Symptoms of Kidney Stones - Does My Lower Back Pain Mean I Have Them?

The existence of kidney stones could be a seriously agonizing experience for an individual dealing with a kidney stone attack. It can be hard to personally identify if you do not know the signs and symptoms that accompany the kidney stone attack.

There might be numerous reasons for you to have kidney stones so if you're among the individuals prone to the disease you ought to be cautious and then try to avoid the condition. It's also wise to be aware of the signs of kidney stone to ensure that should you experience any kind of signs and symptoms you will get your self treated as quickly as possible.

An early recognition of the disease might help someone stop further more serious issues to the urinary system. If you feel you have kidney stones make sure to talk to your physician, who'll show you as to the greatest treatment available to you.

It's not necessary that everybody dealing with kidney stone issues will have exactly the same signs and symptoms; the patient can get any kind of mixture of common signs and symptoms, or perhaps in certain cases just about all signs and symptoms together. Make sure to look for any of the subsequent signs and symptoms that usually impact a person with this ailment.

The primary sign for stones in the kidney is actually discomfort in the back region or even the pelvic. This particular discomfort ranges from dull discomfort to serious discomfort depending on the size of the stone.

The pain sensation may become agonizing if your stone is actually obstructing the ureter and preventing fluids from moving through. Occasionally pain relievers will give you short-term alleviation, however this sort of discomfort shouldn't be overlooked, and treatment ought to be supplied at the earliest.

The existence of blood within the pee is yet another characteristic of kidney stones, particularly if associated with discomfort in the back and pelvic region. If you are in pain take a look at your urine, you may be able to see signs and symptoms of blood inside it or even the pee might be an unusual colour. This is a sign for alarm which should not be overlooked.

An additional characteristic of it is trouble peeing, if you find peeing an unpleasant experience or even really feel the burning feeling during or even following peeing, talk to your physician, this may be because of damage caused by a stone in the ureter as well as due to an obstruction of the ureter due to a stone.

A UTI brought on by stones within the kidney will make you feverish and trigger chills, this can be a manifestation of contamination in your body which is most likely that stones within the kidney are resulting in the infection.

They are a few main indications of a lingering stone within the kidney problem; you may be going through any of the above mentioned signs and symptoms or perhaps a mixture of a few of the signs and symptoms. You need to know your body and really should seek advice from a physician if you see something unusual. Getting treatment at the earliest is the greatest reaction you can have for yourself if you are suffering through any kind of medical issues.

Plantar Fasciitis Can Cause Back Pain

Plantar fascia is a band of connective tissue that runs along the bottom of the foot. It forms an attachment between the heel and the toes and maintains the foot's arch. Plantar fasciitis is a condition characterized by inflammation of this tissue. If the tissue is stretched and strained, inflammation occurs to prevent further strain and facilitate healing.

While a little foot pain might not sound so bad, plantar fasciitis can wreak havoc on your body mechanics. As your body changes the way it moves when you walk to avoid pain, the angles of your joints from the ankles to the spine change and the muscles of the legs, hips and lower back experience a change in tension. With this condition, foot pain can eventually evolve into ankle, leg, hip and back pain.

Causes

A number of situations can strain the plantar fascia:

Runners and ballet dancers may develop the condition due to the extra stress their heels are subjected to.

If you have another foot problem that affects the way weight is distributed across the foot -- high arches, for example - then the plantar fascia may be strained.

Overweight people are more at risk for this condition due to the excess pressure on the feet.

Anyone who spends all day on their feet, such as factory workers, may develop this condition.

Wearing shoes that fail to promote proper weight distribution across the foot increases the chances of overstretching the plantar fascia. High heels, for example, put the whole foot in an unnatural position and stretch the fascia.

Finally, a tight calf muscle or Achilles tendon can pull up on the plantar fascia, as these structures are connected.

Symptoms

People with plantar fasciitis tend to feel sharp pain in the heel of their foot, particularly upon taking their first steps of the day or after getting up from sitting for a while. The tight, inflamed fascia is at its least flexible after a period of immobility, so pain is worse on these initial steps. The pain usually develops slowly over time as the condition is a result of gradual damage accumulation to the connective tissue.

Treatments

One prong of plantar fasciitis treatment is pain management. Ice is one way to alleviate pain; not only does it numb the area, but it also helps to reduce painful inflammation.

Wearing shoes that cushion the bottom of the foot and promote proper mechanics will reduce strain to the already-stressed tissue. People with flat feet might opt for cushioned soles with arch supports, for example.

Proper treatment involves a second prong focused on identifying and addressing the situations that led to fasciitis in the first place. Finding a physical therapist trained to assess muscle imbalances and body mechanics is often a good way to identify what strained the fascia. In physical therapy, you can learn exercises to strengthen your lower legs, which help support the ankle and heel. You can also learn stretches to keep the calves and Achilles tendons flexible.

Deep tissue massage or myofascial release can also be very effective at reducing inflammation and restoring elasticity to the plantar fascia. Myofascial release can be pursued with a trained practitioner or on your own. Self-myofascial release (SMR) is done with a firm, round object that you roll between your foot and the floor to apply deep pressure to the fascia. See the video at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w0d7eah1q2g to learn about SMR for the foot.

Understanding the causes of plantar fasciitis will enable you to find long-lasting pain relief. Proper body mechanics and maintaining a healthy weight will help to prevent this condition.

Back Pain - Medications Used to Treat Acute and Chronic Back Pain

Medication is often used to treat acute and chronic low back pain. Effective pain relief may involve a combination of prescription drugs and over-the-counter remedies. Check with a doctor before taking drugs for pain relief. Certain medicines (even those sold over the counter) are unsafe during pregnancy, may conflict with other medications, may cause side effects, or may lead to liver damage.

Following are medications used to treat acute and chronic back pain:

Over-the-counter analgesics. Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, such as aspirin, naproxen, and ibuprofen, can be taken orally to reduce stiffness, swelling, and inflammation and to ease mild to moderate low back pain. Counter-irritants applied topically to the skin as a cream or spray can stimulate nerve endings in the skin to provide feelings of warmth or cold to dull the sense of pain. Topical analgesics can also reduce inflammation and stimulate blood flow.

Anticonvulsants. These drugs are primarily used to treat seizures but may be useful in treating certain types of nerve pain. Anticonvulsants may also be prescribed with analgesics.

Antidepressants. Some antidepressants, such as amitriptyline and desipramine, have been shown to relieve pain and assist with sleep. Antidepressants alter levels of brain chemicals to elevate mood and dull pain signals.

Opioids. Opioids like codeine, oxycodone, hydrocodone and morphine are often prescribed to manage severe acute and chronic back pain. They should only be used for a short period of time and under a physician's supervision. Side effects can include drowsiness, decreased reaction time, impaired judgment, and potential for addiction. Many specialists believe that chronic use of these drugs is detrimental to those with back pain, adding to depression and even increasing pain.

Lower Back Pain During Pregnancy - First Trimester

The Sciatic nerve is responsible for making our leg and feet muscles feel. They are an essential part of our nerves that may sometimes cause us pain. Slipped discs or other related injuries in the spine cause these nerves to become inflamed. And that is where the pain begins to make discomforts.

This condition usually happens to people who would sit on a chair without any change in position for long periods of time. Pregnant women in their first trimester of pregnancy are also most likely to be vulnerable to this condition. Their movements during this period are restricted and may cause some pressure on their spine. Their sciatic nerves are then inflamed causing pain that they might mistake as resulting from being kicked by their child inside the womb.

The remedy for this concern is a visit to the physical therapist in close coordination with the OB gynecologist handling the pregnancy. Regular therapy will somehow lessen and quickly eliminate lower back pain that causes discomfort. The therapist would even give exercises that will help in avoiding the recurrence of the discomfort.

These are things that we sometimes have difficulty avoiding; especially pregnant women. Particularly those who are in the developing stage of their pregnancy. The movements of pregnant women during the early stages are limited. That is why when they sit for long periods their spine usually is being exposed to pressure that eventually cause the sciatic nerve to become inflamed.

This could be prevented by relieving the pressure on the lower back by repositioning, or doing movements that would somehow divert the pressure from the lower back. Cushioning the back would contribute much to the improvement of the condition, or from preventing the discomfort from happening in the first place.

Bed rest is sometimes advised by physicians to pregnant women who have special cases; they may not have the sciatic pains but may be at risk for developing a problem. Immobility would put much pressure on the lower back unless efforts are made to avoid the situation.

Lower Back Pain

Lower back pain - knee pain - knee extension

Patients with lower back pain will often complain of knee pain. The most common roots to be irritated are the L5 and S1 nerve roots which supply many muscles that cross the knee or insert near the knee. Therefore when muscles such as the hamstrings, gluteus maximus, adductor magnus and tensor fascia latae shorten due to spasm, knee pain can often be felt.

Knee pain will be more noticeable on extension (straightening) of the knee or with excessive bending or weight bearing on the knees such as in crawling or kneeling. If the muscles that bend the knee such as the hamstrings go into spasm, knee pain will be felt with knee extension. When the knee extensors such as the tensor fascia latae and the gluteus maximus (through its insertion into the iliotibial tract) shorten due to spasm, knee pain will be felt with knee flexion (bending).

Chief extensors of the knee are the quadriceps (vastus lateralis, vastus medialis, vastus intermedius and rectus femoris) muscles supplied by the femoral nerve (L2, L3, L4).

It is very important that treatments related to problems with knee extension should not be focussed only to treating the quadriceps muscles.

Nerve related muscle pain assessment causing knee pain should include assessment of the movements of the entire spine from the neck to the lower back, hips, knees and ankles.

Lower back pain - hip extension

Lower back pain caused by S1 nerve root irritation will affect the hip extensor muscles which S1 nerve root so richly supplies. The hip extensor muscles are best tested by having the patient lie facedown. The patient bends the knee and lifts the knee off the surface of the bed. The examiner can test the strength of the gluteus maximus muscle by pushing down on the buttock and thigh toward the bed while the patient resists the hip from moving down. If the patient lifts the hip and thigh off the surface of the bed with the knee straight, this movement is primarily performed by the hamstring muscles. The muscles which perform hip extension are: - gluteus maximus (inferior gluteal nerve carrying L5, S1 root fibers primarily S1) - biceps femoris, long head (sciatic nerve carrying L5, S1 root fibers primarily S1) - semitendinosus (sciatic nerve carrying L5, S1 root fibers primarily L5) - semimembranosus (sciatic nerve carrying L5, S1 root fibers primarily L5) © 2007 copyright all rights reserved http://www.stopmusclepain.com Lower back pain/hip extension

Top Tips to Cure Lumbar Back Pain

Suffering from lumbar back pain can be a debilitating condition and for those that have never experienced it, you are in the minority. There are many causes for lower back pain and there could be several reasons for the onset of the pain however even simple routines like sweeping the floor can activate the condition.

The back is strong but when it gets damaged, the pain is real and can last for a long time. When you have a back injury, the results can be different depending on the person that experiences it. While one person may have extreme amounts of pain from an injury, another with the same injury may not have any discomfort at all. This is because the root cause of the pain is not the injury. It is the inflammation and tightness that is affecting the nerves in your back. It is possible to treat these conditions with exercises for back pain.

You must focus on what is truly causing the pain and discomfort. If you can eliminate the nerve pains and or tissue pain then you can live a pain free life while managing your back condition. The chances are very high that the lumbar back pain that you feel today was caused by many years of physical abuse to your back muscles, spine and your pelvis. These are all dysfunctions that take time to build until one day the pain begins to break through. When your muscles in the back, buttocks, upper legs, shoulders and hips begin to weaken or become extremely tight, the result is pressure that causes your spine and pelvis to be out of line. This happens over a span of many years so the affects are not always seen immediately.

When your spine and hips are out of alignment they force your muscles to work in ways that they were not designed to work and it can lead to injuries and nerve related issues. Muscle imbalances force your body to pull and push in an effort to make it perform properly. When you fix the imbalances that are causing the pain then you will find that you are pain free and living life as you did before the lumbar back pain began.

When you start to exercise the back pain will leave and you are sure to feel better. Using muscle balance therapy to help with lumbar back pain is a great solution. This takes the treatment right to the source of the problem. Many of the more common treatments like exercise for back pain and medications simply treat the results and do nothing for the cause.

If you deal with the root cause, you will not have trouble with the dysfunctions that have been accumulating over the years. When you exercise for back pain you will be targeting the muscles that are too tight or too loose and that are leading to the imbalance. The weaker muscles will be strengthened and the tighter muscles loosened up.

When your doctor prescribes medication to help with your lumbar back pain, it is intended to help with the immediate pain and symptoms and does nothing at all for the cause of the pain. That is why you must treat your back pain by attacking the cause. There is a way to do it and to get your life back on track. You must simply be committed to getting the job done.

One popular lumbar back pain exercise that has helped many people find the relief they are looking for is called an extension. It requires you to lie on the floor in the face down position and to extend your feet as far behind you as you can. You should use your arms to slowly lift your head up and arch your back as far back as you can. Push up until your elbows are locked and be sure to keep your hands down to your sides. Stretch your head back as far as you can. This exercise will stretch the lower back muscles and loosen any tight spots.

Another great exercise for back pain is to lie down on your back. Bring your knees up and keep your arms flat on the ground on each side of your body. Slowly lift your buttocks up off of the ground so that your pelvis is thrust up as high as possible. Extend one leg up into the air and straighten it. With the leg straightened, lower the buttocks to the ground and begin again. These lumbar back pain exercises can target the root cause of the pain, the imbalance. When you focus the treatment on the cause of the pain, you will recuperate in no time at all.

Lower Back Pain from Standing Too Long - Get Rid of It

There are lots of jobs or situations that might require the person to stand continuously for some period of time. Though the continuous standing will give the person something called a salary or get him a movie ticket if he is standing in a queue, it will also give him some serious back problems. In this article, we would look at how to get rid of back problems that mainly arise due to standing for long hour's non stop.

People might be slightly surprised to hear this but the shoes you wear is one of the main causes of back problems while standing. There are lots of people who buy long heel shoes in the name of fashion and do not bother about the comfort aspect of the shoe. Getting rid of the high heeled shoes or buying something more comfortable would be a very good way to cure this problem. Flat heeled shoes should be the way to go.

Some exercises which help in strengthening the stomach muscles will be very beneficial in handling this problem. The muscles in and around the stomach are very crucial for a more stable and stronger back and it is therefore important that one takes good care of his or her abdominal muscles by exercising regularly and keeping them toned.

If you are in a job like that of a waitress or a bartender, then ninety percent of the time you would be standing and would not get an opportunity to sit. During such times, you should never miss a chance of sitting or taking a rest as that will help in relaxing the stress and pain on the back muscles considerably.

Doing some yoga might also be beneficial in curing this problem. Try to get yourself diagnosed if you think that this back pain is more serious and has something to do with the other medical disorders that you might probably have.

Lower Back Pain Causes and What You Should Do

Lower back pain is caused by many issues, but it is not the way you lift, bend or even move about that causes your pain. Pain is created by three main issues that combined will also confuse you about what are the best ways to get lower back pain relief. Read on to discover what are the low back ache and pain causes and what you should do to get lasting relief.

Most people are told when they hurt their back that it must have been how you lifted, or that you lifted incorrectly or the load was far too heavy for you. Yet in most situations the object you lifted was not too heavy, you've done the same activity many times before without getting pain. So why is this particular situation different and why did lower back ache develop?

The reality is that the low back pain causes you thought were the true causes are in fact aggravating factors and not causes. Your pain has developed as your muscles and joints in your low back have become tired and exhausted and then the final act you do, causes them to go into spasm and joints to tighten.

So there are three common issues that create this situation and from this you can understand what you need to do to get lasting lower back pain relief. Remember it is the combination of factors that cause your pain and it is the combination of techniques that will remove your pain long term.

The common lower back ache cause is muscle tightness, which is where your muscles have tightened and pain develops. Along with this you can localized muscle spasm which is also called trigger points. But it is muscle tightness that causes most of the actual pain, but is still only part of the reason why pain happens.

If muscles tire out then muscles will tighten, so the muscle tightness mentioned above is the result of when muscles tire. Muscle tiredness doesn't mean they necessarily lose physical strength, but it relates to their nerve and blood supply. If this supply is reduced, then muscles cannot function correctly, they will tire and hence tighten.

The next issue is joint movement and it is joints that combined with the muscle imbalances that lead to pain. Joints can slow in motion and become sticky, once this occurs the muscle will work harder and then they tire.

As you can see, combined these three issues are the main low back pain causes and each can recreate the other. To get lasting lower back pain relief you therefore must remove all three issues or pain will only leave temporarily.

Once again it is the combination of techniques you use that will give you permanent lower back pain relief. Techniques must incorporate aspects that remove the muscle imbalances and joint imbalances to be effective. If not then lower back aches and pain is likely to remain or only leave for the short term.

Chronic Back Pain Limitations

Thousands and thousands of people annually seek medical care for back pain. For some, the pain is gone within 6 weeks. For others, it becomes chronic back pain.

Chronic back pain affects individuals in various ways. Most make repeated visits to physicians, seeking relief. They want to know what causes their chronic back pain. They want new tests. They want to try whatever treatment may be available.

Chronic back pain sufferers may report difficulty in performing normal daily activities. They may believe the pain is increasing. They may simply want someone to sympathize, and agree that it is not "all in your head" at all.

Although back pain is the main reason people visit orthopedic surgeons and neurosurgeons, and the second main reason they visit primary care physicians, an estimated 5 to 10 percent of those visitors will receive no cure. They will go from low back pain to chronic back pain.

Patients are frustrated because physicians do not cure back pain. Physicians are frustrated because they cannot cure low back pain. Many think they can do little to prevent occasional severe back pain from becoming chronic back pain.

If nothing is done, however, chronic back pain limitations can seriously impinge on daily activity.

Possible Limitations

A look at possible chronic back pain limitations reveals a long list. There are limitations placed by a physician, but there are many more limitations that patients place on themselves. They may include physical limitations, emotional limitations, or mental limitations. Of the many chronic back pain limitations we can discuss only 7 here.

1. Depression: One of the most common limitations of chronic back pain, depression affects everyone involved in the daily life of the sufferer. The type of depression experienced by sufferers of chronic back pain is not simply a matter of feeling sad or "down at the heels" for a day or so. "Major depression" and "clinical depression" are the terms used for this kind of depression.

When chronic back pain limitations include a major depression, the person feels emotionally miserable everyday for at least two weeks. He or she also may have unexplained crying spells; major appetite changes; fatigue, sleep problems; agitation; and thoughts of death or suicide. There may be little interest in activities that were normally enjoyable.

2. Social Activity: A second of the chronic back pain limitations reported is that of social activity. People suffering chronic back pain become reluctant to attend parties and other social functions. They may curtail recreational activities or outings with the family.

3. Work Time: Those who suffer chronic back pain are also more likely to take off more work time. Statistics show that back pain causes the loss of more than 83 million days of work time each year due to back pain.

4. Job Loss: Since it often means lost work time, another of chronic back pain limitations is job loss. Too many lost days, or poor performance due to chronic back pain, can result in replacement.

5. Work Ability: Chronic back pain is a leading cause of work limitations. Back pain limits workers' ability to lift, carry, and perform other duties that are required. It places restrictions on workers, and narrows the job field for many people.

6. Low Pay: Chronic back pain limitations include financial limits for some. Those who are limited in work by chronic back pain earn, on average, only two-thirds the amount of those without back pain.

7. Housework: One of the largest limitations of chronic back pain appears to hit normal activities associated with housework, gardening, and lawn work. Patients with back pain that lasted more than 60 days often report they are no longer able to do any gardening, lawn work, or normal cleaning activities such as vacuuming, mopping floors, etc.

Clinically Proven Limitations

For the patient, it is difficult to believe that chronic back pain limitations are often unnecessary. They continue to believe that the pain has a cause that can be readily diagnosed, despite their physician's repeated assurances to the contrary. They believe the physician can find a medical sure for their back pain if pressed often enough and hard enough. As for treatment, patients often believe that until the cure is found, the best treatment is bed rest and limited activity.

The result of such beliefs is that back pain that could initially be resolved with exercise becomes chronic back pain. Chronic back pain that might still be resolved if the patient were to exercise regularly gradually develops and produces chronic back pain limitations.

TIP: Back pain is very, very common in our society. Rather than let it lead to complications and limitations, you may want to ask your physician for gentle exercises that may resolve your back pain before it becomes chronic.

Rib, Chest and Upper Back Pain Causes

When people feel pain in the chest area, they often fear the worst. While it is important to be aware of symptoms that may indicate serious problems like a heart attack, it is also good to know that there are many causes of chest and rib pain that do not involve the heart.

Intercostal Muscle Strain

There are muscles in between the ribs called intercostal muscles. There are two sets: the internal and external intercostals. These muscles help to stabilize the chest wall and allow movement of the upper torso. Like any other muscle, the intercostals can be strained when you perform a strenuous activity or from repeated movements like twisting or bending.

When a muscle is strained, it undergoes tearing and inflammation. Strained muscles are often tender to the touch. It is characteristic of torn rib muscles to cause sharp pain when inhaling or sneezing. Muscle strains heal with a day or two of rest usually, but since the intercostal muscles are used with every breath we take, they may take a little longer to recover.

Costovertebral Joint Dysfunction

12 pairs of ribs attach to the thoracic spine in the upper back. The joint that attaches the rib to the vertebra is called the costovertebral joint, and there is one on each side of every thoracic vertebra. When a vertebra becomes misaligned (subluxated), the costovertebral joint also becomes misaligned. This can cause inflammation and stiffness of the joints. Pain may radiate throughout the upper back and ribcage, particularly if nerves that run along the ribs are irritated by the joint.

Thoracic joint problems are relatively rare, considering that this spinal segment doesn't move very much. It is more likely a concern for someone who has suffered a blow to the upper back or who engages in regular activity that demands high levels of twisting. It is also possible that poor posture could result in strain to the thoracic joints. Chiropractic care can help realign the spine.

Costochondritis

Costochondritis is a poorly understood medical condition characterized by inflammation of the cartilage connecting the ribs to the sternum. Most of the time a cause for the condition is not found. A few known causes are infection from a surgical procedure, tumors, strain from lifting or severe cough, a hard blow to the chest and arthritis.

Pain from costochondritis generally affects people on the left side and at more than one rib level. It is worsened by coughing and deep breaths. Treating the condition depends on its cause. Antibiotics can help if an infection is the cause. Stretching and rest may be helpful in the case of strain. Anti-inflammatory medications may be prescribed. Generally the condition in itself is not dangerous, but it could point to a serious cause and requires medical attention.

Whenever you have pain in your chest, it should be taken seriously. However, it is important to be aware of all potential causes, not just the most serious ones.

Diagnosing Lower Back Pain Causes

In everything we do in life, determining the problem is the first step taken before performing anything else and the same goes for lower back complications since you need to first comprehend the symptoms, then identify the lower back pain causes, and then treat it. After taking a careful history of the patient, the doctor could already determine likely causes of the pain through a physical spinal exam.

An excellent example of a test undertaken to analyze a patient's spine situation during a medical examination is the Straight Leg Raising Test. With the patient lying down in the supine position (on his back), the doctor holds the ankle while attempting to keep the knee stretched out, and lifts the leg to figure out the range of flexion in the hip joint. There is nerve root compression if pain is experienced on the other leg, also referred to as contralateral radiation.

Some other tests that may help ascertain if a patient has a pinched nerve is with the dorsiflexion of the foot and pressing upon the popliteal fossa where the tibial nerve is located while stretching out a flexed knee. Lumbar herniation may also be discovered with the application of these tests. Except if any symptoms are existing, imaging tests like X-rays and CT scans will not be utilized with acute lower back pain. A doctor can conveniently discover the causes with the use of imaging techniques which is advised for patients suffering from chronic pain.

For lower back pain patients, the following diagnostic checks are some of the most regularly employed in the medical community today...

Plain X-ray

For lower back pain conditions that hasn't gotten better or has worsened after 30 days this type of test is most suitable. X-rays are suggested in patients who have experienced substantial trauma, patients 50 years old and above who have endured slight shock, those with osteoporosis, and individuals with a history of long term steroid application. X-rays can also spot bone deformities (such as scoliosis), bone fractures, and bone changes because of aging.

Myelogram

Relatively comparable to an X-ray, a myelogram involves injecting a radio-opaque dye into the spinal canal of the patient. This test is done along with a CT scan if surgical procedure is planned on the patient.

CT scan

Though not a good idea for acute cases, patients with lower back pain symptoms that are indicative of spinal canal or bone infection, fracture, tumor, or cauda equina syndrome must take a CT scan test.

MRI (Magnetic Resonance Imaging)

Recommended for the same illnesses as in CT scans. There have been inconclusive results when it pertains to the application of this test to locate disc herniations. Almost 20% of ruptured discs revealed during surgical treatment have not been detected by the MRI conducted in one research. In 40% of cases, MRI tests of patients without low back pain shown to have bulging discs.

Bone density

This test can find weakness in the vertebrae like osteoporosis. Although lower back pain is not a manifestation of osteoporosis, bone cracks resulting from this affliction show itself with pain.

Electromyelogram (EMG)

Electrical activity in the affected muscle areas can be monitored by inserting tiny, fine needles into them. The EMG test will help determine the level of nerve root damage and it will help the doctor differentiate between muscle disease and nerve root disease in chronic lower back pain cases.

Lower back pain causes can be quickly identified, with the application of these imaging strategies, by the physician.

Beat Lower Back Pain Now!

Lower back pain is one of the leading causes for seeking a physician's care. It plagues more than 31 million people each year in the United States. Are you one of these people struggling day to day, trying to get through work, trying to get through the day? If so, keep reading!

What do we see when we look at the anatomy of the lower back? The lower part of the back contains 5 vertebrae (lumbars 1-5), the pelvis, and sacrum. Also an intricate set of muscles, ligaments, and fascia that stabilize the joints of the low back and allow for our upright posture. The muscles of the low back are considered part of the "core" muscles; therefore, core stability plays a role in lower back pain.

If you are in pain, I'm going to give you a few simple solutions to your problem:

First of all, don't feel as though you have to get surgery to cure low back pain. Conditions such as osteoarthritis, disc herniations, etc cause some physicians to jump to surgery. Most of the time pain relief from these conditions can come from alternative therapies. There are medical emergencies with these conditions though; if you lose bowl or bladder function or are experiencing severe weakness in the legs please contact your medical doctor or nearest emergency facility.

Here is a 4 step process to back pain relief:

Spinal manipulation by a Chiropractor:

Spinal manipulation by a chiropractor to the lower back has been shown to be a very effective treatment. When a chiropractor motion palpates the lower back to find an area of "fixation" or "joint locking" this is the area the adjustment goes. Manipulation acts on the cellular level by decreasing pain fibers called nociceptors. Spinal manipulation by a skilled chiropractor can unlock stiff or restricted joints; thus, blocking pain fibers.

Lower Back Rehabilitation:
This is a very important part of staying pain-free. With lower back rehab we turn on the muscles that have most likely been shut off by the brain. For example, if you have job that makes you sit all day long, unless you're out there running marathons, your glute muscles are shut off. Without proper glute function the muscles of the lower back have to go into overdrive and make up for it. This can be a significant pain generator. With rehabilitation you can wake the glutes back up, then you're on way to being pain free again. Some simple rehab exercise examples for the glute muscles are: glute bridges, bird dogs, and more advanced are tri-planar lunges.

Anti-Inflammation:
Beating inflammation should simply start with changing dietary habits. There are many foods out there that inflame your body and promote disease and pain. I go into what to eat for the anti-inflammatory diet more on my website. An acute response to any kind of tissue injury is inflammation so cryotherapy (ice) can be used on the lower back. For cryotherapy no more than 20 minutes on at a time. So an ice schedule should look like 20 minutes on 30 minutes off and do 3-4 sets or more of this a day.

Solid Advice:
Solid advice should come from a qualified health care professional. Anyone who prescribes bed rest for your low back pain is way outdated. You should turn and run from those doctors. Recent studies have shown that bed rest is the worst thing for you. Walking and moving normally is much, much better than laying in bed worrying about your pain. Fear avoidance is what we don't want in all cases.

Lower Back Pain In Early Pregnancy - There Is Relief

Lower back pain in early pregnancy - Every woman who has ever been pregnant can tell you that one of the worst things about being pregnant was their constant back discomfort. This is especially true in late pregnancy as their bellies get bigger and bigger, but back aches plague pregnant women in the early stages too! Every woman who has ever had lower back ache in any stage of pregnancy wants to find some kind of relief.

Lower back pain in early pregnancy - causes...

Caution: There are several reasons that pregnant women have back discomfort. Generally, lower back pain is normal and to be expected but, if you are bleeding, in the first trimester of pregnancy, or if you experience pain that is new, the quality has changed or is particularly intense - it COULD indicate a problem, even a possible miscarriage.

Call your doctor to be sure your backache symptoms are not a medical emergency.

One of the causes of normal lower back pain in early pregnancy is that the hormone progesterone affects the ligaments, muscles and tendons in a woman's body. This is to make it easier to give birth. Progesterone also affects the cartilage in the body, like that between the vertebrae of the spine.

Another reason is that a pregnant woman is very front heavy. (And gets more so with each passing day.) All the weight in front of her causes her to arch her back to try to balance and relieve it. This causes a lot of stress on the lumbar and sacroiliac areas of the spine, which are the 2 lowest segments of the spine.

Lower back pain in early pregnancy - solutions...

Just as there is more than one reason that pregnant women get lower back pain, there is more than one solution.

If you are suffering from lower back pain and you are pregnant there are several things that you can do to get severe back pain relief.

There is always the prescription drug route - but while you CAN visit your doctor and get medicine, there are several solutions you can try first that are drug (and side effect) free...

The first thing you can do is to apply heat and cold to your back. Heat can be done in a warm bath or shower.

Another way to apply heat is to use an old sock filled with rice that you heat in a microwave. You can just put that across your lower back and lean back. This will often provide immediate pregnancy back discomfort relief.

Caution: You want to avoid going into a Jacuzzi. You also want to avoid heating pads.

Lower back pain in early pregnancy - avoid the Jacuzzi...

To apply cold all you need to do is get an ice pack. Make sure that there is something in between the ice pack and your skin, you can get mild frostbite from an ice pack. You also want to use it for no more than 20 minutes.

Try alternating back and forth from a heat pack to an ice pack. They both work in about the same way. The heat pack draws blood into the affected area, which helps relax the affected muscles. The cold numbs the area, but when it's removed the blood comes rushing back into the area further relaxing the muscles.

Lower back pain in early pregnancy - exercises...

You can also fight lower back pain in early pregnancy by doing some stretching and pelvic tilt exercises.

To practice the pelvic tilt and take stress off your lower back, get on the floor on your knees and elbows. Roll your pelvis in. Your abdomen should go up towards your spine and your back should arch. This releases the muscles in the lower spine.

Mild exercise can also help reduce your discomfort. You can try exercising in a pool. The water will take all the weight off your body and allow your muscles to relax. Just make sure that the pool isn't too warm and that you don't spend too long in it.

Lower back pain in early pregnancy isn't something that a pregnant woman has to silently suffer. While it will affect every woman who ever gets pregnant, there are many ways to find relief.

How to Get Rid of Lower Back Pain

Getting rid of lower back pain can be attained or accomplished in several ways, but in the first place, it is significant for you to get an authentic diagnosis for your specific condition in order for you to properly eliminate your lower back condition with ease. A physician will normally organize for an MRI scan to spot the main cause of your back trouble. So make sure this is done before anything.

In most situations, lower kind of back ache will be induced through a muscle spasm. This can be brought about by several causes like sitting in a particular spot for a long period, sleeping on an aged mattress and so on.

What's more, stress as well as tension is known to contribute to back pain. In these types of conditions, lower back pain can be rid of through the use of over the counter drugs like ketoprofen, Tylenol, lbuprofen, aspirin and naproxen. These drugs will aid in the reduction of ache and swelling.

However, in severe cases of lower back condition, this can be induced by an injury sustained by the spine, often brought about by an accident or maybe lifting and twisting simultaneously.

In several situations, an injured spine will cause herniated disc condition that later bring about severe lower back ache symptoms such as spinal stenosis or sciatica; though these ailments may induce lots of inconvenience. Lower back pain relief can easily be availed to get rid of the problem.

In case a lower back problem recently occurred, you will have to rest for one or two days. Frankly, relaxation observed for lower back ache is presently seen as a cure because rest can compel the muscles to turn stiff and will increase the healing period.

It's true that over the counter medications help somewhat when it comes to easing lower kind of back trouble. However, these drugs should not be applied for a long period, as they can trigger other health conditions such as addiction, stomach ulcers and the like. One of the most preferred alternatives when it comes to eliminating lower back pain naturally is through exercise.

Know All the Causes and Treatments of Lower Back Pain

Back pain, this is an ailment that many people all over the world suffer from. Among the people that suffer from this ailment, the majority of them suffer from lower back pain. This type of back pain can happen to anyone, at anytime. It does not matter what age you are. In fact, the most common age group that suffers from this lower back pain is between the ages of 30 - 50. Though this age group is the most common, it does not mean that someone younger or older can not suffer from this type of back pain. What causes back pain? How can I make it stop hurting? Unfortunately, the causes and treatments of this back pain will differ with each different individual. There are many factors that we can say is the factor as to why we suffer from this ailment. One good answer is that the muscles in our lower back are either over worked or not worked enough. Too much strain on weak muscles or even tired muscles will generally result in this pain.

Though the causes of lower back pain will be different with each different person, some of the causes of lower back pain are spinal degeneration, ruptured or bulging discs, heavy lifting, sciatica, spinal stenosis, osteoporosis and age. If you have any of these ailments, you should have them treated immediately. Failure to do so can lead to this lower back pain. An example of what can happen to bulging discs if left untreated. Let's say that this has happened, the next thing would be that the disc may be forced into the spinal canal. Once there, it will lay against the nerve roots and the lumbar. This condition known as Cauda equine syndrome, will cause severe back pain and can even result in permanent neurological damage. This is just one example of why you should seek medical attention anytime that you feel you are having pains in your back.

Your posture plays a very vital role in the care of your back. People with poor posture, sitting improperly, lifting or bending can almost assuredly develop lower back pain. These factors here are the reasons as to why many companies have developed brochures and set up seminars for their companies to attend about the causes of and the ways to treat and prevent lower back pain. Why have they done this? Because so many work days are missed due to lower back pain, because the employees maybe not lifting something the way they should, slouching in their chair, or maybe it was even something as simple as bending over to pick something off of the floor. Workman's compensation puts out thousands of dollars every year on claims that are related to lower back pain. This is why it is important to practice proper ergonomics.

If you are suffering from lower back pain and are wondering how it can be treated, the answer is that the treatments will vary with each different individual and depend on how severe the pain is. If treated in a timely manner and done properly, surgery can be avoided in most cases. This is very promising as most people do not want to have to worry about undergoing surgery. One of the first things that you want to do when you hurt your back, is to place ice on the affected area for 15 minutes every few hours. In doing this for the first couple of days will help to avoid any swelling and can be the one thing that keeps the lower back pain from turning into something much more serious.

If you suffer from lower back pain, seek out medical treatment. Your doctors will always know the best ways to treat your ailments. However, it is always nice to know how your appointment might go. So here is a run down of what might happen at a visit to your doctor. The first thing that the doctor will suggest is that you take some pain reliever and some anti-inflammatory medicine for a few days. After doing this, if you are not getting better then visit the doctor again and he will want to take some X-rays. Once the X-rays are finished, unless the doctor has discovered something serious shows up, he will suggest physical therapy as a treatment. This therapy, though may feel painful when doing it, you will better for it in the long run. The exercises are designed to help ease the lower back pain so that you can get on with your life and enjoy it.

Seven Questions To Ask In The Workup Of Low Back Pain

Up to 85% of the time in the primary care setting, back pain patients cannot be given an exact diagnosis for their back pain.

One of the most important parts of the low back pain workup is the patient history which includes basically the How, What, and Why types of questions.

How long has the pain been going on and when it occurs how long does it last? Most back pain resolves within 6 to 12 weeks, a longer duration means it's chronic and may need additional workup.

Is there a specific time of day that it occurs? For instance pain that occurs while sitting at one's desk is very different than during recreational activity after work. If pain comes on out of the blue there is a higher chance it could be associated with a tumor or infection. The vast majority of the time (over 90%) with acute back pain the cause is non life threatening, but the answer to the question should be placed into the context of other answers for a concern level.

What is the quality of the pain and where is it? Pain that is burning and goes into the legs from the back is often indicative of sciatica from a pinched nerve. Pain that is simply located in the back and irritated by activity is often caused by facet joint arthritis, called facet syndrome, and is a normal part and parcel of aging.

Does it radiate somewhere else? Pain that radiates into the lower extremities is often indicative of a pinched nerve and may necessitate imaging studies such as an MRI to define where the disc herniation or spinal stenosis is occurring.

Does it wake you up at night? Pain that wakes the patient up at night is concerning and may represent a tumor or infection. This is called a red flag symptom.

How did it start? If there was an injury or a fall a patient may have a fracture or ligamentous injury. For instance if the patient is a diabetic then infection is a significant concern especially if the blood sugars are not controlled and a recent hospitalization has occurred secondary to that problem. Let the patient explain fully the circumstances, it can open up the yellow brick road to the diagnosis.

Any problems with bowel or bladder function? If there is a problem in the spine that is pressing on the anatomic area called the Cauda Equina, the most common problem seen is urinary retention. One also may have loss of bladder or bowel control. This is a red flag surgical emergency, as if it's not surgically addressed within 24 to 48 hours that function may not return. Narcotics may cause constipation as well and that's obviously not a surgical emergency.

The most important part in obtaining a patient history is understanding what constitutes a red flag versus what is simply a normal back pain situation. The red flag situation requires further workup with potential imaging studies, bloodwork, or in rare circumstances like cauda equina syndrome emergency surgery.

What Causes Lower Back Pain

Lower back pain is a common problem affecting people of all ages. But what causes lower back pain? Understanding the real reason for the problem is the key to treating it. There are several factors that increase the risk of developing pain.

Common Causes of Low Back Pain

Hectic work schedules, poor posture, poor lifting practices, and muscle imbalances
Injury or overuse of muscles, ligaments
Disc degeneration in spondylosis, Spinal stenosis, or narrowing of the spinal canal, spinal abnormalities
Herniated disc, that is, when a disc bulges so far out that it puts pressure on your spinal nerves
Fractures of the vertebrae
Bone and joint conditions those existing from birth (congenital), degenerative changes, or due to inflammation of the joints (arthritis)
Leg pain (sciatica) and numbness
Pinched nerve or nerve root impingement
Metabolic problems such as osteoporosis and osteomalacia
Bacterial infection in the bone (osteomyelitis), in the spinal discs, or in the spinal cord.
Failed back surgery syndrome

Back pain can be acute or chronic. Pain can manifest as throbbing, crushing, aching, stabbing, heavy or burning, depending on the cause. All these symptoms can be really painful and affect your daily routine, work, and family life.

Acute back pain can be relieved with some basic self-care. If your condition worsens, it is important to seek professional help from an experienced pain management specialist.

Different Pain Management Techniques

Treatment involves both the sensory and emotional components of pain. Depending on the nature of the pain and the physical condition of the patient, specialists employ different kinds of pain management techniques, which include:

Exercise - Active back exercises are more effective in treating lower back pain
Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation (TENS) - It uses low - voltage electrical current for pain relief.
Manual therapeutic techniques: Muscle relaxation massage therapy and physical therapy can provide significant relief
Convulsants and antidepressants: These medications are both anti-inflammatory and analgesics (pain-relievers), effective in controlling pain.
Prolotherapy - Also called regenerative injection therapy, prolotherapy involves injecting a dextrose solution into the ligament and tendon where the bones are attached.
Radiofrequency radio ablation: It is an effective pain management option, where a probe producing localized heat with radio frequency waves is used to stun or destroy nerve fibers to reduce the sensation of pain.

To determine the appropriate technique, the physician will first examine the patient and conduct diagnostic tests to determine the source of the pain. By thoroughly analyzing and evaluating the medical history of their patients, doctors can identify the causes for lower back pain and suggest the best back pain treatment plan for quick relief.

The Multifidus Muscle Group and Your Lower Back Pain and Sciatica Problems

The Multifidus muscle group and your lower back pain and sciatica problems.

The multifidus muscles are a set of muscles which can be found in the grooves on each side of the spine. The muscles are thin but long and they run throughout the length of the spine, being attached to all the facet joints. A number of therapist have identified the multifidus muscles as having special importance for back pain.

The reason for the believed importance of the muscles lies in the fact that they have unusual strength in relation to what they do. The key to that muscle strength lies in their construction, being composed as they are of innumerable small fibres which overlap. This is what give them their special strength.

The multifdus muscles can be found without difficulty especially in the area of the lower back. For example, in the position where your spine is just around the belt line, you should be able to locate the muscles by placing your hand on your back. You will feel the spine under your hand with the parts which stick up, a row of lumps along the length of the spine. On each side of these bones exist the muscles. Push your fingers in on the side of the spine and the muscles which you feel are the multifidus.

To feel the muscles in action hold onto something firmly in front of yourself with one hand and place the other in the small of your back at the same time. If you then lift either leg up backwards away from you, you should become aware of the muscles as they respond to the action of your leg moving.

The multifidus are there to give the spine and each of the vertebrae their essential stability and to ensure that all work as they should do and in harmony. At least that is what they ought to do, but failure can occur here if anyone or more of the multifidus muscles is responding poorly or is weak. When this happens then the support and stability that is needed for the proper functioning of the spine will not be there.

Various studies have drawn attention to the fact that many patients who have back and more particularly disc problems (effectively the root of most, although not all, lower back pain or back sprain including and sciatica) have multifidus muscles which are unsatisfactory and lack strength. This may be due to an inherent problem which has always existed, or it may be that due to some back problem in the past the muscles have become weakened and have not managed to recover their full capability although the back pain suffered may have retreated. Accordingly a spinal difficulty, perhaps a prolapsed or slipped disc, may have resulted in the failure or inhibition of one or more of the multifidus muscles. If this is the case then unless the weakness is addressed then the chances are that there will be more back problems and pain in the future.

When you are in pain due to back problems, especially if the pain is acute, the possibility of surgery will inevitably arise. But is this a good idea? This is a complex issue but really when you are in pain is not the best time to have to make a careful decision as to this. On thing to bear in mind is that back surgery can very easily involve damage to some of the multifidus muscles. As these are, as has been seen, essential to the general stability of the back, including of course the lower back, the consequence of surgery could be pain as before or even worse pain, or pain at some time to come, if the multifidus does not recover properly.

Whilst as mentioned, people with back problems often have weak or poor multifidus muscles, the opposite has also been demonstrated. Namely that those with strong multifidus muscles do not often suffer difficulties or back pain at all. The conclusion to be drawn from all this is that anyone with a back condition should certainly be considering, amongst other matters, the extent to which the multifidus should be taken into account. If the route to being free from pain can be achieved by improving your multifidus muscles then this should be part of strategy.

For more information about lower back pain and sciatica please visit lower-back-sprain

Please bear in mind that this article is for general information purposes only and is not medical advice about your health. If you have a medical condition or problem you should always consult your doctor as to the matter which may be more serious than you realize.

The Treadmill and the Aching Lower Back

Despite what might seem like primarily a cardio vascular workout designed at targeting the lower extremities, the treadmill may well be an excellent way to restore function following a bout of lower back pain.

Keep in mind the perceived exertion must be relatively low since the intended response to the activity is not focusing on increasing your heart rate as much as it is to simulate a sort of casual walk. And the amount of time should be around only five minutes to start so long as lower back pain symptoms do not increase with use. Only then should you consider adding increments of time, maybe two or three minutes every other walking session, until a total of twenty pain free minutes can be attained.

After achieving the lofty goal of twenty minutes, only then should you consider increasing your speed of movement. And even then it will be limited to simply a fast walk. Keep in mind the faster you go, the greater the impact your body will have to absorb. This includes the hips, knees and spine.

Frequency can safely range from three to five walks a week. Adequate rest should be taken between sessions to ensure proper recovery time.

Another very important factor is form. As you are holding onto the treadmill while exercising, you will limit the involvement to mainly the lower extremities. Consider walking without holding on and involve the use of the arms by having them swing naturally from front to back while walking. This will get the whole body involved. Including your lower back!

Of course, as you should need to hold on initially, please do so until walking without holding can be achieved. And only eliminate the use of holding on as you feel steady enough, well enough, and free of faint or dizziness.

It is also important to make mention that for those individuals with a painful lower back; walking flat is preferred over using an incline setting. An incline setting will add stress to the already aching back by altering your center of gravity and causing you to lean forward.

Walking is good exercise, even for those with lower back pain. Just follow the basic guidelines and of course consult your physician before starting any physical activity to ensure it is the right one for you.

Before beginning any exercise program, it is recommended that you first consult a physician. Only a physician can determine what type of exercise, the frequency, and the intensity that is appropriate for each individual.

What Causes Lower Back and Pelvic Pain?

Maybe you've experienced it before. A sharp and stabbing pain in your lower back or hips. Maybe you're even experiencing it right now. What's going on here and what can you do about it?

First of all, I want to let you know that I'm not a medical professional, so I can't say for certain what may be causing your pain, but in my experience, most lower back and hip pain is the result of what is called Sciaitca.

I first experienced Sciatica several years ago while I was finishing up my senior year of college. It started as a dull pain in my right hip. At first, I just thought that I had slept in an awkward position or something and just brushed it off. But over the next week, the pain increased to the point where I could barely walk without having to stop to rest and let the pain die down. At this point, I went and saw a university doctor who explained to me what Sciatica is.

Essentially, there is a nerve in your body called the Sciatic nerve, which runs from your lower back down to your legs and feet. It is the longest nerve in the body. When your Sciatic nerve gets trapped somewhere, then you will experience Sciatica.

Sciatica usually presents itself as a sharp and intense pain in the lower back, hips, buttocks, legs, or feet. However, it can sometimes be a numb or tingling feeling like you might feel when your leg is asleep.

What might cause sciatica? There are a lot of things that could lead to this condition. It is pretty much anything that puts pressure on the Sciatic nerve. In my case, it was my Piriformis muscle. This small muscle is located in the pelvis just above the Sciatic nerve. When the Piriformis becomes irritated it may contract or spasm and crush the Sciatic nerve.

Other common causes of Sciatica are bulging or herniated discs in the lower back, tension in other muscles in the lower back or hips such as your Psoas muscles, or Spinal Stenosis (a progressive narrowing of the spinal canal which puts pressure on spinal nerves).

But when you boil everything down, most of these causes are the direct result of muscle imbalances in the body. A muscle imbalance occurs anytime that a muscle is either too strong or too weak. This results in your body's alignment being shifted in order to compensate. When your body isn't in alignment, then pressure is placed on bones, nerves and inter-vertebral discs, which will cause many of the conditions that result in Sciatica.

So, then the way to relieve most cases of Sciatica is to balance out the muscles of the back and correct the alignment problems that cause pain. Most muscle imbalances can be taken care of with stretching exercises that help to loosen tense muscles and strengthen weak muscles. These stretching exercises take time to really work and it may be a several days or weeks before you start to see the benefits, but in the long run living without pain is a fair trade off.

Are You Sick Or Just Detoxing?

Whenever someone I know is about to detox for the first time, the first question after "Are you sure this is gonna work?" always seems to be "Will this make me feel bad?" followed closely by "Will I have to take time off from work?"

My straight answer to all three is "It depends".

And it does depend.

No two people are alike, nor do we live the same lifestyle or have the same level of toxicity in our bodies when beginning an internal detox program.

There are, however, some facts we all have in common.

Your body is detoxing all the time. Your liver, kidneys, lymph and skin continually process toxic wastes and eliminate them via urine feces and sweat. When the amount of toxins is greater than the speed at which your body can eliminate them, a cleansing reaction or "healing crisis" occurs. A healing crisis is fancy language for catching a cold or the flu. Most of us don't generally choose to catch a cold. In fact, we'll do just about anything to avoid getting sick. However, when you elect to detox using a cleanse kit, you voluntarily start a healing crisis and your body will react in kind.

Here's what you can expect and how to make it go away faster.

Headache - The most common cleansing reaction. Caffeine withdrawal, in particular, plus the increase of released toxins causes muscles to constrict and tighten around the neck, shoulders and temples.

Remedy: Drink more water. Soak in a hot water tub. Light exercise. A cup of Chamomile or Mint tea, each have a soothing, settling effect on muscles and tension.

Backache - Since your intestines and colon reside in your lower abdomen, increased dietary fiber form larger bowel movements.

Full of toxins, stools are highly acidic and can cause temporary lower back pain as they are eliminated from your body.

Remedy: Stretching to loosen muscles, fruit juices have a laxative effect and will speed up bowel movements. Lower back pain associated with colon cleansing usually subsides after the 3rd or 4th day.

Light-Headedness - Dizziness is also a common cleansing reaction at the beginning of a cleanse as your body adjusts to the flood of toxins into the bloodstream.

Remedy: Increase water intake. Eat pieces of fruit like grapes, apples and/or pineapple. Take a break and stop moving until the dizziness passes. If the problem persists, cut back on the cleanse kit dosages and/or contact a health care provider.

Nausea - Stomach upset can be caused by a liver overburdened from processing toxic waste. It could just be something you ate, but when you're cleansing, all your organs of detoxification are kicked into high gear.

Remedy: Carrot juice diluted with water, coffee enemas, and or mint tea.

Cold & Flu Symptoms - Runny nose, slight fever, scratchy throat, muscle aches and general fatigue.

Two or more of these symptoms at a time may mean you need to shift the detox into a lower gear to let your body process the toxic overload.

Remedy: Get plenty of rest. Drink plenty of fluids. Prolong the cleanse a few days by taking less fiber and/or herbs than the kit recommends. You will still get the same benefits, but with greater comfort.

Bad Breath/Smelly Odor- All humans are connected from mouth to anus by one continuous tube.

The old saying goes "you are what you eat", but if what you eat is unusable, your body will either get rid of it or hide it in a place where it will cause the lease amount of harm.

During a detox those hiding places are destroyed. Putrid waste that has been festering in the dark comes to light and it doesn't smell too good. Your breath and sweat may become a little fragrant.

Remedy: Brush your teeth often. Tongue scraping also helps. Suck on citrus fruit wedges (lemons, oranges), gargle with salt water or baking soda and water.

Emotional Changes - Depression is one of the first symptoms of sugar withdrawal. Cravings for sugar and complex carbs like pastries, bagels or cookies and the denial of those cravings can cause frustration, anger and hyper-sensitivity.

Remedy: Remove the offending item(s) from your view. Throw away or give your favorite sweets and carbs to a trustworthy neighbor to hold before you begin a cleanse so they won't be a temptation.

If that's not possible, eat a piece of dried fruit or drink a cup of tea sweetened with Maple syrup (grade B, if possible).

If you're feeling particularly down, take a walk, pet your cat or dog or go see a funny movie.

Keep remembering why you choose to cleanse and think of all the amazing improvements in your health that you will be able to see, feel and smell in just a short time from now.

Lower Back Pain Strategies by a Musculoskeletal Therapist

Mobility - the ability of the musculoskeletal structures or segments of the body to move or be moved to allow the presence of range of notion for functional activities. The ability of an individual to initiate, control or sustain active movements of the body to perform simple to complex motor skills.

Hypomobility - caused by adaptive shortening of soft tissues and can occur as the result of many disorders or situations.

Factors -

• prolonged immobilization of a body segment


• sedentary lifestyle postural mal-alignment and muscle imbalances


• impaired muscle performance (weakness) associated with an array of musculoskeletal or neuromuscular disorders


• tissue trauma resulting in inflammation and


• pain congenital or acquired deformities.

All these impairments can lead to functional limitations and an increase in injury risk. Remedial massage treatment especially stretching can improve impaired muscle performance or prevent injury as they become an integral component of individualized intervention.

Contracture - is defined as the adaptive shortening of the muscle-tendon unit and other soft tissues that cross or surround a joint, which results in significant resistance to passive or active stretch and limitation of ROM.

Types of contractures

Myostatic Contracture - no specific muscle pathology present. Reduced number but not length of sarcomeres. Can be resolved in a relatively short time with stretching exercises.

1. Pseudomyostatic Contracture - a constant state of contraction giving excessive resistance to passive stretch. Associated with hypertonicity of spastic or rigid nature - a central nervous system lesion such as CVA, spinal cord injury, traumatic brain injury. Muscle spasm or guarding and pain may cause a pseudomyostatic contracture. Inhibition procedures to temporarily relax the spasm or tonicity will allow full, passive elongation of the muscle to occur.


2. Arthrogenic and Periarticular Contractures - intra-articular pathology including adhesion, synovial proliferation, joint effusion, irregularities in articular cartilage, or osteophyte formation. Connective tissues that cross or attach to a joint or it's capsule become stiff, this reduces normal arthrokinematic motion.


3. Fibrotic Contracture and Irreversible Contracture - these can cause adhesions and development of fibrotic contractures. It is possible to stretch fibrotic contractures and eventually increase ROM, it is very difficult to re-establish optimal tissue length.

Stretching is a general term used to describe any therapeutic manoeuvre designed to increase mobility of soft tissue and subsequently improve ROM by elongating structures that have adaptively shortened and have become hypomobile over time.

Physiology of the Stretch Reflex

It is a monosynaptic reflex arc, two types of neurons are involved (sensory and motor). The reflex occurs when a sudden contraction of a muscle occurs. Slight stretching of a muscle stimulates receptors in the muscle - muscle spindles - these spindles monitor changes in muscle length. The stretch reflex operates as a feedback mechanism to control muscle length by causing muscle contraction.

Physiology of the Tendon Reflex

The tendon reflex operates as a feedback mechanism to control muscle tension by causing muscle relaxation. It protects tendons and their associated muscles from excessive tension. Receptors called Golgi tendon organs detect and respond to changes in muscle tension caused by passive stretch or muscular contraction. When tension is applied to the organ nerve impulses are generated along a sensory neuron, this synapses with and inhibits a motor neuron that innervates the muscle associated with the tendon organ. As tension increases, and the inhibitory impulses increase, the inhibition of the motor neurons to the muscle creates excess tension and causes relaxation of the muscle. It is a protective mechanism to reduce muscle damage due to excessive tension.

Indications for Use of Stretching

• When ROM is limited because ST have lost their extensibility as the result of adhesions, contractures, and scar tissue formation, causing functional limitations or disabilities.


• When restricted motion may lead to structural deformities otherwise preventable


• When there is muscle weakness and shortening of opposing tissue


• As part of a total fitness program designed to prevent musculoskeletal injuries


• Prior to and after vigorous exercise to potentially minimize post-exercise muscle soreness.

Contraindications to Stretching

• When a bony block limits joint motion


• After a recent fracture before union is complete


• Whenever there is evidence of an acute inflammatory or infectious process (heat & swelling) or when soft tissue healing could be disrupted in the tight tissues and surrounding region


• Whenever a haematoma or other indication of tissue trauma is observed


• When hypermobility already exists


• When contractures or shortened soft tissues are providing increased joint stability in lieu of normal structural stability or neuromuscular control


• When contractures or shortened soft tissues are the basis for increased functional abilities, particularly in patients with paralysis or severs muscle weakness.

Types of stretching

1. Passive or assisted - sustained or intermittent external, end-range stretch force applied with overpressure elongates a shortened muscle-tendon unit and periarticular connective tissues by moving a restricted joint just past the available ROM. If patient relaxed it is Passive stretching. If the patient assists in moving the joint through a greater range it is assisted.


2. Self-stretching - (aka active stretching, flexibility exercises) independent stretching carried out after instruction and supervision


3. Neuromuscular Inhibition Techniques - ( aka PNF or facilitated stretching) reflexively relax tension in shortened muscles prior to or during stretching. MET used to stretch muscles and fascia and mobilize joints


4. Joint mobilization/manipulation - stretching techniques specifically applied to joint structures and used to stretch capsular restrictions or reposition a subluxed or dislocated joint.


5. Soft Tissue Mobilization and Manipulation - friction massage, myofascial release, acupressure and TP Therapy. Mobilize and manipulate connective tissue that binds down soft tissues


6. Neural Tissue mobilization - the Neural pathway is mobilized to release adhesions or scar tissue form around meninges, nerve roots, plexus or peripheral nerves.

Elements of stretching

Include alignment and stabilization. Intensity, speed, duration, frequency and mode of stretch; and the integration of neuromuscular inhibition and functional activities into stretching procedures.

Effect of poor Postural Support from Trunk Muscles - with total relaxation of the dynamic stabilizer muscles - the multifidus, rotatores, TA, internal obliques, and QL, the spinal curves become exaggerated and passive structural support is called on to maintain the posture. When there is continued end-range loading supporting tissues become more vulnerable to injury. Continued exaggeration of the curves leads to impaired muscle strength and flexibility. Muscles habitually kept in stretch tend to test weaker because of a shift in the length-tension curve - stretch weakness. Muscles kept in a habitually shortened position tend to lose their elasticity, they are strong only in the shortened position but become weak as they are lengthened - tight weakness.

Lateral shift correction

If the patient has lateral shifting of the spine, it should be corrected prior to flexion extension treatment for lower back pain.

Lateral shift correction when extension relieves discomfort -

standing on the side of the thoracic shift with the therapists hands clasped around the contralateral iliac crest and the shoulder against the patients elbow. Simultaneously pull the pelvis towards you while pushing the patient's thorax away. Continue with the lateral shifting if the curvature is reduced until normal curve is present.

Lateral shift correction when flexion relieves discomfort -

self-correction - standing whit the leg opposite the shift on a chair so the hip is in about 90 degrees of flexion. The leg on the side of the lateral shift is kept extended. Have the patient then flex the trunk onto the raised thigh and apply pressure by pulling on the ankle. Recheck the alignment and continue till pain reduction is greatest.

Exercise techniques and stretches to increase flexibility and ROM

Muscle strength or flexibility imbalance in the hip can lead to abnormal lumbopelvic and hip mechanics, which predisposes the patient to or perpetuates low back, sacroiliac or hip pain..

• To increase hip extension - prone press ups; Thomas test stretch; modified fencer stretch


• To increase hip flexion - bilateral knee to chest; unilateral knee to chest; Quadruped stretch; Chair (airline) stretch


• To increase hip abduction - V lying against wall knees extended butt against wall


• To increase hip abd & external rotation - sitting with soles of feet together hands on inner surface of the knees.

Lumbar stretching techniques

Increase lumbar flexion

Assisted stretching - cross-sitting. Patient lace the hands behind the neck, adduct the scapulae, and extend the thoracic spine. This locks the thoracic vertebrae. Have the patient then lean the thorax forward onto the pelvis, flexing only at the lumbar spine. Stabilize the pelvis by pulling back on the anterior-superior iliac spines.

Increase lumbar extension

Prone press-up (Self-stretching) - Prone, with hands placed under the shoulders. Patient to extend to elbows and lift the thorax up off the mat keeping the pelvis down. To increase the stretch force, the pelvis can be strapped to the treatment table, this exercise also stretches the hip flexor muscles and soft tissue anterior to the hip.

Increase Lateral Flexibility in the Spine

Used when there is asymmetric flexibility in side bending as well as in the management of scoliosis. They are used to regain flexibility in the frontal plane when muscle or fascial tightness is present with postural dysfunctions, designed to stretch hypomobile structures on the concave side of the lateral curvature. When stretching the trunk, it is necessary to stabilize the spine either above or below the curve.

Prone-Lumbar curve -

have the patient stabilize the upper trunk by holding onto the edge of the mat table with the arms. Therapist lifts the hips and legs and laterally bends the trunk away for the concavity.

Heel-sitting - Patient leans forward so the abdomen rests on the anterior thighs. The arms are stretched overhead bilaterally, and the hands are flat on the table. Then have the patient laterally bend the trunk away from the concavity by walking the hands to the convex side of the curve.

Neural Tension Impairments

If positive nerve tension signs are described by the patient while providing the history and positive signs are detected with testing maneuvers, techniques that are reported to mobilize components of the nervous system may be used to diminish the patient's symptoms.

Straight Leg Raise with Ankle Dorsiflexion -

• Once the position that places tension on the involved neurologic tissue is found, maintain the stretch position, and then move one of the joints a few degrees in and out of the stretch position, such as ankle plantar and dorsiflexion, or knee flexion and extension.


• Ankle dorsiflexion with eversion places more tension on the tibial tract


• Ankle dorsiflexion with inversion places tension on the sural nerve


• Ankle plantarflexion with inversion places tension on the common peroneal tract


• Adduction of the hip while doing SLR places further tension on the nervous system because the sciatic nerve is lateral to the ischial tuberosity; medial rotation of the hip while doing SLR also increases tension on the sciatic nerve


• Passive neck flexion while doing SLR pulls the spinal cord cranially and places the entire nervous system on a stretch.

Slump-sitting Stretch -

dorsiflex the ankle just to the point of tissue resistance and symptom reproduction. Increase and release the stretch force by moving one joint in the chain a few degrees, such as knee flexion and extension, or ankle dorsiflexion and plantarflexion.

Prone Knee Bend Stretch -

Prone neutral spine, pillow under treatment knee, and hips extended to 0 degrees. Flex knee to the point of resistance and symptom reproduction. Pain in the low back or neurological signs are considered positive for upper lumbar nerve roots and femoral nerve tension. Thigh pain could be rectus femoris tightness. It is important not to hyperextend the spine to avoid confusion with facet or compression pain. Flex and extend the knee a few degrees to apply and release tension.

Duration of stretch

• Despite extensive research there continues to be a lack of agreement on how long a single cycle of stretch should be held or how many cycles of stretch should be applied to achieve the most effective, efficient, and sustained stretch-induced gains in ROM.


• Duration most often refers to how long a single cycle of stretch is applied


• More than one repetition of stretch is referred as a stretch cycle and the cumulative time of all the stretch cycles is considered as aspect of duration.


• Long-duration referred to as static, sustained, maintained, prolonged


• Short term referred as cyclic, intermittent or ballistic.

Types of stretches

1. Static - most common term used to describe soft tissue lengthening. The duration 15 sec to several minutes when manual stretch or self-stretching employed.


2. Research shows static stretching is approx half that created during ballistic stretching.


3. Static Progressive stretching - Static stretch held until a degree of relaxation is felt by the therapist then lengthened further until a news end-range is felt. This capitalizes on the stress-relaxation properties of soft tissue.


4. Cyclic Stretching - short duration stretch forces that are repeatedly but gradually applied, released and then re-applied. Multiple stretches in a single treatment session. Held for 5-10 seconds but with no consensus on the optimum number of cycles in the treatment. Based on clinical experience, some therapists hold the opinion that end-range cyclic stretching is as effective and more comfortable for a patient than a static stretch.

Frequency of stretch -

• number of bouts per day or per week. Dependant upon -underlying cause


• Quality and level of healing


• The chronicity and severity of contracture


• Patients age


• Use of corticosteroids


• Previous response to stretch

Usually form two to five sessions for tissue healing and to minimize postexercise soreness. Ultimately dependent upon the clinical discretion of the therapist. Whatever frequency is decided upon the patient must utilize the new end-of-range into everyday tasks otherwise the connective tissue will return to the pre-stretched position.

Neuromuscular Inhibition and Muscle Elongation

Inhibition techniques increase muscle length by relaxing and elongating the contractile components of muscle. The sarcomere give will occur more easily when the muscle is relaxed, with less active resistance in the muscle as it is elongated. An advantage to the use of inhibition techniques prior to or during stretching is that muscle elongation is more comfortable for the patient.

Types -

1. Hold-relax or contract relax


2. Agonist contraction


3. Hold-relax with agonist contraction.

Stretch isolated muscles in their anatomic planes or opposite the line of pull of specific muscle groups rather than in combined diagonal patterns.

HR - prestretch, end-range, isometric contraction 10 sec followed by voluntary relaxation of the tight muscle. Then the limb is passively moved into its new range as the range limiting muscle is elongated.

AC - Deliberate and slow, concentric contraction of the muscle opposite the range limiting muscle. This causes reciprocal inhibition of the antagonist, and increases ROM.

HR with AC - use of a pre-stretch isometric contraction of the range limiting muscle in a lengthened position followed by a concentric contraction of the muscle opposite the range-limiting muscle.

For more information see http://www.yourmusculoskeletalspecialist.com

Lower Back Pain or Kidney Infection?

There are a variety of unique explanations why your back could be aching. Sometimes, it's got to do more with one of your internal organs than your actual spinal-cord or nervous system. This can be the case when it involves the kidneys and for many individuals, this is the kind of back pain that may be worse than any other. There are a variety of issues that could cause you to experience back pain from your kidneys. Listed below are a couple of which and what you can do in order to prevail over them.

One kind of kidney condition that may trigger considerable pain is a kidney infection. This sort of infection may possibly be mild or severe and may trigger some permanent damage to your kidneys if it is not resolved. If you are struggling with a kidney infection, your back is most likely going to hurt in the area of the kidneys, possibly to the right or to the left of the backbone. It is going to probably be sore in this region to the touch and which might not be there whenever you have a muscle pull in your back. However, kidney infections may cause radiant pain in other locations with the body and may appear as back pain quite frequently. One must always note that kidney infections not just cause back pain however the pain could possibly radiate out in to your front and could be misinterpreted as stomach pain. This causes it to be a bit more challenging to identify the issue unless some other signs and symptoms are being seen.

You may even be encountering issues with your kidney due to direct trauma to the part of your body. It's not at all strange for your kidneys to get injured in this manner and this may cause significant pain that may last for some time. Though it is different compared to kidney infection, it may feel very similar because the pain can radiate out into other areas of the back and make it challenging to track the problem down.

The most frequent type of kidney linked back pain comes from having kidney stones. Kidney stones are calcium build up which form inside the kidneys and may remain there for a significant amount of time. When the stones begin to move through the kidneys in the direction of the urethra, they start tearing the lining inside the kidney and this is what's leading to the discomfort that you're experiencing. For many individuals, the pain which is experienced from kidney stones can be so serious it is viewed as worse than giving birth. Until the kidney stone either ceases moving or pass the discomfort will go on.

This is why prevention of kidney stones is the best way to conquer the issue. You avoid them by observing your diet plan to some extent and also by consuming large levels of water during the day. This water will assist you to cleanse your kidneys and to keep the calcium deposits from increasing.

It is essential that you should consume water frequently, between 8 to 10 glasses every day. This can assist with flushing out the harmful particles before they've got a chance to develop into the stones that you're encountering. The additional water may also help to cleanse your kidneys should you be encountering difficulties with small kidney stones. as soon as you go on these preventative procedures, ensure that you stay with them, even when you're not encountering an active kidney stone. It is crucial for you to ensure that you take precautionary steps to be able to never have this transpire in the first place or to prevent it from developing once more.

For anyone who is coping with a kidney infection and wants to know an all natural remedy, one of the most effective things that you can do would be to consume a lot of water. Obviously, you are not going to wish to over-stress your kidneys should you be already having issues with an infection within this area. Simply by drinking water, you are flushing your system now so increase to the level where you sense that your body is completely hydrated once again. It's also wise to get sufficient rest to permit your system to cure itself and also to cope with the infection until it is over. Carry on drinking water after it is eliminated so that it from re-occurring again. for the most part, it really is good to have 8 to 10 glasses every day.

The Best Way to Relieve Lower Back Pain

After suffering from low back pain most of my life and constantly being told by doctors that there wasn't much that could be done about it other than, minimizing my movements, and laying on a heating pad, I decided to look into it myself.

What I found was that the doctors were giving me the wrong advice. First laying on a heating pad, only worsened the inflammation that was causing the low back pain to begin with. Second minimizing my movements did help to keep the pain from getting worse but, did nothing to alleviate it.

When the low back pain is first felt, an ice pack for twenty minutes every two hours or so, helps ease the pain way more than heat. Also, using the correct stretching exercises can help to realign the discs and vertebrae in the lower spinal column which, when out of alignment, pinches the sciatic nerve causing inflammation thus, causing severe low back pain.

The sciatic nerve is the nerve that starts in the very bottom part of the spinal cord and runs down the buttocks all the way to the toes and when pinched or damaged can cause severe pain starting in the lower back and runs down the butt and thighs and can sometimes run all the way down to your toes.

There are many ways the sciatic nerve can become damaged but no matter how it becomes damaged, the damage always causes the nerve to become inflamed. Once you treat the inflammation you will get relief from the pain and the way you treat any kind of inflammation is with cold (ice packs) just as you would for a sprained ankle or wrist.

The other thing that helps me relieve the pain is stretching exercises, designed for spinal extensions or more commonly backward bending, which are often called "McKenzie Extension Exercises." These exercises are designed to strengthen the muscles in the low back which help keep your spinal column in alignment, when one or more of these muscles are weaker than others the spine can become misaligned more easily.

Preforming these exercises regularly has kept me, pain free for quite sometime and it only takes eight to ten minutes a day to stay pain free. So, if you find yourself quite frequently suffering from low back pain due to the sciatic nerve being pinched or damaged quit using heat, try ice packs and look into "The McKenzie Extension Exercises."

Back Pain Is Often Caused by Repeated Constipation

In most cases each of us have to defecate once or twice each day. If an individual had a bowel movement fewer than thrice each week followed by dry, hard and painful stools you have constipation. However, if one experience a recurring constipation this is certainly not normal and requires medical assistance because it can usually result in back pain.

This takes place because of the placement of the colon in the body. The digestive tract is found near the lower back. So when there is storage of fecal material in the intestine not being excreted, the pressure accumulates in that part of the body. Therefore as an effect, the lower back attempts to help carry or reduce the pressure, leading to pain in the lower back.

Back pain constipation is a natural occurrence among older people and is typical in the society these days as validated by recent research conducted by medical experts. Reports have revealed that it is next to flu and cold, an increasing group of individuals are seeing their physicians simply because of the persistent pain in the back that they go through. Even though that it is agreed that constipation is singularly to blame for this, research has shown that it can also play a big factor in the number of its occurrence.

The force that is built in the colon not only can lead to back pain constipation, additionally, it may take place as an effect of the stress experienced when wanting to excrete the fecal waste. Unexpectedly, children also experience back pain caused by constipation also. Several kids with complaints of back pain have been taken to see the doctor only to be diagnosed with constipation being the cause.

It's very simple to spot back pain constipation. Here are a few of the signs to find out whether or not you have this condition 1. prolonged pain that does not disappear even when lying down 2. increasing pain whenever the urge to defecate exists 3. weakness and numbness in the buttocks, legs and feet 4. not able to excrete fecal matter and intense pressure on the bladder and 5. totally no relief even with pain reliever medications. Following observing this signals it is important to refer to your doctor to have a proper medical treatment.

The good thing is, back pain constipation is treatable if you only know how to prevent constipation. Meals high in fiber can ease the condition a bit. Castor oil verified to be an effective constipation cure. All that's necessary for utmost outcomes is to take 1-2 tablespoonfuls along with 8-10 glasses of water every single day.

Causes and Symptoms of Lower Back Pain

Lower back pain or low backache is a very common health disorder that affects more than nine of every ten people. People from different parts of the world report acute pain in the lower back parts of their body which is popularly known as lower backache. Usually, this health problem occurs when the victim does not take enough exercises. But, it becomes really tough when identifying this health problem becomes though. By the way, if you know about some specific causes and symptoms about this health disorder, you are likely to be able to avoid low pain in the back.

Causes

Not practicing warm up matches before playing the final match is seen as one of the most important reasons that causes lower back pain to the sportsmen. For those who play regularly, it is a must to take on scheduled practices before they go for the final matches. Medical studies suggest that, if enough warm-ups are not taken, the sciatic nerves become inflexible that may cause back pain.

Lack of regular exercises is another very important reason behind sciatica or sciatic pain. Studies and health bureau reports suggest that in more than 60% of the cases, victims feel light or acute back pain only because of the lack of exercises. So, whether you are suffering from backache or not, never hesitate to be regular in taking exercises.

Using high heeled and non-flat shoes is another important reason why most of the women get lower backache. You may wonder, how it can be possible, but the fact is true. If you use a high heeled shoe, your backbones and the sciatic nerves become irritated that may cause you severe backache. So, if your shoes are higher than two inches in height, change them immediately.

Sleeping positions and sitting postures often cause side back pain. Many people do not care about changing sleeping and sitting positions too frequently that cause them severe, light or chronic back pain.

Symptoms

There are some very common symptoms of lower backache that are described below.

Severe pain is a very common symptom of backache. Whether the backache is severe or light, the victim feels acute or light pain in the back parts of their body which is treated as the most common reason behind lower back pain.

Burning is another common reason. The victim may feel acute burning in the back part of the body when backache is felt. The back part may become reddish if the pain exists.

Finally, even if you cannot realize whether your pain is severe or not, go to your physician for proper consultations on how to treat lower back pain.

Travel Tips For People With Chronic Back Pain

Travel can be stressful for anyone, but it is extra stressful for those with chronic back pain. Whether by car, bus, train or plane, prolonged sitting is the hallmark of long-distance travel. For people with back pain, this often means increased pain.

There are steps travelers can take to reduce the negative impacts that travel has on their backs. Consider the following list of tips to bring the merry back into this holiday season.

Find Ways To Move: Inactivity leads to stiff muscles and joints. Motion is needed to get blood pumping through your tissues. Those who drive their own vehicle while traveling have the advantage of being able to take several breaks to stretch and move around. People using trains and buses are more limited, but can take advantage of stops. Plane travelers find themselves at the most disadvantage in this area.

It may feel odd, but it is possible to stretch while on a plane. Be courteous of fellow passengers and flight staff. You can ask staff if you may walk up and down the aisle between snack services, and ask your seat neighbor if he or she minds if you do some light stretching. Seat stretches are non-invasive by nature, so it is unlikely anyone would object. See the link at the bottom of this page for examples of stretches to do on a plane.

Make Use of Seating Aides: No matter what kind of dreadful seat you're given, you can make use of inexpensive ergonomic seating aides to maximize comfort. Foot rests are handy for people who won't have the option to adjust seat height. Dangling feet leave the job of supporting the legs to the lower back, pelvis and thighs, causing strain on muscles and joints.

Lumbar support cushions are available for people who have a hard time maintaining their lumbar curve while sitting. This is a common problem, especially for people with weak cores. The cushion will help to maintain natural spinal curvature, which takes pressure off of muscles and discs.

Cushions can be of great assistance to people with sciatica. Sitting can exacerbate sciatica pain because it causes further compression of the nerve. A cushion can limit the pressure placed on the buttocks.

Sitting Posture: Proper posture is important for everyone, but is of key importance to people traveling with disc-related back pain like sciatica. While lumbar cushions and foot rests may be enough to relieve back pain for some people, those with sciatica should consider another seat feature: reclining.

A study by Canadian and Scottish researchers assessed the MRI results of the effects various sitting angles have on spinal discs. A 135 degree angle between the thighs and the upper body was found to place the least amount of stress on the discs of the spine. Sciatica and other nerve problems are often caused by disc herniation and bulging, therefore reclining slightly backward is optimal. This may not be possible while driving your own vehicle; if you have a fellow passenger, switch on and off and recline in the passenger's seat. Note: While reclining, it is important to avoid craning your neck forward. A neck cushion could help you to maintain your natural cervical spine curve.

More on the above study can be viewed at http://www.radtech1895.com/2008/05/mri-reveals-the-best-sitting-position.html/. See http://www.fitsugar.com/Plane-Stretches-Flying-3747822 for ideas on stretching on a plane.

Take the doom and gloom out of holiday travel this season by getting educated on the ways in which you can alleviate back pain during your trip. Attention to your bodily needs and a little help from ergonomics may be all you need to travel comfortably.