So Your Lower Back Hurts???
by: Jesse Cannone
Low 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?
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 back pain!
I bet your orthopedic specialist or chiropractor didn’t
tell you that, did they?
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 tv
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 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.
How do I know this? Well, as certified personal fitness
trainer and post-rehabilitation specialist, I have worked with hundreds
of individuals with back pain and the conditions that ranged from sciatic
pain, to bulging discs, to spinal fusion, and others. In working with
these individuals I discovered some startling facts.
1. 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.
2. 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 (physically
therapy, chiropractic care, cortisone injections, anti-inflammatory medications,
surgery, etc).
Even more amazing 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.
3. Most treatment plans offered 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
back pain, I also have had personal experiences with back pain and other
various conditions such as 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.
So how do you identify these muscle imbalances? Well,
it isn’t easy but with a basic understanding of how your body works
you can at least start looking at your situation and find out which muscles
are over worked and too strong and/or tight and which ones are too weak
and stretched out.
It also helps if you can find a qualified health professional
who specializes in identifying muscle imbalances. Unfortunately, there
are still few professionals who use what I call the “common sense
approach.” However, your best bet is to look for a personal fitness
trainer that is trained and certified in post-rehabilitation, a manual
physical therapist, or an osteopath. Also, don’t be afraid to ask
questions... you need to take charge of your health care and be sure to
quiz them to find out what type of an approach they take in treating back
pain.
I also recommend you my video, "Lose the Back Pain"
here: http://www.losethebackpain.com . It's shows you step-by-step, how
to identify the true cause of your back pain and what specific exercises
and stretches you need to do to correct it.
I wish you the best and remember the key to a
healthy back is movement!
About The Author
Article by Jesse Cannone of http://www.losethebackpain.com.
Jesse is a certified personal fitness trainer and post-rehab specialist
and he has helped hundreds of individuals to eliminate their back pain.
Visit his site now and be sure to sign up for his free email course on
eliminating back pain.
support@losethebackpain.com
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