Get rid of back pain

BACK PAIN, it’s one of the most common medical problems, affecting 8 out of 10 people at some point during their lives. Back pain, it’s hard to live with but it’s something everyone is likely to deal with at some point.  Lower back pain is one of the top 10 reasons patients seek care from a family physician.

People ask why they have this back pain? since they are not suffering any disease.In fact,It’s not often that just one event actually causes your lower back pain, although it may seem that way.  More often than not it is a series of “micro injuries” (small falls, muscles pulls, overuse during activity). You probably don’t even remember them happening but they add up over time.

The muscles, tendons, ligaments, and joints in your body act as links in an inter connective chain, working together to allow you to accomplish basic motions like sitting, walking, and running. If any one of these links is injured or not functioning properly the entire chain suffers.  At times a tight or sore muscle will recruit other muscles to pick up the slack so you may not realize pain right away, but these other muscles are not made to pick up the slack for very long and “chain reaction injuries” can occur.

Muscle imbalances occur when muscle strength and functioning along the inter connective chain is not equally efficient.  A muscle may be shortened and tight, or weak and therefore is unable to “relax” or contract when needed.  Or a muscle or group of muscles may become chronically “over stretched” and weak and are unable to contract when needed. This imbalance modifies body movement, putting strain on muscles, tendons, ligaments and joints.  The end result is often lower back pain.

 Repetitive Motion

We’ve all heard of carpal tunnel syndrome, but your hands aren’t the only body part that suffers when you sit at your computer all day or spend hours in a car.  Any activity in which you perform a motion over and over again for extended periods of time puts stress on your body, increasing the chance of developing repetitive motion injuries (RMIs) –

particularly in your back. We think of repetitive motion as doing a job over and over but individuals who sit at desks or those who stay in a seated (driver) or standing position (clerk or nurse) for extended periods of time are extremely likely to suffer from RMIs. Muscular pain is the most common symptom of RMIs, but you may also experience swelling, tightness/stiffness, tingling or numbness, and weakness.

While only your doctor can fully diagnose the cause of your low back pain, you can however identify muscle imbalances or repetitive motions that may be causing your pain. Avoiding these or putting a plan in place to negate them /remedy them is a good first step towards finding relief.

 Preventing Pain Before It Begins

Since pain occurs after the imbalances arrive, not before, relying on pain as the only indicator that your interconnective  chain may be imbalanced or overstressed could lead you to a life of back problems. While statistically it is likely that you will suffer from back pain at some point in your life, taking preventative measures may help reduce the severity of the  strain and positively impact recovery time.

Keeping your posterior chain (calves, glutes, hamstrings and lower back) strong and flexible is one of the best things you can do to prevent back pain.  Exercises that increase balance, flexibility and strength can decrease your risk of injuring  your back, falling, or breaking bones.

 Long-Term Back Pain Relief

Any sufferer of back pain will tell you that their immediate objective is to reduce pain and restore mobility.  While the natural tendency may be to rest, exercise may be the most effective way to speed recovery from low back pain. A Finnish study found that persons who continued their activities without bed rest following the onset of low back pain appeared to have better back flexibility than those who rested in bed for a week.

Exercise, including stretching and strengthening of the muscles along the posterior chain (calves, glutes, hamstrings and lower back) has been shown to benefit many lower back pain sufferers by restoring muscle balance, strength and flexibility.

Strengthen your core:  Not surprisingly, a person in good physical condition will generally reduce their risk of back injuries while the risk for those with weak core fitness is nearly doubled. Your core is made up of much more than your abs. So be sure to focus on the bigger picture. True core exercises work both your posterior chain and anterior chain (abdominal muscles) to increase your strength and flexibility.

Increase flexibility:  By stretching the muscles in the posterior chain and anterior chain, you can maximize your flexibility and drastically reduce your risk of muscle imbalance injury.  Key muscles to target include the gluteus maximus, piriformis, the iliotibial (IT band) and hamstrings. Tight hamstrings can cause the hips and pelvis to rotate back flattening the lower back and causing back problems.

Work on coordination and balance: Just walking regularly for exercise can help you maintain your coordination and balance. Performing balance exercises can also help to keep you steady on your feet and reduce the risk of micro injuries.

 New Medically Proven Solution 

Originally developed for use by physical therapists, the CoreStretchTM was developed to provide the deepest, most effective way to stretch your posterior chain and restore muscle flexibility and interaction, thereby, increasing range of motion, reducing pain, preventing further injury, and speeding up recovery. In fact, studies have shown the CoreStretch to be an effective way to stretch the hamstrings and contribute to posterior chain flexibility.

Unlike conventional stretching methods that force the back to curve, the unique design of the CoreStretch decompresses the back, enabling a deeper, more effective stretch of the posterior muscle chain supporting your back, spine, and legs. The CoreStretch provides a stretch that both allows the tissues to relax and elongate developing the major muscle groups that make up the core.  That’s why in therapeutic environments the CoreStretch is used to treat back, shoulder and hip pain, piriformis, fibromyalgia ,sciatica, arthritis and osteoporosis.

Most people find that just a few minutes of stretching every day with the CoreStretch reduces the pain associated with RMIs and improves quality of life is a light-weight and portable stretching device that takes the guesswork out of stretching  your back muscles and relieves the pain associated with RMIs.

Hope you will share all these methods to get rid of  back pain with your family and friends.