No Quck Fix!

Back pain is a common condition which often settles spontaneously, thus justifying a conservative approach to management by both practitioner and patient.

Patients benefit from a confident and knowledgeable practitioner who can dispel doubts and myths, provide appropriate back education and reassurance, outline a logical management plan and refer to other therapists if necessary.

The great variety of treatments available indicates the lack of a `quick fix' cure.

All treatments have some, albeit limited, benefit. The most beneficial treatments are rest for 2-3 days, exercises and appropriate physical therapy.

Key words: Limited rest, education, exercises, physical therapy.

The Pain of it all!

Lower back pain is one of the most common ailments people suffer from and approximately 8 out of 10 people will deal with back pain at some point in their life. That's a lot of people… are you one of them? I am.


I have bulging, herniated discs and have had low back spasms (that knock me to my knees) and sciatica. I have been on all kinds of pain killers, including narcotics which only mask the problem and is by no means a permanent solution.

I have avoided back surgery like the plague as there are so many with horror stories.

The only relief I have found is with the proper exercise and stretching. I can assure you will find back pain relief if you do this regimen the correct way, do it the wrong way and you might up under the knife! Out of all of the various forms of back pain, lower back pain is by far the most common and there's a good explanation for this.


Any idea why? It's not car accidents, it's not work-related injuries, and it's not a lack of prescription medications either. Lack of movement and use is the number one cause of lower back pain! It's the lack of movement in various muscles over years that leads to muscle imbalances and uneven wear and tear on your body, especially the spine. For example, how many times a day are you bending, leaning, or twisting?

Here's what the typical person's day is like:

Wake up - Eat breakfast (hopefully) - Drive or ride to work - Sit at desk - Eat lunch - Sit at desk some more - Drive or ride home - Eat dinner - Sit on couch and watch television - Go to bed
Notice the trend here?

That's an awful lot of sitting and not moving. Well, this is what leads to serious muscle imbalances and so what do we do, we go to the gym and perform exercises that only make the imbalances worse! The key to eliminating lower back pain (nearly any ache, pain, or injury for that matter) is to identify the muscle imbalances that are pulling the spine, bones, and joints out of place and then stretch the tight muscles while strengthening the weak muscles.


Many people who seek professional help are often mis-diagnosed and end up following a treatment plan that fails to eliminate the cause of their back pain. ( Seek out Physical Therapy)
Nearly all of the individuals I worked with were able to eliminate their back pain, or significantly improve their condition even though all of the traditional treatments failed them , cortisone injections, anti-inflammatory medications, back surgery, etc). Even more amasing is the fact that most of these individuals were able to eliminate their back pain in a matter or days or weeks simply by performing a handful of exercises and stretches!

These weren't your basic exercises or the standard back stretches and stomach exercises most "experts" recommend - these were specific exercises and stretches prescribed based on the individual. Many of these people had suffered for years and years with aches, pains, and stiffness and lived inactive lives because of their back pain.


Most back pain treatments offered for lower back pain only address the symptoms and don't address the cause, which usually delivers just temporary relief for the individual. In addition to helping hundreds of others eliminate lower back pain, I also have had personal experiences with back pain and other various conditions such as sciatic pain, tendonitis, muscle strains and sprains, and more.

In every single situation the traditional treatments did nothing but treat the symptoms (often times not successfully) and the only approach that gave lasting improvements and relief was targeted stretches and exercises.


Have you tried traditional treatments and found little relief? I am not saying these treatments are not effective at temporarily reducing the pain or inflammation, but I am saying nearly all fail to get rid of the underlying cause of the problem.
I wish you the best and remember, the key to a healthy back is movement!


About the Author:

Terry O’Brien served 15 years in the Army (Medicine) (Airborne Forces).
He then embarked on Air Crew Emergency Medical Training for Global Airlines and has been actively involved in Sports Medicine, Rehabilitation and Community Care.
www.backtrouble.co.uk/

Sex

Back pain can be an intruder into your sex life and even ruin your relationship, if you are not careful. This article presents six things you can do to keep the love in your life when you suffer from back pain. The tips and insights here are provided by Terry O'Brien. Back Trouble (UK)

1. Try to Talk to Your Doctor About Your Sexual Functioning - or Turn Elsewhere
Patients tend to be uncomfortable about discussing sex and sexual positions with their doctors. According to Terry , a big part of the responsibility for the lack of communication between doctor and patient lies with the medical professionals. "Health care providers should be actively seeking the subject," he says. Sex is on par with returning to work and daily activities in diagnosing and treating back pain.

If your health care provider will not address your questions about sex, Terry suggests researching the information on the internet.

2. Address Your Attitude

Address your attitude about your condition and the effect it will have on your relationship. Terry says that quite often relationships break up when one partner experiences back pain. This is because, he says, reaction to pain is a learned behavior. "As you decide to be, that's how you are." Often people in pain will exaggerate it by avoiding sex. "This is what ruins the relationship," he says.

3. Accept that you may not be able to be as vigorous as you were prior to the onset of your pain. You can turn to your creativity and sense of discovery to help you adapt your sex life to the level your back can handle.

4. Know your condition and which positions bring on symptoms, as well as which alleviate them. Back injuries and conditions can be categorized by what kinds of movements make symptoms worse, and this information can be used to guide the selection of sexual positions.

5. With your partner, plan out which positions to try. Often you can modify your favorite positions with just a pillow or towel. Other times, you need to communicate and work it out with your partner. Talk about it up front, then expect, at times, that you will need to modify the plan. Planning your positions is a valuable strategy, Terry says, because relationships which accommodate back pain with a "we can adapt" attitude fare better than those in which the problem belongs only to the partner with the pain.

6. Get your pelvic floor muscles in shape. Strong flexible pelvic floor muscles can greatly enhance sexual function. The good news is that they can also do wonders for your back. The reason for this is that they are a part of the core support system that balances out muscle usage and stabilizes body posture. Terry says that along with their role in sex, the pelvic floor muscles are as important as the abdominals and low back muscles in back health.

Our incredible body!

"The human body is an incredible machine that adapts to the stresses we give it every day. Stresses such as poor posture, unusual movement or activities, or even a sedentary lifestyle can lead to poor mechanics and pain. Disability from back pain is second only to the common cold as a cause of lost work time.” Says Terry O’Brien (Back Trouble UK)

Back pain affects 80 percent of adults at some point in their lives, according to the Arthritis Foundation.

Here are 11 things you can do to prevent and reduce back pain:

1. Identify and correct body stresses such as poor posture, improper lifting techniques, or weak or tight muscles.

2. Strengthen your back, learn proper lifting methods, carry lighter loads, and use luggage carts for heavy packages and suitcases.

3. Increase your muscle mobility by stretching or doing activities -- such as yoga, tai chi, swimming or pilates -- that help keep you limber.

4. Boost your strength by doing exercises that involve the whole body, especially the core muscles of the stomach, back, hips and pelvis. In addition, strengthening your legs and shoulders can help improve your ability to squat, lift and carry items without overworking or injuring your back.

5. Do aerobic exercise, like walking, swimming and running, for at least 20 minutes three times a week. This kind of exercise increases muscular endurance and cardiovascular fitness, improves blood flow to the spine, and helps reduce stress.

6. Practice good posture. If possible, don't sit for long periods of time. Get up every 15 to 30 minutes and move around or stretch. When you're seated, keep your hips and knees at right angles to one another and use a chair with adequate lumbar (lower back) support.

7. When standing, keep your head up, shoulders straight, chest forward and stomach tight. Don't stand in the same position for too long. Use your legs, not your back, when pushing or pulling heavy items.

8. Use proper lifting techniques. When lifting objects from a position below your waist, stand with a wide stance and a slight bend at your hips and knees. Tighten your stomach as you lift and keep your back as flat as possible -- don't arch or bend it. When carrying heavy items, keep them as close as possible to your body. Don't carry items on only one side of your body.

9. Sleep on a firm mattress and box spring that doesn't sag. Sleep in a position that allows you to maintain the natural curve in your back.

10. Warm up before exercise or sports. Increasing muscle temperature and mobility beforehand will reduce the risk of injury.

11. Maintain/adopt a healthy lifestyle. Obesity and smoking increase the incidence of back pain.