Although eighty percent of adults will suffer at some stage with lower back pain it still remains very much a mystery to the medical world. Are we missing something? Is the answer a little closer to home?
If you have had a medical examination for your lower back pain and no specific cause has been diagnosed what can you do? You may have been told that it is either 'all in your mind' or, worse still, be suspected of faking it to get time off work. The problem is that if medical tests cannot find a probable cause it is assumed there is nothing wrong with you. Now this isn't much use to you is it!
The problem as I see it is that medical science does not yet recognize what could be a major factor in back pain. This factor, in my opinion, is that most adults, due to stress and the pressures of modern living, have lost 'the art of natural movement'.
How often are we stuck behind a desk, the wheel of a car or clued to the couch in front of the TV? What is this doing to our backs? We all know that we should be more active but when we exercise or play a sport do we still know how to move freely and efficiently as we did as young children?
Has your doctor advised exercise? Yes it is true that activity as opposed to bed rest is better for your back, but how do you know if you are moving correctly? If posture and the way we move are a cause of lower back pain, are we not making matter worse by using our bodies more vigorously?
I would suggest that before you start on an exercise program to help your lower back you should assess how you stand, sit, walk and run. If you can learn to reduce the unnecessary stress many of us place on our lower backs this can go a long way to resolving the problem for many sufferers.
One of the best ways to re-educate your muscles to reduce the stresses and strains we unknowingly place upon our bodies is The Alexander Technique. This remarkable system can show you how to use your body as nature intended and can help eliminate or drastically reduce lower back pain. As a teacher myself I see many people who, once shown a few simple 'tricks', are amazed at just how much unnecessary effort they have been using for even the simplest, everyday tasks. Once this has been removed they feel lighter, their movement is freer and the pain just melts away.
If you have not yet seen your doctor I would recommend you do before taking any other action.
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