Stopping Lower Back Pain After Sleep

Many people, and the majority of those with a chronic condition have lower back pain after sleep. While the mattress dealer would like you to think otherwise, the cure is not a new mattress.

When I had lower back pain all day, I woke up with it every day as well. I got a new mattress, which gave me a new and different pain in the mornings.

If lower back pain after sleep is bothering you, you are a major back event waiting to happen. If you are like me, you have repeated episodes over time and have already had several. Each worse than the next. The pain may get better, but the condition is not.

If you would like to end your lower back pain after sleep, you must address the problems while you are awake. A new mattress may help a little temporarily, but extension exercises done over the course of the day will help you a lot more.

Back pain is so hard to conquer because it comes and goes. But in reality, your body is just adapting to the latest problem which causes the pain to subside until it gets worse and starts hurting badly again.

Lower back pain after sleep is best dealt with by doing extension exercises, consistently and long enough for the disc in the back to get reshaped close to its original state. It may take weeks before the pain goes away for good, but in only a day or two you will have gotten noticeable relief.

Lower Back Pain - Why?

Causes of Lower Back Pain

For many sufferers of lower back pain or lumbago there may not be any fundamental cause of the back problem. Back pain can occur because of damage, tension or inflammation in any part of its complex structure from the coccyx (tailbone) to the cervical joints (neck). The lower part of the back, often called the lumbar region or lumbar spine is a common site of back pain as it is often under constant pressure from supporting all of the body weight above. It's also at risk of further damage sometimes due to lifting heavy objects or making twisting movements as part of daily activities either in the workplace as part of occupational routine, or hobbies and pastimes such as gardening or golf.

Usually, back pain sufferers recover completely, by avoiding further strain to their lower back. Initial back treatment often comprises the application of heat and cold back pain therapy, or medication. If the back pain continues for more than a few days then it's wise to see your GP to seek advice on an effective back pain therapy regime and ensure that there are not more serious (although infrequent) underlying reasons for the back problem which could include-

Degenerative disc disease - where the discs in the spine gradually wear down

A fracture - maybe as the result of a fall or injury

Osteoarthritis - a wear-and-tear disease that can affect the spinal joints

Osteoporosis - where the bones lose density causing them to become weak, brittle and more likely to break

Rheumatoid arthritis - an inflammatory condition of the immune system leading to inflammation of joint linings and surrounding structures

Slipped disc - where a disc bulges to the point that it exerts pressure on the spinal nerves

Spinal stenosis - a condition where the spaces in the spine narrow restricting the nerves

Spondylolithesis - where one of the spinal bones slips out of position

Research has indicated that although some types of low back pain may be partly due to genetics (i.e a tendency to develop lower back pain or lumbar pain could be inherited from parents), it is often generally sparked off or aggravated by the following factors:-

Driving for long periods

What's happening here is not dissimilar to posture related conditions. Quite often it's a combination of adopting a 'slouch' behind the wheel where the spine is not in a natural 'at rest' position. Instead the lumbar region is being subjected to contortion and constricted movement, which can cause increased uneven pressures in the vertebral joints, and stress and tension in the surrounding muscles and ligaments. This can lead to lower back pain in drivers after long periods behind the wheel. In addition to this the driver is being subjected to 'whole body vibration' which occurs when the body is in contact with a surface that is oscillating e.g. car wheels over an uneven road surface or the vibrations from the vehicle engine. These vibrations are transferred through the body to the spine and soft tissues which in turn can cause damage and back pain. (Source: Magnusson ML, Pope MH, Wilder DG, Areskoug B. Are occupational drivers at an increased risk for developing musculoskeletal spine disorders?)

Lifting heavy objects

Applying unbalanced or excessively heavy loads on the spine can lead to back problems, either as an acute (short term) lower back pain or maybe potentially leading to chronic (long term) conditions in the future. Alternatively it might be caused by repetitively lifting lighter objects as part of our occupation. We all know the rules around the workplace. "Lift close to your body, keep the back and hips straight, bend the knees to lower the ground" etc but often we don't apply these rules to get the job done and it's only when the back pain kicks in do we sometimes revert to common sense application of the rules. It's important to be aware of the consequences

Poor posture

This might be caused by a number of factors such your 'normal' seated position in the workplace. These could include a poorly ergonomically designed pc workstation, or poorly designed work layout around a process. Initially this could cause stiffness in the facet joints of the lumbar region (These are the 'flat' plate like joints connecting the vertebrae.), with the surrounding muscles, overworking to stabilise this becoming irritated and inflamed thereby causing lower back or lumbar pain or sciatica Over prolonged periods poor postural position may also cause your vertebrae to apply uneven pressure on the discs in between possibly leading to a bulging disc or herniated disc, which again would cause long term back pain and discomfort for the sufferer.

Standing for long periods

It's estimated that an adult can be up to half an inch shorter in the evening than in the morning. That's because whilst a person is standing or upright throughout the day then gravity is constantly causing downwards pressure on the joints of the lower back and eventually this could lead to back pain or discomfort. It may be useful to do occasional stretches, or try to move around if you can, or sit down at opportune moments

Stress

There is an association between stress and back pain. Under stress, there is a tendency for muscles to tense, which has the effect of causing a reduction in blood flow to the surrounding tissue. This can lead to a build up of acidic waste e.g. lactic acid, which if not taken away by the blood flow can cause fatigue and pain. This lumbar pain, this in turn may cause further stress in a vicious circle

Twisting or bending awkwardly

A good example is the incidence of Lumbar pain in golfers which is a common condition due to the typical golf swing being such an unnatural and stressful movement, especially for weekend golfers employed in sedentary occupations. The Golf swing generates a considerable force which can cause muscular strain or even tears to occur in the muscle. In addition, when overstretching of the ligaments occurs, this can lead to ligamentous sprains. To try to reduce lumbar pain in golfers instructors often advise them to realign their swing to be more upright rather than sideways bending

Weight Issues

The spine will normally support the body's weight during normal activities. If a person is overweight or obese it follows that the spine is forced to assimilate the additional loads, which could lead to structural compromise and damage resulting in conditions such as sciatica. Another consequence of obesity is a reduction in exercise and conditioning resulting in decreased flexibility or mobility in the lower back, together with weak muscles in the lumbar region and pelvis, leading to posture issues resulting in lumbar pain. Being overweight or obese can significantly contribute to symptoms associated with the more conditions listed above. (Source: Eidelson SG. Aging and Exercise)

Remember - If back pain continues after a few days then consult your GP

Lower Back Pain Remedies - Chinese Style

Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), with its 2500 year old history, offers many lower back pain remedies - lower back stretches and strengthening exercises, massage techniques, acupuncture, herbal remedies, liniments, sticking plasters and others. Some require a trained TCM practitioner to administer them, while others can be easily learned andapplied by anyone. This article introduces some effective low back pain remedies and stretches that you can apply yourself to relieve and prevent low back pain.

Lower Back Stretches

Breath slowly, smoothly and deeply through your nose while doing the exercises.

Exercise 1. Lie on your back on a firm bed or the floor. Gently bring your knees up until they're above your abdominal area. Spread your knees a little and grab the inside of your shins just below your knees, or the inside of your ankles if you can. Inhale. As you exhale let your knees naturally fall further out to the side with gravity. Focus your mind on your back (closing your eyes helps). Feel your inner thighs stretching and your back relaxing. Hold the position for a few minutes as you continue to breath slowly, smoothly and deeply. This exercise stretches and relaxes your iliopsoas muscle which connects from your lumbar vertebrae to the inside of your hip joints. Tension in this muscle often causes and/or aggravates low back pain.

Exercise 2. Lean across a table and grab the far edge with both hands. Your torso should be on the table and your legs hanging from the edge. Inhale. As you exhale, let gravity naturally pull your legs down towards the floor. Feel your back stretching. Hold the position for several minutes as you continue slow, deep breathing. Focus your mind on your back (closing your eyes helps) and imagine the pain releasing with each exhalation. Repeat several times a day.

Low Back Pain Remedies

1. Ginger & Sesame Oil Liniment

Mix together equal parts of pure sesame oil and the juice from grated ginger. Heat in a pot till warm. Apply a small amount to the painful area and rub it in for a couple of minutes. It should be applied to unbroken skin only. Ginger and sesame oil liniment is a superb, easy-to-make, home remedy for back ache and other aches and pains. It warms, circulates your blood and stops pain. You can safely apply it several times a day, particularly after showering and before bed. Make sure you pull your clothing down over your back immediately after to keep the area warm. Also, while it's normal for your skin to become hot and turn red after you apply the liniment, if a rash develops discontinue use.

2. Low Back Self-Massage

Can be done standing or sitting. With fists clenched (not too tightly), use the backs of your hands, including your knuckles, to vigorously rub your lower back up and down for several minutes, 3 or 4 times a day. Rub close to your spine and also the sides of your back - where ever you experience pain and stiffness. Self-massage is a highly beneficial low back pain remedy you can do anytime, anywhere to relieve and prevent low back pain. Massage warms the area, moves the blood and directly stimulates your kidneys, which helps to maintain a strong, healthy lower back.

Tip: To greatly enhance the effects of the above lower back pain remedies and lower back stretches, combine them. For example, lie down and do the first 2 stretches, then stand up and do the lower back self-massage, then apply some Ginger & Sesame Oil Liniment. You know your body best though, so experiment till you find what works best for your particular situation. For more lower back pain remedies and lower back stretches visit the authors website.

Tall Teenagers - 3 Tips to Avoiding Back Pain

There are many advantages and disadvantages to being tall, but tall people do have to mind their health in some ways that their smaller counterparts do not have to worry about. Luckily these issues are well known and documented. Doctors, physicians and medical specialists from a variety of fields have studied the physical problems encountered by extremely tall people and have a number of techniques to combat both the causes and effects of these. Before we tackle the tips it is worth noting, as with most things medical, it is far better to prevent an issue, than to cure it. With this in mind, tall teenagers need to be watched and advised as they grow, not to develop bad habits that could develop into chronic health issues in later life. All the following tips deal with the probably the single biggest factor to poor health for the tall youth - bad posture. This leads to both upper and lower back pain, stooping, spinal disk issues and countless other conditions.

Firstly, with posture, it is critical that the individual both walks tall and sits tall. This has to be learned in the teenage years and maintained throughout their life. One never thinks about how they walk, but it is essential that the taller person maintains the head up, shoulders back and chest out style walk. A slouching style of walking will inevitably lead to spinal and or back pain.

Secondly, in the combat against bad posture, the tall teenager should develop a strong core. The core muscles are those around the stomach, abdomen and lower back. The key thing about this set of muscles is that they support the upper body, which can be a considerably bigger weight to support than somebody 18 inches smaller than you. Each time you swivel or rotate your upper body, the core muscles provide the foundation of that movement. In fact, almost every movement of your body, involves the core muscles. There are many well documented and safe exercises for strengthening the core muscles.

Finally, stretching is a great discipline for the taller teenager to learn. Use both lower and upper back stretching techniques to relax the back and strengthen. Even upper leg, neck and shoulder stretches assist the maintenance of good posture, balance and strength conditioning. The overall benefits of a regular exercising and stretching regime is well documented in many journals for the avoidance and reduction of back pain.

Is Your Throbbing Back Pain Causing You Alarm?

Lower back muscle pain is no cause for alarm. In the US alone, back pain is one of the most common causes for medical visits, next to headache. In fact, 90% of the adults will experience low back muscle pain at some point in their lives, and the majority of these adults are working men.

Paradoxically, the more intense the pain would occur, the less the severity and extent of the physical damage will be. A simple back sprain from extended periods of sitting down often leads to a strained muscle. Though not at all that serious, the nagging pain will often interfere with the work, especially on professionals who need plenty of room to concentrate. Muscle spasm that occurs mostly on athletes and persons who do a lot of manual work will find that a simple back strain could cause excruciating back pain making them unable to walk or even stand properly. In contrast, a large herniated disc or completely degenerated spinal structure in the elderly can be completely painless.

The causes of low back muscle pain are very complex since the back muscles are complex themselves. Numerous lower back muscle pain treatments have surfaced to meet this problem.

Chiropractic Manipulation
Though chiropractic medicine normally is about the structural elements of the body, chiropractors often argued that structural manipulation does not only benefit the bones directly, it also affects other areas, if not all the entire back area. Chiropractic manipulation of the bones can promote skeletal mobility, blood circulation and muscle toning. Its hard to check the tabs of truth about chiropractic medicine since it is still holistic by large, but since most chiropractic patients experience amazing results, its hard to pull the curtain on chiropractic lower back muscle treatment.

Acupuncture
Thin, pre-sterilized, disposable needles are used by acupuncture treatments to re-establish the proper flow of blood through the back, alleviating lower back muscle pain. The resulting flow increases circulation for oxygen, blood and lymph nodes work together and hasten the healing process. A research conducted by medical specialists has shown that indeed, acupuncture cause the release of neuro-chemicals such as endorphins, enkephalins, serotonin and corticosteroids all of which contribute to the reduction of pain and inflammation.

Therapy and Massage
Therapy and massage is a common path taken by lower back muscle pain sufferers for relief. In fact, medical science always refer massage therapy as a legitimate aid for lower back pain and an effective adjunct to lower back treatments. 54% of doctors refer therapy and massage as a complement to the regimen that they prepare for their patients.

Touch Research Institute at the University of Miami conducted a 2001 research on massage and back pain. They found that "massage lessened lower back pain, depression and anxiety, and improved sleep. The massage therapy group also showed improved range of motion and their serotonin and dopamine levels were higher." (International Journal of Neuroscience, 106, 131-145).

Sciatic Nerve Pain - Specific Chiropractic Treatment Alternatives That Eliminate Lower Back Pain

As a chiropractor here in Plano, Texas, I often have patients who come in for treatment because of lower back pain, and some find that it's the sciatic nerve that's giving them the pain. Sciatica is commonly seen as a pain of the lower back which runs down from the back into the leg. This pain can be sharp, tingling and cause numbness of the lower back and leg. As part of my chiropractic care, I prescribe non-surgical methods to bring relief to my patients.

The sciatic nerve is the longest and widest single nerve in your body. It branches off at the base of the spine and runs down each side of your pelvic area, supplying nerve impulses to your butt, legs and feet. If you've ever experienced sciatica, you know how debilitating this pain can be. I've seen patients, who could barely walk, couldn't bend over, or even stand. There are a lot of things that can trigger problems with your sciatic nerve, poor posture when you sit, slip and fall on your butt, improper swing while playing golf, and the list goes on. For most of my patients, I recommend, certain exercise, lots of rest, and certain pain medication, while they recuperate. Usually you will be back to your normal self within 2-3 weeks. However, if your pain is still severe and continues beyond 2 months, it might be necessary to consider surgery as a last resolve. In this article I will focus on alternative methods to treat this condition and leave the surgery to those more qualified.

Chiropractic Treatments and Alternatives at Home

I immediately recommend heat packs and ice packs. Both can be used independently or combined at various intervals. If you do not have access to over the counter packs, please use ice in a Ziploc bag and heated towels or a heating pad. Both should be applied for 20 to 30 minutes and then repeated every 2-3 hours. This should bring relief until the patient can get in to my office.

Along with heat and ice, I suggest that you use Tylenol, Advil, ibuprofen, or naproxen to help reduce the pain. Another consideration if the pain is very acute is the use epidural steroid injections. These injections are different from the oral steroid medicines because the steroid is given directly to the injured area and should bring immediate relief from the pain, much quicker than meds or oral steroids. This must be administered by a qualified medical specialist, I do not provide this service but can recommend other medical professionals who do.

Alternative Chiropractic Treatment at my Office

Chiropractors sometimes suggest the need for exercise. This might sound counter productive, but very mild exercise along with the other treatments listed above, can help strengthen muscles of the lower back and your stomach muscles. To qualify the type of exercise I recommend, I prescribe simple stretching starting slowly and gradually increasing as you recover and also to prevent future recurrences of sciatica or other back pain.The equipment I've installed at my office is very effective in helping with the pain and if utilized correctly, will contribute to end of sciatic pain.

Other techniques for pain relief are spinal decompression, cold laser therapy, heat and cold applied with gentle massage therapy. I have patients who I see in my office that usually need a combination of the above techniques to resolve their sciatic pain. We use various forms of massage and cold laser to relax patient's muscles, improve blood flow, and most important, the release of endorphins in the body that act as natural pain relievers.

Last but not least, a highly effective technique for treatment that is being used more and more is acupuncture. Most people think of being a human pin cushion and even though the origins of this technique were developed by the Chinese, it is an approved procedure for back pain by the FDA. A qualified and trained acupuncturist can provide relief from back pain by simply using thin needles inserted in the area where you feel discomfort. Acupuncture focuses on the applied principle of harmonizing your body's flow of energy through various pathways in the body. There is no guarantee that this or any other combination of treatments will totally eliminate sciatica from recurring but if you follow the advice of your chiropractor and seek help early, you should prevent this from happening again in the future.

Causes of Lower Back Pain and 7 Ways to Prevent It

Although the causes of pain you might feel at the bottom of your back are varied, they can be categorized one of three ways and to "triage" the pain into one of these categories is the first step taken by a chiropractor.

1. Non-musculoskeletal. This accounts for <1% of all patients but has the most serious potential health risks. Viscera (or simply the organs in our body) can produce pain that we feel in our back. For example, the aorta (the largest vessel that comes from the heart) can dilate (or expand abnormally) and put pressure on the spine causing pain. This is also called an aneurysm and can be potentially life threatening. Other examples of non-musculoskeletal pain may include infection, tumor, cancer, and visceral referred pain.


2. Neurogenic. This type of pain is experienced by about 10% of patients and is caused from irritation of nerves that supply the low back and lower extremities (legs).


3. Musculoskeletal. About 90% of all cases are considered to be musculoskeletal (pain that comes from irritated joints, muscles, ligaments, discs, tendons, and bone). This type of pain maybe felt just in the lower third area of the back or it has also been known to radiate into the buttocks, legs and/or feet.

Just as any other physician, a chiropractor is trained to diagnose pain in the lower part of your back. In addition to taking a detailed history, chiropractors may use various orthopedic tests, neurologic tests, imaging (x-ray, MRI, etc.), blood work, etc. to diagnose a patient's condition into one of the above categories.

Musculoskeletal low and chronic back ache (90% of patients) is the primary area in which chiropractors specialize. Research shows that chiropractic care is the most effective treatment when treating musculoskeletal low back pain.

Neurogenic lower back pain (~10% of patients) is also commonly managed by chiropractors and oftentimes includes co-management with other specialists (ie. neurologists, physiatrists, orthopedic surgeons, primary care, etc.).

With non-musculoskeletal type of pain in the low area of your back (<1% of patients), a referral to the appropriate specialist or primary care physician is made.

Chiropractors commonly work together with other medical specialists to help treat painful conditions. It is a misconception that you have to choose either a chiropractor or a medical specialist to help with your condition. Rather, by working together and maintaining open communication between the chiropractor, the specialist and the patient make for the best results.

Given the range of conditions outlined above, it is easy to see why pain you might be feeling in the low area of your back that lasts for more than a few days should be evaluated by a qualified health care professional. Remember, only a qualified health care professional can diagnose your condition.

7 Steps of Preventing Pain in Your Lower Area of Your Back

1. Avoid prolonged sitting


2. Get regular sleep


3. Participate in regular aerobic exercise


4. Maintain a healthy weight with a balanced diet


5. When lifting, keep loads close to your torso


6. Don't smoke


7. See your chiropractor to identify risks that may be unique to you

Cellaplex For Lower Back Pain

Cellaplex Can Provide Back Pain Relief: The Answer to Your Debilitating Problem

Lower back pain is the most common cause of work-related disabilities. It is second only to headaches as the most common neurological disorder. In fact, in the US alone, Americans are spending more than 50 billion dollars annually for pain relief and treatments.

The Causes of Lower Back Pain

There are many causes of lower back pains. For example, acute back pains are normally caused by trauma or injury. Your movement can be hampered because of stabbing pain in your back. If left untreated, acute back pains can lead to permanent paralysis.

There are also chronic lower back pains. If there is a persistent pain in your back that bothers you everyday, then it could be chronic. This is a more problematic disorder and you need immediate medical help so you can find effective lower back pain relief.

Age is a determining factor that causes back pain. As you get older, the strength of your backbone and the elasticity of your muscles will decrease also. The disc will gradually lose its fluid thus it will not be able to properly support the vertebrae.

Conventional Pain Relief

The most common approach to alleviate pain is through medication. However, this is a palliative solution because it only numbs the pain. So you will still experience shooting pain back whenever the drug wears off.

Surgery is also an option. Surgical procedures are ideal for those with severe disorders. However, this is a very expensive and risky treatment. It will also take months before you can fully regain your mobility.

Natural Supplements

Natural supplements for the treatment of arthritis and degenerative joint disorders can provide an effective solution for chronic back pain. One of the formulas on the market is Cellaplex. Cellaplex addresses all of the common back pain problems and is recommended by the top orthopaedic doctors in the country.

Cellaplex contains natural anti-inflammatory ingredients (chondroitin, hyaluronic acid, and bromelain) which are your best and safest option. This can significantly reduce or eliminate pain symptoms. Cellaplex also contains glucosamine, hydrolyzed collagen, and resveratrol which can rebuild damaged tissues and restore the normal functioning of your lower back.

This unique, pain-fighting supplement would be the best remedy as these natural substances can effectively boost natural lubrication of joints thus restoring flexibility and mobility. Cellaplex also contains essential mineral and vitamins needed for healthy bone growth and regeneration. These ingredients help keep your bones healthier and can aid in fighting inflammation and strengthen and promote cartilage growth.

Unfortunately, not all natural joint pain supplements are created equal. You should choose one that passed controlled clinical testing but this is almost impossible as the FDA does not require over the counter products to be tested and approved. Doctor and physician endorsements or recommendations are also very good as that means a product has been used in their rehab facilities and has yielded positive results. Cellaplex is recommended by numerous doctors and physicians and that is a good sign of its efficacy.

Lower back pain is a nasty disorder. It could significantly affect the quality of your life and could prevent you from doing normal physical activities. Once you suspect that you are suffering from this ailment, you have to immediately treat it in order to avoid serious complications. Cellaplex now makes it possible to live a normal, pain free life again!

How to Rehabilitate Your Lower Back

Lower back exercises when done properly can significantly reduce low back pain by activating muscles of the low back and "core." 80% of people will experience some form of low back pain in their lifetime. Therefore, people should be doing some kind of exercise for the lower back to prevent injuries.

The most common form of lower back pain is "mechanical low back pain," which happens when a patient uses the wrong muscles to load the joints of the lower back. When a patient experiences mechanical low back pain it is very hard to pinpoint a direct cause for the pain. This type of pain usually occurs due to a direct injury to the area, repetitive overuse injury, or posture related injuries.

When the wrong muscle gets loaded by a joint it causes the muscle that was supposed to be loaded to get turned off by the brain. Then the brain really doesn't know that muscle exists for a certain action. For example, people who sit all day long usually have trouble using their gluteus maximus muscle when it comes to hip hinging and other activities that require this muscle to fire.

Therefore; the gluteus maximus muscle will get shut off by the brain and a different muscle will take the blunt of the work. These are usually the muscles of the lower back getting the workload. This can then cause pain. Proper hip hinge refers to using your hips as hinges to lower your body into a squat position, which is what we all do when we sit down. This action should be dominated by the gluteus maximus muscle and not by the muscles of the lower back.

Lower Back Rehabilitation Exercises:

Cat-Camel Exercise:

The Goal is spinal mobility. Good first exercise in a rehabilitation program. Maintain slow and controlled posture. This exercise has to be pain free. Perform 10-20 reps and 2-3 sets per day.

Abdominal Bracing:

Proper position is on all fours. Bracing the abdominals is exactly what you do when you are going to get punched in the stomach. Place hands around mid-section to check for proper activation. This is very good to train the abdominal muscles in the initial phase of the rehab program. Brace for 3-5 seconds and do 8-10 reps.

Glute Squeezes:

This exercise must be done first to maintain activation of the glutes before progressing to glute bridges. Feel the hamstrings and lower back to make sure the glutes are doing all the work. Simply perform by squeezing the glutes together.

Glute Max Bridges:

Brace the abdominals first. Then squeeze the glutes together and bridge up. This is a very good exercise for gluteus maximus activation and is key in lower back rehabilitation. Feel the hamstrings and lower back to make sure the glutes have the most tone. If the glutes don't have the most tone go back to glute squeezes until this occurs.

Side Bridges:

Start on knees and advance onto feet. Activation of the transverse abdominus (core muscle) contributes to low back stability. Abdominal brace first, then squeeze glutes together to raise up making sure knees, hips, and shoulders are in line. Hold the bridge for 3-5 seconds for beginners and do 10-15 reps. Advanced side bridge can be held for as long as possible for endurance.

Bird Dogs:

It's very important to brace the abdominals first. Stretch opposite arm and leg out and maintain a slow controlled motion to maintain activation of the core and glute muscles.

Body Weight Squats:

This exercise must be done when the patient knows proper hip hinge procedure. Hip hinging is bending at the hips using the glutes to guide the movement. We do not want excessive bending and moving in the lumbar spine.

Tri-Planar Lunges

There are 3 planes of motion sagittal (front to back), frontal ( side to side), and transverse (diagonal movement). Every muscle and joint must be able to move in these planes of motion. So to properly train the glutes movement must occur in 3 planes of motion.

Always consult your physician before starting any exercise or rehabilitation program. These lower back rehabilitation exercises are not suited for everyone. If you feel you should start a rehabilitation program please consult a health care professional.

Lower back rehabilitation is an integral part of beating lower back pain. Lower back exercises can be found here with picture demonstrations.

Understanding the Leading Back Pain Causes

Most often, back pain generally refers to pain that is felt in any part of the back. It may appear in the neck and radiate to the middle or lower area. This is the most common problem faced by most adults but the underlying causes may be different. At times, a wrong diagnosis could lead to further problems. If the pain disappears within a few days of its occurrence, then there is probably nothing serious. However, if it is persistent and doesn't go away within a few days or weeks then there is a more serious underlying condition.

An Overview

Back pain could be caused due to a variety of factors. It could be age-related, injury or trauma, stress, etc. With the progression of age, there are many health problems that can occur. The bone strength may decrease along with the tone and elasticity of the muscles. The disc fluids may also reduce leading to poor flexibility.

Major Causes

Arthritis - Arthritis in the spine is one of the most common causes of chronic back pain in adults. The pain could be felt anywhere in the back and will generally worsen while walking and the pain is felt more at night. Osteoarthritis is the condition where the cartilage that is present in the joints gets damaged. In rheumatoid arthritis, there is inflammation and thickening of the bone joints and this can cause pain in the back.

Ankylosing spondylitis is another condition where the spine is affected leading to stiffness and the inflammation leads to back pain.

Osteoporosis is a condition where the bones become very brittle and this could lead to compression fractures in the vertebrae, which could cause severe pain in the back. The vertebrae become so weak that it cannot withstand even minor stress or strain.

Bad posture while sleeping - Bad sleeping postures can cause severe back pain due to the strain on the spine.

Obesity - Obesity causes an excessive strain on the vertebral column. Weight loss will help in pain reduction.

Improper seating position - Ergonomics is very important when it comes to seating positions. Improper seating can cause back pain.

Disc damage - When the fluid in the disc spaces decrease, the vertebrae does not have a cushion to act as a shock absorber and this could lead to severe back pain.

Menstrual cycle or during pregnancy - Back pain during the menstrual cycles and during pregnancy is very common. The enlarged abdomen puts a strain on the spine during pregnancy, thereby causing backpain.

Trauma or injury to the back - If your back has suffered any injury in the past, it leads to the formation of scar tissue. When there is a large buildup of scar tissue due to repeated injuries, it weakens the back muscles and can lead to further aggravation of symptoms.

Proper diagnosis is necessary to find out the actual back pain causes and only then the appropriate treatment can be suggested.

Chronic Back Pain Symptoms and Exercises for Lower Back Pain

The most common symptoms of back pain may be continuous or may occur only in certain positions. The pain may be aggravated by coughing, sneezing, bending, twisting, or straining during a bowel movement. The pain may occur in only one spot or may spread to other areas, most commonly extending down the buttocks and at times into the back of the legs. Chronic back pain symptoms may include splinting muscle spasm, antalgic (bent) posture, muscle weakness, inability to stand on heels or toes or difficulty in rising from a sitting or lying position. Whatever chronic back pain symptoms you may be exhibiting, the following exercises for lower back pain will strengthen your back and alleviate your pain long term.

1. Lie flat on the floor in a relaxed position. Bring your right knee toward your chest, clasping your hands around your knee. Pull your right knee toward your chest firmly and, at the same time, forcefully straighten your left leg, and hold for three to five seconds. Then relax and repeat at least five times. Repeat the same procedure with your opposite leg.

2. Lie on the floor with your knees bent and your feet flat on the floor and your arms at your sides with your palms down. Tighten the muscles of your lower abdomen and buttocks so as to flatten your low back. Slowly raise your low back and buttocks from the floor and hold for five seconds. Relax and repeat this procedure for at least five times.

3. Lie on your back with your knees bent and your feet flat on the floor, your hands at your sides and your palms down. Tighten the muscles of your abdomen and buttocks as if you are pushing your lower back flat against the floor. Hold for five seconds, relax and repeat a minimum of five times.

4. Lie on the floor with your knees bent and your feet on the floor, with your arms at your sides. Bring both knees to your chest, clasping your hands around both knees and pulling firmly towards your chest. Hold for five seconds, relax, and repeat at least five times.

5. If your chronic back pain symptoms are so severe that you are unable to lay on the floor, another set of exercises for lower back pain can be performed from a chair. Sit on the edge of a chair with your knees separated slightly and your feet flat on the floor. Keeping your back straight, bend forward and place your right forearm on your right thigh. Extend your left arm up toward the ceiling, and, while exhaling, turn and look up at your left hand. Hold for three breaths, and repeat to the other side for a minimum of five times each side. Next, increase the stretch, bend forward to place your right hand along the outside of your left foot and repeat the same exercise as above.

6. Lie on your back with your hips and knees bent and your feet flat on the floor. Roll your knees from side to side, but do not roll far enough to cause back pain. Perform this exercise as long as it remains comfortable to you and relieves tight, sore, chronic back pain symptoms.

These are just a handful of exercises for lower back pain. Long term, consistent application of these exercises will strengthen your back and eliminate chronic back pain symptoms. Other things you can do in addition to the exercises for lower back pain are to sleep on a firm mattress and place a pillow under your knees when you are lying on your back. If you are lying on your side, place a pillow between your knees. Lose weight if you are overweight, as this puts less strain on your back and muscles. To reduce the strain put on your back, don't push with your arms when you move a heavy object. Turn around and push backwards so your legs take the strain. Bend your knees and hips and keep your back straight when you lift a heavy object. To prevent any chronic back pain symptoms avoid lifting heavy objects higher than your waist or altogether. Hold packages you carry close to your body, with your arms bent. Bend your knees when you bend over and try and sit up straight while seated.

If you follow these tips in addition to performing the exercises for lower back pain, you should be able to eliminate your chronic back pain symptoms and live a productive, pain free life.

Low Back Pain Physical Therapy - Solutions For Aches and Pains

Physical therapy is a very useful tool for many different situations. With so many millions of people experiencing low back pain every single year, it's often nice to know that there are more effective solutions than medical procedures, harsh medications, and just waiting it out. While many people assume that injury to their back requires rest and keeping still, this is actually detrimental in many cases. Low back pain physical therapy is a much better alternative and can help speed the healing process along if done properly. Of course, you should be able to rest the area to give it time to heal, but you can't lie around and do nothing for any extended period of time or the muscles will get stiff and create more problems for you. Consider low back pain physical therapy if you want an effective solution that doesn't involve serious treatments or procedures.

Physical therapy routines can be prescribed by a doctor, physical therapist, or even a chiropractor. While many people will discount the credibility of chiropractors as a source of medical advice, they are trained in the physiology of the body and know what they are talking about. They can offer treatment plans for your low back pain that include physical therapy along with other procedures such as electrical therapy, heat/ice therapy, and massage. Make sure that you discuss all of your symptoms with whatever doctor you visit to ensure that you get the best treatment program for your needs without putting yourself in more danger than it's worth. The great thing about getting professional therapy for back pain is that you can often experience better results than if you tried to do things yourself.

There are many different types of low back pain physical therapy that people can take on, depending on their exact injuries and what they're capable of doing. For example, if an older person with limited mobility has lower back pain, they can still find many effective exercises that will help to alleviate or even completely eliminate their back pain if they work with a physical therapist or their family doctor. All that you need to do is to take the time to make sure that you get the right medical treatment and that you fully disclose everything to the doctor or therapist so that you don't put yourself in more danger than it is worth when it comes to working out back problems with physical therapy.

Low back pain physical therapy isn't for everyone. However, it can be an effective solution for many people who are looking for something simple and less invasive or serious than medical procedures and prescription medication. Usually, if you are prescribed some type of therapy routine, it will involve stretching and strength training exercises combined, which will help to loosen the sore muscles in the lower back and make the other muscles around them stronger so that the back isn't under as much stress and is able to function better in the future. Of course, everyone is different and so is every treatment that is prescribed, so you will just have to talk to your doctor to see what they think is best for your needs.

If you are looking for a permanent solution to pain relief, you should talk to your doctor about low back pain physical therapy treatments. In many cases, the exercises that you do in physical therapy will help to make the body healthier and stronger so that you can avoid future injuries and pain in the back because your body is not strong enough or healthy enough to handle the stress that is put on your back. However, if you have a chronic condition, physical therapy might just offer a simple pain management program that allows you to make the pain less severe and more sporadic than it might have been without the therapy. No matter how you use it or what you get out of physical therapy for low back pain, it can be an effective solution for just about anyone that is suffering from low back pain. If you want a natural treatment that is effective, you need to learn about physical therapy for back pain.

Avoid Back Pain When Playing the Piano

Proper posture and body mechanics are essential to avoiding back, neck and shoulder pain. For piano players, these two essentials make the difference between suffering through your music and fully enjoying the experience.

A musician studies both his instrument and himself when developing his musical style. Part of this study for pianists should involve how you hold your body and how you interact with the piano. Proper form and ease of movement will reduce pain and improve your playing.

Piano Form

Posture is one of the main determinants of muscle tension. Posture is poor when muscles are held at abnormal lengths. The following tips will help you maintain correct posture at the piano, thereby reducing muscle tension.

1. Don't hunch over so that your face is parallel to the keys. Some do this simply because it makes it easier to see the keys; other may do so unconsciously due to the stress of concentration. Sit upright and use your eyes rather than your neck to look down.
2. Keep your shoulders low and loose. Tensing and raising the shoulders is one of the most common postural mistakes people make when they concentrate, particularly when using their arms.
3. Your forearms should be about parallel to the floor. Your elbows should be a little in front of your midline. As your move your arms up and down the keyboard, strive to keep the elbow and hand in line with each other. These postural tips will help reduce strain on the arms and shoulders.
4. When you need to reach beyond the keys in front of you, move from your hips rather than your back. This is easier to do if you sit on the front part of your bench, which frees up the hip joints since less thigh area is anchored by the bench.
5. Feet should be flat on the floor. If the feet aren't supporting the legs, the hips and lower back will have to.

Ergonomics

Your piano station should be set up with following ergonomic capacities to facilitate correct posture.

1. You must be seated high enough to allow your elbows to be positioned above the keys with the forearm almost parallel to the floor. You may choose an adjustable bench or use props such as phone books to raise your seat if needed.
2. If your feet can't reach the floor to be resting flat on it, you can use a footrest and or similar prop beneath your feet for support. Dangling feet put extra strain on the hips and lower back since they fail to support the legs.

Stretches

The above tips will help set you up for reduced muscle tension while playing the piano. It is always a good idea to stretch the body, particularly muscles subjected to the most stress. Stretching will also help you be aware of your body and give you a break form sitting. Do the following stretches before and after practices, and at 30-45 minute intervals during sessions.

1. Raise the arms above the head and slowly lower them to your sides. This helps elongate the spine.
2. Roll the shoulders backwards.
3. Clasp your hands behind your back and pull backward, opening up the chest.
4. Clasp your hands in front of your chest with palms facing outward and push out. This stretches the upper back.
5. Get down on one knee with the both knees at 90 degree angles. Lean forward. This partial lunge stretches the hip flexors, which are commonly tight in people who sit for prolonged periods of time.

Additional Resources

If you need extra instruction, consider the Alexander Technique. This program was designed to help musicians and performers obtain ideal posture and movement patterns. You may choose to train with an instructor or pursue self-study. Information on the Alexander Technique can be found at http://www.alexandertechnique.com/.

Movement therapies like yoga and Pilates help to increase body awareness and strengthen the core, a muscle group that plays a major role in maintaining proper posture. You may choose to participate in a class or study at home using online videos or DVDs for instruction.

You can avoid back pain when playing the piano by using your body correctly. The above tips will help keep the music in your life without the pain.

Herniated Disc Symptoms

Herniated disc symptoms can be very serious, and can lead to quite a bit of disability. This article will discuss the most common symptoms associated with a herniated disc in each region of the spine, as well as some tips for what you can do at home for relief.

But before we discuss the symptoms, we need to first have an understanding of how a herniated disc causes pain. The discs of the spine are cushions that separate each set of bones in the back. They are shock-absorbers, and they are each composed of two main parts - a strong outer covering called the annulus, and a soft jelly center called the nucleus.

If you take a close look at the spine, what you will see is that the nerves of the spine are located directly behind each disc. These nerves are very important, because they control everything in the body.

When a disc herniates, the outer covering of the disc tears, and the jelly begins to shift from the center of the disc, into the area where the disc has been damaged. This creates a bulge in the disc, and unfortunately, the disc most commonly will bulge right where the nerve is located.

This causes pressure to be applied to the affected nerve, which is truly what causes the majority of the symptoms associated with a herniated disc.

In fact, one interesting fact about the spinal discs is that they do not have the ability to feel pain sensations - in other words, even if the disc is damaged, you can't feel it. This makes sense when you consider that the discs are absorbing shock all day long - if you could feel this, you would be in pain all day!

So, the question is - if this is true, why can this condition cause so much pain? Well, the answer is because the nerves are involved - the aggravated nerve is actually what causes all of the symptoms.

With this in mind, let's discuss the most common herniated disc symptoms that can occur in each region of the spine. Let's begin with the neck, and work our way down.

A herniated disc in the cervical spine (neck) will typically cause symptoms such as neck pain and/or stiffness, headaches, shoulder, arm and hand pain (which may be experienced as sharp pain, burning, stabbing, numbness, or a pins and needles sensation), dizziness, ringing in the ears, blurred vision, thyroid problems (which can lead to weight problems), chest pains, and even heart palpitations (a feeling that your heart is pumping strongly in your chest).

This is a perfect example of what I was mentioning earlier - as you can see, these symptoms can involve much more than neck pain. The reason for this is because these areas of the body are controlled by the nerves in the neck, and pressure on a cervical nerve from a herniated disc will cause these parts of the body to malfunction.

The most common herniated disc symptoms for a thoracic disc (mid-back) are mid-back pain, shoulder, arm and hand pain (same as in the neck - the type of pain can vary), traveling pain around the rib cage, chest pain, shortness of breath, heart palpitations, neck pain and tension, headaches, and digestive problems (the nerves in the thoracic region of the spine control the gall bladder, which is a very important organ involved with digestion).

In the lumbar region (low back), the most common symptoms are low back pain and weakness, pain traveling down the leg (this pain can be a sharp pain, burning, stabbing, pins and needles, or numbness), leg weakness, knee pain, problems with the bowel or bladder, and sexual organ dysfunction.

So, when these symptoms occur, what can you do about them? Unfortunately, most of the treatments doctors usually recommend are not as effective as most would like them to be. They may provide temporary relief, but long term relief is not common with the typical treatments.

Most doctors will recommend medications (usually pain relievers and muscle relaxers), pain injections (such as cortisone and epidurals), physical therapy, and surgery (as a last resort, usually). The reason these treatments do not usually provide long term relief is that they are primarily focused on numbing the aggravated nerve.

This may sound good on the surface, but if you do not address the cause of the problem (the herniated disc), the pain will inevitably return.

After working with thousands of patients who suffer with this condition, I've found that there are actually a number of treatments that do address the disc itself, and a combination of these treatments are usually most effective at providing results.

In addition to this, there are a few things you can do at home for relief from herniated disc symptoms. The most common mistake I see people make with this condition is that they want to use heat for relief.

This is actually the worst thing you can do - ice is always the best choice when you are experiencing pain. Ice will numb the nerve, and reduce the inflammation in the problem area. Heat, on the other hand, will just aggravate the nerve and cause additional swelling around the nerve, which causes the pain to last longer than it needs to.

When using ice, apply it over the injured disc for 15 minutes, and wait at least an hour before you apply it again. You will need to repeat the treatment multiple times for the best results, and if you're in a lot of pain, expect to use the ice consistently for at least 3 days before you experience considerable relief.

If you would like to learn more about the most effective treatments you can use to alleviate herniated disc symptoms, you can visit http://www.HealYourBulgingDisc.com for the full details.

Back Pain and Bad Mattress - Change Your Bedding and Stop Suffering From Backache

Have you been suffered from chronic back pain for long? You may wonder what would be the main reason of your symptoms. Of course, there are many causes possible. One of them is something to do with bedding. Why? Everybody spends 6 to 10 hours in bed, it means approximately a third of life! Then, when someone is suffering from back pain, the first question he would have to ask is: what is the condition of my bedding, of my mattress? My bedding would be responsible from my backache?

What Is a Good Mattress?

Have you ever heard people say: "You have back problems? Then, sleep on the floor; it is good for your column!"? Is it true? No! New research shows that it is a great error to sleep on a firm mattress. Why? A study in Spain has demonstrated that almost 50% of people with chronic lower-back pain who used to sleep on firm mattress had improved a lot after 3 month sleeping on a new spring mattress.

What You Must Do

If you are suffering from chronic back pain, check your mattress and make sure you have a medium-firm mattress and not a firm one! A medium-firm mattress helps to balance the different forces exerted by the body. Additionally, a medium-firm mattress can properly sustain and ease the bony lumbar spine. The problem with a soft mattress is that your body is lying too limply on the bed and has little or no support on your vertebral column.

Best Position to Sleep

Try not to sleep on your stomach! This position stresses too much several disks of your spine. Sleep on your back (it helps to keep your natural alignment) or on your side!

Conclusion

Like anybody else, you have your own sleeping habits. But, research studies indicate that sleeping on a medium-firm mattress can certainly help you with your health. Then, why not attempt to change both your bedding and the way you sleep?

Sciatica - Back, Leg and Calf Pain

If you are feeling pain in your back, leg and calf, the chances are you are suffering with sciatica. Before I go any further however, it is important I stress that sciatica is a descriptive term and not a diagnostic one. Anyone who is feeling pain anywhere from there back, through their buttock and down the back of their leg could be said to be suffering with sciatica.

However, the most important thing to establish is not that you are suffering with sciatica, but rather what is causing your sciatica. Two or three different people could be presenting with the same signs & symptoms, yet each of their causes may be different.

The sciatic nerve is formed from the nerve roots L4-S3 which leave the lower part of the back. It then passes through the buttock region, down the back of the leg and then, via its branches, to the tips of the toes. If the sciatic nerve is being aggravated, either from its origin in the lower back or as it passes through the buttock and down the back of the leg, it has the potential to cause pain (as well as other signs & symptoms such as pins & needles, numbness and weakness).

The causes of sciatica can be numerous as I mentioned above. Nevertheless, the main culprits tend to be:

1) A prolapsed disc: A prolapsed disc will tend to pinch on the nerve roots which form the sciatic nerve as they leave the spine itself. If this 'pinching' begins to aggravate and inflame the nerve, pain will result. This pain could be felt anywhere from the low back itself, down your leg to the tips of your toes.

2) Facet Joint Irritation: As the nerve roots leave the spine, they can also be pinched or aggravated by the facet joints of the lower back. If a facet joint in the lower back is aggravating the nerve roots, once again pain may be felt anywhere from the low back itself, down your leg to the tips of your toes.

NB. It is important I note here that although a prolapsed disc and facet joint irritation may aggravate the same nerve roots which form the sciatica nerve, as well as produce very similar (in some cases identical) signs and symptoms, the treatment given would almost be opposite to each other. Therefore it is imperative the correct diagnosis is obtained.

3) Muscle Imbalance: This is where tight and/or weak muscles allow too much stress to be placed across the sciatica nerve. A more specific stretching and strengthening exercise programme would need to be prescribed for this problem. If your pain is starting in the buttock region, there is a fair chance muscle imbalance is the main cause. A tight piriformis muscle is a very common cause of sciatica which starts in the buttock region.

The good news is that sciatica can nearly always be treated conservatively with an appropriate advice and exercise programme, whichever of the above 3 may be causing your pain. If treated correctly sciatica can be treated and resolved 100% without any need for surgery. It is just knowing what to do and when to do it which is the critical factor.

For further information on how to treat sciatica, so my article How Do you treat sciatica?

Back Pain In the Lower Left Side? These Are The Common Causes

There are many types of back pain with many different causes.? Chances are if you've been to a doctor, hospital or chiropractor they have had difficulty in diagnosing the problem.? Perhaps you've had X-rays taken and other tests as well as taken drugs to ease the pain but you were not cured.?

Possible causes of back pain involving the lower left side indicate intestinal problems of some sort possibly including Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS), muscle imbalance, kidney stones, excessive or improper exercise, lifting objects that are too heavy, pregnancy, obesity or an improperly aligned spine such as a herniated disc.

With IBS, you may experience bouts of diarrhea and vomiting due to certain foods you may have eaten that you may be allergic to such as gluten in wheat or rye.? Chances are your doctor will tell you to remove gluten from your diet, which should bring some relief.? There are no cures for IBS which also includes Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis but it can be managed.? In some cases Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis have come about due to some prescription medication you have taken such as Fosamax.? Fosamax is used to treat osteoporosis in women and men as well as Paget's disease.

Kidney stones are a common cause of lower left back pain.? Chances are you will experience difficulty urinating and possibly have blood in your urine.? Your doctor will have no problem diagnosing his problem.? Depending exactly where your stones are and how big they are, your doctor will determine how to get rid of them.? Sometimes it is just a matter of letting them pass through your system.? Laser technologies have been used to blast these stones into smaller pieces, which will pass through your system as well.

A muscle imbalance can also cause lower left back pain.? There are many causes including a pulled muscle.? This can generate pain in other parts of the body as well including spinal pain and intestinal pain.? You may experience pain on the opposite side of your back because your right side is working harder to take over lost function from your left.? Sometimes muscle relaxers and pain killers are prescribed to allow you to do certain exercises that aid in recovery of the damaged muscle.? If the damage is serious, you may require surgery.? Alternating hot and cold compresses are recommended to keep inflammation down and allow for good blood circulation for a faster recovery.? Lower left back pain will remain until your muscles return to normal.

Pregnancy is another cause of lower left back pain.? As the fetus develops it gets bigger and bigger causing the uterus to expand shifting your center of gravity not to mention weakening of the stomach muscles.? This puts tremendous strain on your lower back.? Remember, you are also carrying around extra weight from the fetus plus any weight you are gaining.? This increase in body mass may begin pinching nerves which will cause pain as well.? I'm afraid the only cure here is delivery and that you will have to wait for.? Sleeping on your side with a pillow between your legs may bring some relief in the mean time.

Many back problems can be avoided if you maintain proper weight and exercise regularly.? Be careful how you pick up heavy objects and make sure you do your exercises properly.? Back problems can start out small but if ignored can become a serious issue.?

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Chronic Back Pain Solutions For Seniors Citizens - Easy Home Treatment That Relieves Low Back Pains

Are you a senior citizen suffering from chronic back pain or acute low back pain? Are you caring for your elderly relatives who are affected by backaches? You may wonder if there are special and appropriate remedies for treating back pain when aging. Fortunately, there are a few soft and natural home treatments very helpful for elder people. One of them is called balneotherapy.

Balneotherapy Meaning and Principle

Balneotherapy is probably one of the oldest-known therapies for relieving pain and symptoms of a wide range of diseases. Since time immemorial, it has been observed that a mineral-rich water bath ('balneum' in Latin) can heal people who suffer from chronic diseases such as rheumatics, skin problems, gastrointestinal disorders, muscle spasms, back injuries and respiratory troubles.

What's the therapeutic principle? Trace minerals such as sulfur, calcium, selenium, magnesium, copper, zinc, manganese and lithium are absorbed by the body through the skin and provide beneficial curative effects. The term 'balneotherapy' is often associated with 'hydrotherapy' and by extension it refers to everything relating to spa therapy.

Balneotherapy and Back Pain

A few reliable scientific studies have demonstrated that balneotherapy can appreciably alleviate people who are suffering from back problems. Regular bath in mineral water (the studies have been done with mineral water containing sulfur) can reduce both low back pain and muscle spasms. They improve spine mobility too.

Simple Use and Precaution

You may buy Dead Sea salts or other sulfur-containing bath salts in a health natural products store (it's relatively inexpensive). Run a warm bath, pore salts in water and soak up the benefits of the medicinal water for about 15 minutes. If you are suffering from heart problems you should speak first with your doctor before applying these suggestions.

Last Important Advice

We must recognize with modesty that balneotherapy is not 'the backache miracle cure' as some people think it is! Nevertheless, it helps quite well. Alone, this cure can't cut your back pain by 100%.

As an excellent complementary treatment to balneotherapy I suggest you to follow a simple but effective home treatment that corrects very softly spine alignment and consequently can help get rid of back pains forever. Jerry from California who had been suffering from back problems for 50 years finally discovered an easy way to definitively end his back pains. Feel free to read the Easy Back Pain Solution [http://www.backstoppain.info/] Method that helped Jerry so much!

Lower Back Spasms - What Causes Lower Back Muscle Spasms?

Many people will at some stage in their lives experience the pain and discomfort of a lower back spasm. It often occurs when you least expect it and leaves you wondering what on earth has caused such a debilitating pain in your lower back.

Furthermore back spasms are not always selective which means that active as well as sedentary people can experience this excruciating back pain.

5 Causes of Back Spasms

• A back spasm usually affects the lower back muscles rather than the middle to upper back muscles of the torso and are often the result of an injury or inflammation of the spinal area or the spine itself. It is also thought that the spasm is the body's response to protect and immobilize the spine from further aggravation.
  
  


• Weak abdominal muscles often cause more strain and stress to be placed on the spine which can cause injury and subsequently a spasm to isolate the spine from further stress or injury. So over exertion with weak abdominal will likely result in a back spasm to prevent further damage.
  
  


• Sportsmen may be prone to this type of condition through repetitive motion injuries or chronic overuse injuries. For instance the repetitive motion of a golfer's swing could eventually cause spinal inflammation and injury or damage to the vertebrae or spinal discs & ligaments which will trigger a spasm as a protective measure.
  
  


• People with weak back muscles will also be prone to this injury as extra strain will be placed on the spine for instance when lifting something heavy or perform any type of movements that could place stress on the spine.
  
  


• Poor posture is another cause of lower back pain as it can cause the back muscles to be over strained in trying to maintain spinal stability.

In conclusion it should be noted that usually people who are not overweight, lead a reasonably active lifestyle and are in good physical condition are less prone to suffer from muscle strains and therefore less likely to experience lower back spasms.

Best Treatment for Lower Back Pain

There is no single regimen that can be considered as the best treatment for lower back pain. The wide array of back pain causes and the varying severity of each cause require that treatment methods are specifically tailored to each individual condition. Thus, it is hard to say only rest, medication or surgery can be considered as the best options for treating lower back pain for every single case that is diagnosed.

Of course, from the perspective of preference and convenience, doctors hope that rest, therapy and other non-invasive treatments will be sufficient for treating most lower back problems. This is because prescribing rest, therapy and pain medication implies that the condition has not progressed beyond the point where it already requires surgery. For doctors and patients alike, this is great news. After all, no one would want to risk surgery given all the potential complications that may arise from the procedure.

However, there are also times when surgery becomes the best treatment for lower back pain and no other method will suffice. This is usually because a herniated disc is damaged enough that it is permanently pressing on the nerve roots surrounding its location resulting in extreme and continuous pain. When this happens, rest or medication may not be sufficient to treat the condition. Even epidural injections only provide temporary and short relief when a herniated disc has progressed to a significantly advanced stage. Under these circumstances surgery may become the only option for a permanent and satisfactory solution.

There are many types of back surgery that can be used for treating lower back pain. In the mildest of cases, the protruding spinal disc is shaved so that the mass of bone impinging on the nerves is reduced. In more advanced cases, removal of the disc is required. When this happens, recovery time can take up to 3 months, but if done successfully it will provide permanent relief from the nagging pain brought about by the herniated disc.

Naturally, at the core of assessing which is the best treatment for lower back pain is the debate between necessity, benefit, and risk. This is what doctors use to decide which treatment procedure to prescribe to a specific patient. Is this procedure necessary? Are there other procedures that carry fewer risks and will still hopefully deliver the same benefit? Would you want to risk a serious back operation if a 2 or 3 week bed rest along with medication would do the job? Doctors constantly weigh these considerations in order to provide their patients with the best and safest option for treating lower back pain.

So the next time you suffer from severe back problems, do not immediately start trying a lot of self- help techniques for treating lower back pain. Instead, see a doctor to get a more complete picture of your condition. Go through the diagnostic steps. Assess your options. Only after you've done this will you have enough knowledge to choose the right treatment plan. When done properly, you can be confident that your chosen treatment method is the best for your specific condition. In the end, that is all matters. As long as you are getting pain relief by using the lowest risk options available, then you have done a superb job in making sure you are getting the best treatment for lower back pain.

www.herniateddiscbacksurgery.com/treating-lower-back-pain.shtml

Vitamin D Deficiency Linked To Chronic Back Pain

Vitamin D deficiency is emerging as a potential factor in many chronic pain conditions. If you have back pain that has not responded to treatment, it is a good idea to have your vitamin D levels tested.

Vitamin D is usually absorbed through the skin from sunlight, and a small amount is obtained through diet. The winter months leave people in cold places at greater risk of becoming deficient in this vitamin, but anyone who doesn't get much sunlight is at risk during all seasons.

Dr. Stewart Leavitt, executive director of Pain Treatment Topics, reviewed 22 studies assessing vitamin D levels in people with chronic pain. These studies represented 3,670 participants from various countries and of various ages. Leavitt found that 70% of chronic pain patients in these studies had deficient levels of vitamin D. In one study of 360 females with back pain, vitamin D supplementation resulted in improved symptoms for over 95% of participants.

Vitamin D and Calcium

Vitamin D plays many roles in the body, including the facilitation of calcium absorption. There are vitamin D receptors in the intestines that help calcium from the foods we eat to be absorbed through the intestinal wall into the blood, which then delivers it to many parts of the body, especially bones. Calcium keeps bones hard and strong. When vitamin D deficiency leads to inadequate amounts of calcium available to bones, this condition is called hypocalcemia. Hypocalcemia, even on a small level, can increase the release of parathyroid hormone (PTH).

PTH is responsible for regulating the amounts of calcium in the body. When calcium levels fall low, PTH kicks in to increase levels. It does so partly by causing calcium to be released from bone. This is because other tissues of your body need calcium; muscles, for example, require calcium for contraction. Chronically high levels of PTH lead to improper bone mineralization, which is the process of transforming calcium and phosphorus into hard bone layers. High PTH levels can cause a spongy layer to form beneath the periosteum, or membrane that covers bones. This layer can expand by absorbing fluids and create pressure on the periosteum. A significant amount of pain can be experienced during this process, as periosteal membranes contain many nerves.

Low calcium levels cause bones to grow softer and weaker. Osteomalacia is the name given to this condition. Osteomalacia in the lower back can cause significant pain, as this area is highly mobile.

Since muscle contraction is facilitated by calcium, low levels of calcium (caused by low levels of vitamin D) lead to weaker muscles. Weak muscles are highly susceptible to fatigue and strain as they are incapable of performing work. The spine requires strong core muscles, including muscles in the lower back, to keep it aligned and upright. Weak muscles throughout the body will distort posture, which will cause pain in addition to fatigue and strain.

Aching bones and muscle pain are symptoms of many possible conditions, vitamin D deficiency being one. If you experience these symptoms and have not responded to other forms of treatment, it is possible that a deficiency in this crucial vitamin is the overlooked cause of your condition.

Besides facilitating calcium absorption, vitamin D acts to improve immune function, modulate the inflammatory response and regulate mood. If you receive a blood test that reveals a deficiency, your doctor can help determine what dosage is right for you. The vitamin is toxic in very high doses, so don't exceed recommended doses.

Vitamin D supplementation is affordable and safe to do independently, as long as you use as directed. The supplement is ideal for people who don't get plenty of sunlight due to sensitivity or climate, who have dark skin pigment, who are advanced in age or who have chronic pain. Vitamin D is natural, inexpensive and, when used properly, very safe. For more on vitamin D from Dr. Stewart Leavitt, read his extensive article at http://www.practicalpainmanagement.com/treatments/nutraceutical/vitamin-d-chronic-pain?page=0.

Lower Back Pain Relief Tips

Lower back pain is a common problem that can affect everyone, including you. The pain occurs when you do something over and over that causes repeat trauma to your spine. You may feel pain after doing a simple task but the cause can be something that you have been doing for many years. It is important for you to realize that you may already have lower back pain. At the moment, you may not feel any pain yet but it can be a time bomb that can explode anytime.

Your spines are very complex and strange parts of your body. However, don't worry if you are suffering from this problem. There are ways you can do to get rid of the pain easily. Below are some lower back pain relief tips to keep your back safe:

1. Watch Your Weight
Overweight is one of the back pain causes. Your spine's task is to carry the body's weight around. If you are overweight, then your spine has to take more burdens. Thus you need to keep your weight in normal level to avoid any worse pain.

2. Be Careful on Spine Mobility
Normally, people who are suffering from back pain try to move around and do some activities to train the spine. However, this is actually not very helpful for them. It is because when you move your lower back, you have higher risk of having injury. It is normal to move your hips and upper spine but don't do it too much. You can do some safe movements especially that involve your hips and thoracic spine. To help you broaden range of motions at your hips, you can do some stretching on the hips and perform exercises like hip flexor stretches or overhead squat.

3. Stand Up Straight
Stand up straight is one of the ways to prevent lower back pain. If you are often in a bent over position, your muscles tend to be weak and fatigued. When doing any tasks, make sure that you keep a correct posture to avoid the increase of shear force. It is not a good idea to sit bent over all day long since it causes shear force on your lower back.

4. Stop Your Sit-Ups
Having a six-pack abdomen is very tempting. Unfortunately, doing crunches will only increase the force on the lower back. You are actually still allowed to do sit up but don't do it too much. You can use a few more planks to reduce the stress on your lower back. This way enables you to make your abs stronger while at the same time you relieve the force on your back.

5. Visit the Specialist
If you finally still can't get rid of the pain, then it is suggested that you see a specialist. You can visit a massage therapist to obtain the right treatment for your pain. This treatment will relieve more than what you can do for yourself.

Lower Back Pain - Your Lifestyle Can Be The Cause

At some moments in our lives, you and I, including millions of people all over the world have suffered from back pain and lower back pain. The problem is mostly caused by your modern lifestyle; this means that when you suffer from pain, then the theory behind the cause of your pain in most cases, if not caused by a particular medical condition, would be muscle fatigue, which is caused by stress, tension and most time misuse of muscles, and to make the problem worse, you do not stretch and exercise regularly, you do not assess your posture and movement on a daily basis, you are not sleeping enough etc. All these will surely result to pain.

One of the most common complaints which people suffer from is lower back pain; it is one of the common causes of disability. There are different methods to naturally treat your pain without needing to use medications. Another common pain people suffer from is back pain. Your back is an important region as it holds the entire weight of your body while you are standing. You should know that if your back is weaker than it should be then your body can start to break down and this will result to pain, continuous weaken of your back could make the pain chronic. As earlier mentioned, all these happen mostly because of your lifestyle.

If you are looking for natural means to permanently treat your pain, then it should be methods of physical and mental re-education to reduce habitual and unnecessary tension in all your activity through awareness of balance, posture and movement. It should also show you how to identify the cause of your pain. You need these techniques to re-educate your muscles to work naturally for you, and you will notice that as soon as you correct the misuse of your muscles, you will start to experience relief immediately.

Low Back Pain Causes - Do These Causes of Lower Back Pain Relate to You?

One of the primary causes of lower back pain is bad posture. We spend a lot of our time in positions that are not conducive to a healthy back - like sat in an office chair all day, sat in the car, bending over patients' beds in hospital etc. Coupled with the fact that the majority of us don't get enough exercise to keep our back muscles strong and capable of keeping our spine in correct alignment and we have a recipe for disaster (or lower back pain in this case).

Different postures exert different amounts of pressure on intervertebral disks, which cushion the bones of the spine. When we are lying down, for example, disk pressures have been approximated at 165 pounds per square inch, compared with 220 pounds per inch while we are standing or walking, and 300 to 400 pounds while we are sitting. Not only do those who sit during a large portion of the day weaken their back muscles and the support the muscles provide, but they exert great pressure on the disk areas near the spinal cord and nerve roots, which are poorly supported areas to begin with.

Pregnancy

At least 50 percent of pregnancies involve back pain. The good news: the patient is usually freed from the pain following the delivery of her child.

Gender

Excluding the back pain related to pregnancy, there is little difference in the incidence of back pain in men and women. For all those predominately male construction workers at increased risk, there are predominately female caretakers matching them ache for ache.

Height and Weight

Tall people have been found to have a greater incidence of back pain than their shorter counter-parts, in part due to a tendency to stoop, either to appear shorter or simply to function in a world geared to smaller-sized human beings. Also, the greater the height, the greater the weight and force the lower spine must support.

Obesity is one of the most common contributing factors to back pain. Every pound added to the "gut," one leading rehabilitation center warns its patients, adds ten pounds of pressure to the spine. The sedentary lifestyle associated with obesity and an unbalanced diet that doesn't supply adequate nutrients contribute as well.

Could Hamstring Muscle Injury Cause Back Pain?

You often hear about athletes who are unable to play their sport due to a pulled hamstring. In fact, a pulled hamstring is one of the most common muscle pulls or muscle injury. Your hamstrings are a group of three muscles that help extend your legs at the hip and flex them at the knee. A pulled hamstring is a strain or tear in the muscles or tendons.

To understand what causes a hamstring injury you have to know how muscles work. All muscles work in pairs to perform a task. One set of muscles contracts to exert force while the other set of muscles relaxes. The hamstring muscles located at the back of the thigh, work with the quadriceps muscle group in the front of the thigh. When you want to bend your leg, the hamstring muscles contract and the quadriceps muscles relax. Conversely, when you want to straighten your leg, the quadriceps muscles contract and the hamstring muscles relax.

If one muscle group is considerably stronger than its opposing muscle group, the imbalance can lead to strain. This frequently happens with the hamstring muscles. The quadriceps muscles are usually much more powerful, so the hamstring can become fatigued faster. A fatigued muscle cannot relax as easily when its opposing muscle contracts, leading to strains.

Muscle strains are overuse injuries that result when the muscle is stretched without being properly warmed up. An injury to the hamstring is usually readily apparent. Mild strains may involve simple, uncomfortable tightening of the muscle. More severe injuries may result in a sharp pain in the back of the thigh, usually in full stride. A rupture or tear may leave you unable to stand or walk, muscles may be tender to the touch and painful to stretch your leg. Within a few days after a tear the area may appear very bruised.

Remember RICE and you will know the immediate treatment protocol for many sports related injuries, including hamstring pulls or strains:

R - Rest the affected area.

I - Ice the injury.

C - Compress the injury (apply a bandage or other compressive device).

E - Elevate the injury.

If the muscle is completely torn, surgery may be necessary to repair and reattach it. No treatment is complete without proper rehabilitation to strengthen and stretch the muscle.

The best way to prevent a hamstring injury is to warm up before activity and stretch after activity. Weak or tight hamstrings can contribute to low back pain, so doing exercises to strengthen and stretch the hamstrings may also reduce your risk of low back pain. Be sure to perform all strength training exercises in opposing muscle form. For example if you work the quadriceps be sure to also work the hamstrings. The best exercise to isolate these two muscle groups would be the Leg Press and the Leg Curl working the quadriceps and hamstrings respectively. If you feel your hamstring is the muscle with the imbalance be sure to work it a little harder by adding an extra set or more weight for your sets.

A good stretch is to sit down and straighten your left leg. The sole of your right foot should rest next to the inside of your straightened leg. Lean slightly forward and touch your foot with your fingers. Keep your left foot upright with the ankle and toes relaxed. Hold for 30 seconds, then repeat with the right leg.

An exercise program designed by your trainer at Any Body Fitness will be designed according to a muscle balance form. This design helps prevent injury. That is what we want!

Causes of Back Pain - Spasmodic Torticollis, Sciatica, and Spinal Stenosis

Although many people will suffer from back or neck pain at some point in their lives, it can be quite difficult to diagnose these acute, short-term problems. Often, a muscle strain may be the culprit, which can heal in a manner of days or weeks. But for chronic pain in the neck and back, doctors have named a variety of disorders that people commonly experience. From sciatica to spinal stenosis, being aware of a few of these common painful conditions may help people suffering from back injuries understand why they are in pain and what treatment paths to take when they are recovering.

If a person has shortening of muscle fibers or periodic spasms in the neck, spasmodic torticollis may be the problem. The neck muscles may contract so much that the neck is forced to turn from a neutral position to a deranged one. Unfortunately, though, doctors do not know what actually causes this condition. A reaction to drugs or medication is the most common reason people suffer from spasmodic torticollis, but the actual reason that some people develop it is uncertain. Treatments for the condition involve such modalities as physical therapy, injections of botulinum toxin into the neck muscles, drugs to control the pain, or even surgery in some cases.

Sciatica is a condition in which the nerve roots are compressed. The most common cause is a vertebral disc begins to protrude out of the spinal column and additional pressure is put on the spinal cord. Osteoarthritis, bony irregularities, tumors, and abscesses may also cause sciatica. People who have this condition often describe the pain as burning or stabbing, and pain or numbness may be felt all the way from the lower back to the feet, with discomfort in the hips or knees also present. Rest, rehabilitative exercises, spinal flossing, medication, and surgery have all be used to treat sciatica, with varying degrees of success in different patients.

Another disorder that can cause harmful pressure on the spinal cord and sciatic nerve roots is called lumbar spinal stenosis. This results from a narrowing of the spinal canal in the lower back or upper back regions. In fact, it may even be one of the causes of sciatica. Degenerative diseases such as osteoarthritis or disc degeneration may lead to spinal stenosis. Pain is most commonly experienced in the hips, thighs, and even down to the calves, and may be felt when standing, walking, and running. The treatments for spinal stenosis are similar to treatments for sciatica and aim to reduce spinal compression causing pain.

Though there are a number of other conditions that can cause pain in the back and neck, these ones detailed here are some of the most common but most debilitating for those suffering from them. Pain in the lower back and neck can be very uncomfortable, even when it lasts only for a day or a week at the most. But chronic conditions such as sciatica or disc disease can cause pain for a great portion of person's life. This makes it even more important to find ways to deal with the problem by reducing the pain and then relearning how to move without severe back or neck pain.

I Have Lower Back Pain and It Hurts to Sit - Pain Relief

How is your back feeling lately?

Has it driven you to look for pain relief?

1.) Introduction

It is one thing to have an aching back, and it is another to have constant lower back pain that is excruciating and unbearable. It takes the idea of being in pain to a whole different level when that pain continues and even exacerbates when you sit. What are you supposed to do? Stand up all day and night? It is not very likely to happen.

2.) Why Does My Lower Back Hurt When I Sit?

Surprisingly, some people only experience lower back pain when they sit. Their backs do not hurt when they walk or when they stretch out in bed; only upon sitting. Well what causes this? It all has to do with the quantity of stress that your spine has to endure. When a person sits, that stress amount is increased. Moreover, if it is a slouching posture, the stress on the spine increases even more. Add in additional stress from a muscle strain or a herniated disc, and the pain becomes agonizing.

3.) Back Pain Relief

After suffering for a while, the reasons why you are hurting become obsolete, and your only thought is the discovery of a cure for what ails you. There are a few steps you can take to reduce pain in your lower back that occurs from sitting.

First of all, you can be selective about the chairs in which you sit. A high back chair that has arm rests (so you will be less inclined to slouch) can be very helpful and will prop up your entire body. Secondly, when sitting, it is important that you keep your knees and hips positioned at a ninety degree angle; this is the correct angle for proper posture and will help decrease stress on your back.

Unfortunately, working alone, neither of these tips will give you a great deal of relief for lower back pain. One of the best way to alleviate your pain is through the use of a back brace. A brace functions by providing support to the back in a variety of ways.

How a Back Brace Helps

1) Alleviates hurting. Using a brace aids you by reducing lower back pain that causes you to hurt when you sit. In many cases, the support will provide you with some relief immediately by reducing the movement of your spine.

2) Improves back stability. The back brace supports your back by keeping your spine more stable. Not only does this fixed position give your muscles times to heal, but it also retrains your posture to avoid further injuries.

No longer do you have to suffer from intense, lower back pain. There are ways to reduce the aching and enjoy a relatively pain-free, seating experience.

Note: This is health information. Speak to your local, licensed orthotist when it comes to medical advice on braces for your spine.

Is Your Office Chair Causing You Lumbar Pain?

Do you experience pain in your lower back when driving, sitting at your desk or when reclining on your sofa? Do you take pain relievers for lower back and sciatica pain, or are your usual activities ever restricted due to such pain?

If you primarily sit at a desk for work or spend long hours at home in an office chair in front of your computer, your chair could be the cause of your lumbar pain.

The primary reason an office chair causes lower back pain is improper lumbar support.

Why Chairs Matter

The type of chair you use at the workplace or in your home office matters a great deal for several reasons:

• The human body wasn't designed for sitting hours on end.

The lumbar muscles in your back take the brunt of the pressure sitting for extended periods of time places on your body. The chair you sit in for hours and hours can make doing so much easier on your lower back - or much worse. ?

• The vast majority of people have poor sitting posture.

Sitting hunched over at your desk without proper lumbar support isn't good posture, and it causes lower back pain, shoulder pain and neck pain.

• As people age, elasticity and strength in muscles and ligaments is lost, leaving them more susceptible to injury.

An office chair can help you avoid injury by providing proper lumbar support when your muscles need it most.

• Discs in the spine harden over time, and muscles lose mass.

Supporting the lumbar muscles properly alleviates strain and helps support the spine.

Taking breaks from sitting and exercising regularly can help with back problems that result from these contributing factors. Seating yourself properly in an office chair with adequate back support can also help you avoid and alleviate lower back pain long term.

Support and Comfort while Sitting

If you frequently fidget in your office chair and you're always changing positions trying to get and stay comfortable, you probably need a better office chair.

Quality, ergonomic office chairs are unfortunately rather expensive. If your employer won't pay for a better chair or you need some time to save up for one for the home, a lumbar ?cushion is an easy, affordable option.

A lumbar support cushion straps to the back of your office chair right where it's needed to provide lumbar support. It fits snugly in the gap that occurs where your spine curves inward away from the chair's back.

Filling in that gap takes the pressure off lumbar muscles while you're sitting. You will notice how much more comfortable your chair feels with this added support. You'll be able to sit still longer without fidgeting or pain, plus you can rely on a lumbar support cushion to prevent lower back pain in the future.

Once you try a lumbar support cushion, you may find your office chair is actually a lot more comfortable than you imagined. If you still wish to invest in a better chair, you can look for one that provides lumbar support and use your lumbar cushion for portable support around the home and in your car.

Constant Lower Back Pain - How Do I Make My Constant Lower Back Pain Stop?

Do you find yourself suffering from constant lower back pain? Do you wake up each morning with a stiff or sore back and then spend the rest of the day trying to manage it or make it stop? Do you then go to sleep each night and toss and turn all night looking for that one certain place that you can finally be pain free for a few minutes and just go to sleep? If any of these sounds familiar then you are one of many unlucky people in the world suffering from chronic back pain.

This used to be my story. I remember sitting in a chair all day going down slowly because I was so still and sore. Then I would sit there and continue to fidget and move trying to get comfortable. When I got up I remember how slow I had to do so and how stiff and sore my back was. The good news is that I am now completely pain free and can go about my day, play with my kids, and enjoy getting out and about.

The secret for me was several small changes to the way I lived. I had thought about looking into surgery but really didn't want someone cutting on my back or potentially doing any damage to the nerves. Not to mention the really long recovery time and massive expense. There were several things that helped me but I'll share with you one quick tip and tell you where you can get some more. This may sound really simple but I loosened my belt and started wearing looser clothes. I had put on a few pounds over the years and things started to fit more snug which was pressing on the nerves in my side and back. Once I figured this and a few other things out then I was finally able to be be pain free and active and loose the weight that was also contributing to the problem.

The Biggest Cause of Lower Back Pain - And Its Cure!

If you are reading this now, most likely you are sitting with lower back pain.

You can't get comfortable for too long or your back pain will get worse. You will have to leave your computer and either lie down or go for a walk... just to make life more comfortable.

Lower back pain affects over 80% of the adult population - fact. Boring fact I know as you know it affects you 100%. And you just want to be free of your lower back pain... for how long though?

Would you like to be free of lower back pain now and not have it come back? Imagine how you could play with your children; take up that hobby that you stopped because your back was just too sore. Just feel what life would be like getting out of bed in the morning (not groaning with lower back pain), going to work (being able to perform 100%) and then coming home feeling great (lower back pain really makes you tired doesn't it).

By now you want to know what does cause you to suffer so much from lower back pain. Well, the answer is so simple you will be disappointed. You probably may even guess what it is...

There are two main culprits: your weak abdominal muscles and your tense hip flexor muscles!

Now I know you may have spent countless hours (probably more when you were younger) doing abdominal exercises. From crunches to knee lifts, endless sit-ups to many so called "miracle" ways to get wash-board abs. But you still suffer from lower back pain.

Well I have some good news and some great news...

To strengthen your abdominals you don't need to do sit-ups again or crunches... and that is the good news. The great news is you can stimulate your abdominal muscles in just a few minutes. You see, there is a reflex point on your inner thigh that stimulates the nerve and blood supply to your abdominal muscles. If you rub this is a certain way, you increase their strength.

Wait a minute...

Do not think you will get wash-board abdominals from doing this. This is a way to increase their functional strength, so your lower back pain disappears. That is what you want after all, isn't it. You also want to be able to get back to the gym, do all the sit-ups, crunches; knee lifts etc and get those abdominals back. Which will happen faster if the nerve and blood supply is working perfectly.

If you are asking why your abdominals is one of the biggest causes of your lower back pain, the answer is simple... Your abdominal muscles help support the pelvis. If they weaken then your curve in the lower back increases (a sway back), which then irritates the lower back joints. The muscles around the joints then become tight and suddenly you have that situation where your lower back is ready to blow.

You lift up a chair, bend over to grab an object, wrestle with your children or just get out of bed, and then... lower back pain grabs you. You now a part of the statistics - 80% of all adults suffer from lower back pain at some stage - it is now affecting you 100% though.

There is hope for you, there is a solution, and if you stimulate your abdominals then lower back pain can disappear. Especially if you combine it with stretching the other major cause and if you learn to re-balance your pelvis and lower back (the major causes of lower back pain).

Sorry...

Have you just realized I said at the start... "the two biggest culprits that cause lower back pain are your abdominals and hip flexors". Yet you didn't hear a word mentioned on the hip flexors, did you. This is the next article that is coming soon, so watch out for your next solution to lower back pain.