physician is sought as soon as possible.

Of course the best way to treat back ache is to avoid it in the first place as much as possible by maintaining a proper posture, and keeping your back muscles in condition with a back exercise regime.

Simple things we all forget at times, like bending at the waist or stooping to pick something up. How often are we told, keep your back straight and bend the knees to lower yourself to pick up?

One of the commonest, and simplest of back pain exercises, hardly an exercise at all in fact, is to stand straight, or sit on a chair that provides proper support for your back. Don’t sit or stand in the same position for too long. Ten to fifteen minutes in any one position is enough. Move around regularly.

Don’t slouch or lean, these are back-killers. Yoga is an excellent form of exercise for your back, as is meditation. Find a local class and take proper instruction. Very cheap and very effective,

Some of the exercises you can do to avoid backache, done on a regular basis, using no equipment are wall slides, leg raises, and leg swings. By strengthening the abdominal muscles, and those supporting the spine, you can help yourself maintain a healthy back and avoid expensive medical intervention and a lifetime of chronic back pain.

Figures show that around 15 million people go to their doctor in any one year due to lower back pain, and billions are spent trying to alleviate the problem.No wonder the back pain relief industry is growing by leaps and bounds.

People with manual jobs, requiring heavy physical exertion are obviously more prone to back problems. Construction workers in particular are often subject to low back pain.

This brings it own problems with absenteeism and decreased productivity, and can lead to much more serious health problems.

As a basic guide to the severity of your back pain here are the guidelines used by doctors:

Acute back pain – lasts less than 6 weeks.

Sub-acute low back pain – lasts between 6 and 8 weeks.

Chronic low back pain – lasts more than 12 weeks.

Fortunately there is much we can do to help ourselves. The easiest way is probably as simple as taking a muscle relaxant. The more effective of these are prescription medicines and not available without a visit to your doctor.

Here is a list of some of the things you can try for your back pain, without it costing you a fortune:

Apply a cold gel pack to the painful area for up to 10 minutes.

Use the same gel pack, this time heated as hot as you can comfortably take it for the same time.

Be aware of your back and it’s movements. Avoid sudden movements which wil aggravate the condition. Try to carry on normally as much as possible, bed rest, unless totally unavoidable will usually make it worse.

Non-prescription pain relievers.

Spinal manipulation.

Back massage.

Try accupuncture.

Inversion/traction treatments.

Biofeedback.

Back supports such as back belts and corsets. Believe me, many construction workers keep working with the aid of a corset.

Injections for back pain.

Amongst the many causes of back pain can be stress, family or work related.  Stress can cause your muscles to tighten up over time, giving rise to painful tension of the lumbar muscles.

This type of back pain can be helped by use of relaxation techniques such as yoga, self-hypnosis, meditation and guided imagery. Admittedly some of these options can get a little pricey, but if they do the business for you they have to be worth it.

Just remember that whatever the degree of your pain, consult a doctor early on. Backpain may just be a symptom of something more serious that will benefit from early diagnosis.

backpain can occur almost anywhere along the spine. But the most usual area is the lower back. This takes the most weight and stress in pretty much any activity.

Some of the most common causes of back pain are muscle strain and/or bruising; injury or strain to the ligaments; also spasms, which can be excruciating when the muscles knot up. This is fact is your body’s way of trying to imobilise that part of the back which is causing pain.

There are a myriad of causes, but some others are osteoporosis (more commonly occuring in women), arthritis, slipped disc. Together with diabetes and other more serious health problems.

Some of these things we can not do much about, but as the majority of back problems are caused by our lifestyle there is much that we can do to avoid Mr. back pain.

Bad posture, carelessness during everyday activities, and being overweight are all causes that we can do something about. Showing off lifting heavy weights in the wrong way is another frequent cause of lower back pain amongst young (and some not so young) men.

Bad posture is a major culprit. Many of us today lead a more sedentary lifestyle than our forebears. Sitting at desks in IT jobs, staring at screens all day. Where we often unconciously get ourselves into strange positions.

Couch potatoes often complain of their back, but just look at how we slump into the sofa and then twist around to find the remote! Hardly surprising we get problems is it?

So sit up, how many of us have heard our teachers say that? Well, they weren’t wrong. Try not to use chairs with a gap at lower back level. And just because you may be lucky enough to have an ergonomically designed chair, you can still get in a position to strain your back.

Sitting for long periods is very bad for your back anyway. The load on your back is at it highest when you sit. It’s less when standing or walking, and very low whilst sleeping.

Don’t sit for longer than 15-20 minutes at a time. Get up, stretch, walk around. Even a turn around the desk is good. The same applies when driving, of course it may not be practical to stop every 20 minutes, but try to have a break as frequently as possible.

Also make sure that your drivers seat doesn’t tilt back more than 30 degrees, and the front of the seat is best raised slightly at the front.

Ladies, avoid high heels for excessive periods of time. They put an enormous strain on your back. You’ll probably be letting yourself in for neck and shoulder pain as well. Sexy they may be, but how sexy will you look hobbling down the road because your back hurts?

Don’t underestimate the power of your mind. We live a stressful existence these days, and one of the ways our body tries to cope is to give us psychosomatic illnesses to make us rest. Backache is a common one. Try to set aside some quiet time for relaxation, and/or meditation. Yoga is excellent therapy.

Something we hear a lot about these days are core strengthening exercises. These are great for keeping bad back pain at bay. Weak core muscles aggravate back strain and can cause your pelvis to twist out of line. Regular exercise is a must.

Having said that, don’t over-exercise. The hospital outpatients departments are full of people who have launched into a rigorous exercise regime, having done nothing for fifteen years. You’ll do yourself more harm than good.

Start gently, and work up to a regime that you can live with on a regular basis. Little and often is the key. If you are in any doubt, consult your medical practitioner first. They’ll probably be able to put you in touch with a local keep-fit class anyway.

Just remember with a little common sense, and applying some or all of these tips, and back pain doesn’t have to take over your life.

While gentle massages are pleasurable, it does not necessarily offer relief to sufferers of acute low back pain. Combining massage with other treatments, such as physical therapy and chiropractic, is likely to produce best results. In addition, back massages, in combination with non-medical treatments, back exercises and good diet, ensures gradual pain relief.

According to the American Massage Therapy Association, research proves that massage therapy provides many important health benefits, including:

Improvement in blood circulation in the body, which aids in the recovery of muscle soreness due to physical activity.

Relaxation of muscles for an improved range of motion. Muscle relaxation also helps in the treatment of insomnia.

Increased endorphin levels. The increase in endorphin levels is actually one of the greatest benefits of the massage therapy. Endorphins are body chemicals that lend a feel-good feeling, which is very effective in managing chronic pain.

It is important to ensure that precautions are exercised while receiving massage therapy. Your muscles should relax in response to the pressure applied by a massage therapist, in the absence of which, it is possible that muscles are inflamed. In such cases, you should not opt for back massages as a treatment option and consult his/her doctor for the treatment.

Most muscle spasms will require al least four massage treatments, usually spread over a six weeks period, to achieve best results. If muscle spasms do not respond to the neuromuscular therapy within two massages, try using another therapy.

If you have severe or acute lower back pain, it is advisable that you undergo thorough medical checkup before commencing the massage therapy. Massage therapy is actually contra-indicated for some conditions, which is why it is always preferable to go to a fully trained and qualified professional therapist who will know if massage is the thing for you.

Edema in its acute stage can be described as heart failure to one side, but this can extend to cause pain in the back. This happens when excess fluids are channelled to the tubes, vessels, ducts and passageways that lead to the lungs. Giving rise to upper and middle back pain.

Edema can be caused by the inhalation of smoke, and is obviously fairly common in regular smokers. Heart valve disease, myocarditis, excessive fluid intake via I.V. as well as excessive use of such drugs as barbiturates, heroin and morphine. Acute edema is also quite common in cases of adult respiratory distress syndrome, and atheroscreloris.

The resulting reduction in the pumping of the heart causes stress to the lungs. When the lungs get scarred this affects the mobility of the spine and it’s mobility. Back pain is more severe when the back is arched.

There are many complications of acute pulmonary edema, and the back pain is usually not the main concern at the acute stage. It’s more of an indicator of the more major problem.

Treatment will usually involve restricting the oral intake of fluids, substituting fluid by IV instead which is more acurately controlled. Keeping the patient inas upright a position as possible. Together with oxygen therapy and a regime of isometric exercises.

Edema can also affect joints, cartilage and muscles, as well as veins in the neck, and this can be one of the prime causes of upper back pain.

Back pain is the scourge of millions, and although the main causes are musculoskeletal and nerve, pulmonary edema can often be linked to it.

“A study of hundreds of adults with chronic back trouble found that those given a short-course of talking therapy were still reaping the benefits a year later”.

It goes on to say: “With the treatment judged better value for money than physiotherapy or acupuncture, it could provide a relatively cheap and easy way of helping the millions of Britons whose backs cause them daily pain”.

This is a fascinating one indeed, It’ll be interesting to watch the progress of this therapy. To check out the whole article click here.

Years ago, when I hadn’t had chronic back pain for all that long. One piece of advice I was given by doctors was to lie on a hard surface, such as the floor, or on boards on the bed, when the pain was bad, and simply wait for it to ease.

I, being young and more in awe of the medical profession than I am now, followed this advice. I found that, apart from being uncomfortable and inconvenient, it took a long time for the pain to subside, and actually made me more susceptible to back pain than if I had just kept going.

Of course that is just what current advice is. To work through the pain where possible, keep moving, and it does get better more quickly, and you are less likely to get a recurrence quickly. How times change.

It also made me realise that sometimes the doctors are as much in the dark as we are, and we often have just as much chance of finding something that works as they do.

Something that I found worked extremely well to combat my back pain, despite it being regarded as a bit of a gimmick at the time by my doctor, is  The Original Backstretcher I still use it, maybe a couple of times a week, and it absolutely works for me.

It is simple, strong, nothing to go wrong, not too large to take away with you (as I do), and best of all you can still get them. I’ve had mine over 20 years and wouldn’t be without it. You can get yours here:  The Original Backstretcher

This now seems to be borne out in an article on abcnews.go.com. Researchers at the Group Health Research Institute, based in Seattle, used a total of 401 chronic low back pain sufferers in a new study.

These patients were divided into three groups. A control group which received no therapy other than that which they were already on, one group was given relaxation massage, and the third group had structural massage.

All groups were examined after 10 weeks of this regime. A third of the patients receiving massage of either type reported a reduction in the severity of their back pain. Only one in twenty-five patients in the control group reported any improvement at all.

The patients receiving massage therapy also reported additional benefits of improved movement, less days confined to bed, and a reduction in the amount of medications taken.

Study co-author Dr. Richard Deyo said “some patients are eager to avoid medications, injections, or surgery, and this may offer some relief.”

There is still no concrete scientific evidence of how this actually works. If there is a real effect or just another example of the placebo effect. However the improvements reported by patients who benefitted lasted up to six months after treatment.

I would say that’s actually pretty good, and no matter the hows, why’s and wherefore’s, as a backpain sufferer, anything that gives relief, even temporarily, has to be a good thing.

You can read the whole article here. It makes interesting reading.

Video on managing chronic pain by Dr. Grant Cooper:

 

However it now appears that there is a scientific basis for the efficacy of the treatment. I found a most interesting article by Roger Dobson on dailymail.co.uk in which he says scientists say the treatment, which involves sticking needles into the body, triggers a flood of natural painkillers.

One of these compounds, called adenosine, was found to increase by in excess of 20 times in trials on animals, and pain levels reduced by up to two thirds.

So maybe the ancient Chinese knew a thing or two. If you are a back pain sufferer and have been considering trying accupuncture this might encourage you to go for it. As I say, I have found it very helpful.

You can read more on this story here.

Here’s a little tip for those of you over 60, with a bad back, who live in the UK (well England and Wales actually) like I do. I’m not ignoring the rest of you. There’ll be plenty of stuff for everyone in the future.

As I’m sure most people know, one of the best forms of exercise you can do for back pain relief  is swimming. So far, so good, but to use a swimming pool these days, especially on a regular basis, is quite expensive. Especially given the current financial situation.

So, I discovered last year that many local authorities in England and Wales are giving free passes for swimming pools to the over 60′s.

I am lucky enough to live only five minutes away from the local leisure centre where this scheme has been introduced. I went and signed up, only took a few minutes. I now get my swimming for free. I can go any time, no restrictions.

I go two or three times a week, and it’s doing my back a power of good. I recommend you go and check locally if this scheme is available to you. Unfortunately not all local authorities do it. But it’s worth checking, especially if you have back pain.
 
Check out this accupuncture back pain demonstration video:

Such as “What is the Difference Between Complementary and Alternative Medicine?” and yes, there is a difference.

” How to choose the right technique, and practitioner, for your particular situation.”

Along with a brief description of some of the more well known complementary therapies such as accupuncture, biofeedback, guided imagery, hypnosis etc.

I found this fascinating, well worth a read. If you want to check it out click here.

I’m not really sure if  TENS counts as complimentary therapy, but according to this article by Rosemary Frei in painmedicinenews.com, research by the American Academy of Neurology’s Therapeutics and Technology Assessment Subcommittee shows that:

“the use of transcutaneous electric nerve stimulation (TENS) for pain in neurologic disorders has concluded the modality does not work for chronic low back pain”

I don’t know if any of you are using TENS therapy for anything. I have friends who swear by it. Never having tried it myself I cannot comment. But I reckon we will see more on this story.

To read the full article click here. You do need to register on this site to read the articles, but it’s free, and there is a tremendous amount of interesting stuff here.

Esther shows you a routine using a towel-roll to help you kick the pain in your lower back.Try it, it really works!

As we all know, medications can be a double edged sword, especially pain medication.  Pain medication can definitely remove any pain a person is feeling.  The problem is, pain is a way for our bodies to tell us that we need to stop whatever it is we’re doing.  If we don’t have that all important signal, we continue with our actions, ultimately resulting in worse injuries.  At the very least, we wind up overdoing it and causing strains.  Medications can also be addicting.  Instead of helping you get through a rough patch and on the road to recovery, you become addicted.  What was one prescribed to help is now harming.  You wind up in worse shape than you were to begin with.  Lower back exercises avoid that entire mess and get to heart of the problem.

Many lower back problems can be avoided entirely if you just take the time to learn how to do something properly and then take your time doing it.  Instead of bending over to pick something up, bend at your knees and lift.  Get help with moving something if you can.  Use the various tools available today such as dollies or lower back belts to ensure you get the job done without hurting yourself.

If you sit at a desk all day, use lumbar support for your lower back.  Get up and move around every hour or so.  You don’t have to move far.  The important thing is to just get up and stretch a bit.  You’ll get your blood flowing again, making you feel more alert and awake.  Your back will also appreciate the break and the chance to get into a position that’s more natural and comfortable.

There are many stretches a person can do that can go hand in hand with their lower back pain exercise routine.  Gentle stretches, held for ten to twenty seconds can realign your spine and improve your flexibility.  They will help keep your muscles strong and limber, allowing them to give you the support you need when you need to do something a little more strenuous than normal.  They will also give you better posture which, as any chiropractor can tell you, helps your entire body function better.

Lower back pain exercise can also reduce the amount of lower back pain you experience.  In making the muscles stronger, you make your back stronger, too.  Having a strong back is a must for anyone wanting good health.

It’s no wonder they are, either.  Lower back pain can affect every aspect of a person’s life.  Sitting, standing, laying down… all of those things and more can be made more difficult and infinitely more uncomfortable if you have an injured back. People wind up tired, cranky and in overall poor shape if they can’t get the rest and relaxation they need.  Poor rest means poor immune systems which results in increased sickness.  Truly, lower back pain and everything it causes is a huge problem that needs to be addressed.

Where can someone find lower back pain relief?  As was stated earlier, drugstores usually have a wide assortment of products that promise relief but do they work?  The answer is yes and no.  It really depends on the type of injury you have that is causing your lower back pain.

If you have a strain, heat tends to work very well.  You can purchase disposable heat wraps that instantly activate the second the package is opened.  Many of those kinds of heat wraps come with little pieces of Velcro or a cloth that can stick to itself that can be used to hold the heat wrap in place.  That is especially handy if you need to be on the go while receiving a heat treatment.  If you don’t want something that is disposable, you can purchase regular heat wraps or make one yourself.  A sock, stuffed with uncooked white rice, and tied at the end makes an excellent heat wrap when placed in the microwave for several minutes first.

Of course, medications can also work, especially if your pain is particularly intense.  You might want to limit taking the pain medication to just before bed if you have to be able to drive during the day or otherwise have to function.  Some medications can make a person rather dizzy or tired so it’s always best to play it safe when looking for lower back pain relief.

Ultimately, the best relief is to avoid getting injured in the first place.  Keep your back muscles strong through stretches and exercises.  Use proper techniques for bending and lifting at all times.  Don’t be afraid to ask for help or use tools such as dollies or belts that offer lower back support if you’re moving something heavy.  After all, you won’t need lower back pain relief if you can avoid getting injured to begin with.

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Product Description
Most people “throw out” their back and think that’s why their back hurts, but nothing could be further from this truth. Discover underlying, hidden, causes of back pain-where pain really comes from and how to stop in once and for all fast. Popular treatment approaches like pain medications, muscle relaxants, steroid injections, surgery, chiropractic treatments, acupuncture, and massage therapy may be helpful in relieving pain temporarily, but they often fail… More >>

The 7-Day Back Pain Cure: How Thousands of People Got Relief Without Doctors, Drugs, or Surgery

Product Description
For centuries, the Chinese have healed and strengthened their bodies with Qigong (chee-kung), the art of using the mind to direct the energy within your body to improve health and vitality. This program gives an introduction to the general concepts of qigong, and explains keypoints for correct practice, such as the ‘Five Regulatings’. Dr. Yang then presents ten gentle qigong exercises to help ease your lower back pain, strengthen your torso, and expedite your bod… More >>

Simple Qigong Exercises for Back Pain Relief

Back Pain, Chiropractic Adjustment & Car Accidents by Austin Chiropractic Care Dr. Echols is a Chiropractor in Austin, Texas. In this video he gives someone an examination who is having back pain problems after a recent auto accidents and adjusts her on the spot as a demonstration so you can see what I chiropractor does. Visit Dr. Echols website at www.dcnrt.com This video was produced by Psychetruth www.myspace.com www.youtube.com psychetruth.blogspot.com Psychetruth is empowered by TubeMogul http © Copyright 2010 Target Public Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.