Health Articles

I had the pleasure of spending two days at a Dr. Stuart McGill seminar about “Building the Ultimate Back”. Dr. McGill is a spine biomechanist at the University of Waterloo, an internationally renowned speaker about low back dysfunction, an equally renowned clinician, and the author of Low back Disorders and Ultimate Back Fitness and Performance.

This first article provides what I view as the 4 basic points that everyone should know about low back pain:

Avoid repeated flexion: Everyone knows that bulging discs are caused by a single heavy or awkward lift, right? Not true, according to Dr. McGill. Discs can be damaged by a single traumatic event, but this typically results in a complete rupture of the disc, or even an end-plate fracture. Disc bulges on the other hand, typically happen as a result of repeated small movements. Remember the wafer thin mint from Monty Python’s the Meaning of Life? This is why so many people claim to have put their back out from picking up something incredibly light.Why does this happen? Because when our low back bends forward (flexion), the load we are carrying (including our body weight) is completely supported by the structure of the back (the discs and the vertebrae), not by the muscles. Muscles get stronger from repetitions, but discs do not; they get strained. Is there a way to reduce the risk of low back injury and reduce the symptoms of an already injured back? Absolutely: Stop flexing! I wonder how many people have been told that the best way to keep their back healthy is to do crunches or situps? Both are flexion exercises and both are bad for your back. Now, the idea behind it is a good one: strengthening the core. Strengthening your core is a fantastic idea. But find better ways, and do not limit yourself to just the rectus abdominus (”six pack” muscle). Some good core strengthening exercises include bird dogs, planks, side planks, cable chops and glute bridges.

Posture! For people suffering from back pain, it is often difficult to exercise because they get tired or sore very quickly. Sometimes just sitting, standing or walking causes pain. Even though there may be a disc injury present, in most cases the underlying problem is postural.To demonstrate this concept, Dr. McGill asked us to put a hand on the low back an inch or two to the side of the spine either seated or standing (try this at home!). With the hand on the back, adjust your position forward and backward; gently sticking your chin out and back; and try to find the “sweet spot”, or the point at which the back muscle feels relaxed. When you move out of this position, you will feel the muscle activating again. If you do not feel this, try again with your hand on a few different spots on your back. If you sit or stand anywhere but your “sweet spot”, the muscles in your back are constantly working, which means they are getting tired and when they are tired, they get weak. Weak back muscles are not capable of stabilizing your back properly, and so your back is left unprotected and susceptible to injury. In addition to finding the sweet spot when sitting and standing, Dr. McGill teaches walking as if you “own the world”. What does this mean? When you walk, straighten your back, rotate your thumbs out (with elbows relatively straight) and keep rotating until you feel your chest open up (with shoulders pulled back). From this position, swing your arms and walk “like you own the world”.

Avoid back exercises in the morning. Most people who have had low back pain have been told to do knee to chest exercises first thing in the morning. Guess what? Knee to chest exercises in the morning are bad for your back. I attended this conference with a room full of physiotherapists and chiropractors, and they were all surprised to hear this, but once Dr. McGill explained himself, they all seemed to be in agreement. When you bring your knees to your chest, your back rounds slightly. In this rounded (or flexed) position, your discs change shape slightly in response to the position of the vertebrae.While you sleep, your back hydrates so that by the time you wake up your discs are filled with liquid. Think about your discs as water balloons. If they are only half full, you can push on one side of the balloon and the water will just move over to the other side without any trouble and then move back when you let go. But if the balloon is completely full of water, when you push on one side, the balloon will burst. This is essentially what can happen when you flex your spine first thing in the morning. This risk is reduced significantly after about an hour as most of the liquid leaves the discs. So think about avoiding bending in all your activities first thing in the morning. So why does it feel good? That good feeling is a neurological result of the stretch reflex. Am I right that the good feeling lasts for less than 20 minutes and then the pain returns? Try going a few days without this movement and you should see an improvement.

When we sit the ligaments in our back stretch. Because the ligaments are important stabilizers, when they are stretched they leave the spine less stable. It can take up to 30 minutes for the ligaments to return to their normal length, which means for 30 minutes after sitting, your back is at risk. This is particularly important for people who perform heavy labour shortly after sitting at a desk or in a car. To reduce the risk of back injury, it is best to try to plan your day so that you have a bit of time to walk around between sitting and lifting. Think about this the next time you watch an NBA player get off the bench and right into a game and then they have a 7-foot tall opponent leaning on their back to get the rebound. Some teams now realize this hazard and will call players they want to sub a few minutes in advance so that they can walk around a bit and start getting their spinal ligaments back to normal.

Low back pain is unfortunately one of the most common maladies of modern man. I say modern man because it is doubtful that our primitive ancestors abused their backs in the ways that we do. Modern civilization has taken us out of the healthy exercise mode of wandering and gathering food, of cultivating food and made us into sedentary “couch potatoes”.

The effect that this has had on our lower backs is obvious. Our sitting postures are generally quite unhealthy, slouching and allowing our lower backs to go into flexion puts a strain on the back which will eventually cause discomfort, sometimes mild but sometimes severe. Considering the number of people that spend many hours daily sitting with poor posture (especially for long periods), it is no wonder that lower back pain is so prevalent in our society.
Chronic back pain
Improper lifting is another cause of low back pain. The correct way to lift a heavy object is to place it between your feet, squat down; bending your knees, grasp the object and rise straight up using the powerful muscles of your legs to lift the weight. It is very important to lift straight up and to be careful to avoid any twisting during the lift. Your body just wasn’t made to tolerate this type of force. Awkward lifting situations are a very common cause of low back pain and should definitely be avoided.

Although we can’t avoid sitting, there are some ways we can avoid the resulting low back pain. First of all, try to break up your sitting periods; take a break, drink some water, go to the restroom, or any activity that will allow you to get up from your sitting position, even if only for a few minutes. Better yet do a few stretching exercises.

The very best one I know of is very simple and easy to do; just stand up straight, put both hands on your hips and lean backwards as far as you can, hold that for a couple of seconds, and return to your starting position. You only need to do a few of these several times a day to keep your low back healthy. Here’s to your good health.

Lower back pain exercises

If you have acute back pain due to strain or minor injury, then limited rest for 24 to 72 hours can help. Too much inactivity can worsen such problems, though. So it is a good idea to get moving as soon as you feel comfortable, and not to let your fear of pain keep you immobilized. Start with gentle, small movements and work from there.

Any exercises that move you into comfortable positions tend to be the best for treating back problems. So avoid activities and positions that could cause or increase back pain. Comfortable exercise and gentle activity are the best combination to stay flexible, build strength, and reduce back pain symptoms.

Lower back pain exercises include three basic types:
(1) strengthening exercises that focus on the back, legs, and stomach, to increase spinal support;
(2) stretches that increase your muscle and tissue flexibility, which makes them less prone to injury; and
(3) aerobic exercises, to strengthen the back and other muscles, along with the heart.
Abnormal pap smear
First, here are two lower back pain exercises that can help you stretch and strengthen. The great thing about these two is that you can do them nearly anywhere. As you do each exercise, pay attention to proper form and don’t move any faster than you feel is safe.

1. An easy back stretch:

A lot of back pain comes from doing desk work. Every hour or so, stand up, spread your feet apart slightly, place your fingertips into the hollow of the lower back, and slowly stretch back so that your shoulders and face move toward the ceiling. Keeping your balance, reach a comfortable position, and go no further. Hold this position for five to ten seconds. You may want to inhale and exhale “into the lower back” once or twice to help relieve tension and increase your depth of relaxation. Then repeat several times. The reason this works is that it moves the body into a position that is contrary to the sitting at the desk position, so it’s great for breaking up tension. Try it!

2. An easy back strengthener:

Lie on the floor, facing the ceiling. Relax your back against the floor. Bend your knees and place your feet flat against the floor. Slowly raise your head and shoulders. Keep your eyes fixed on the ceiling. Count to two, holding this position. Slowly bring your head and shoulders to the floor again. Do this sequence a total of twenty times.

3. Aerobic exercises:

Easy aerobic exercises include walking, bicycling, swimming, and wading in waist-deep water. These activities increase the level of oxygen in your body, which helps to keep back muscles healthy.

For most, walking is the easiest and most accessible form of exercise to decrease lower back stress. Walking is far less stressful than standing still, because as you shift the weight from leg to leg, you are giving the other leg “half time off.” This constant and alternating release of weight supports improved back health. So take a walk three days a week for at least twenty minutes. It’s a great antidote to sitting at the desk or standing on your feet!

4 out of 5 people suffer from lower back pain at least once in their life and many suffer with recurring bouts. I don’t know about you, but when I was younger I thought I could do anything, and I usually could. But ultimately if you don’t take care of your back throughout your life or misuse it, it will catch up to you as it did me.

Through the years of dealing with back pain, I have acquired some really good exercises that help ease your back and help with overall posture.

Exercises for easing lower back pain

- Abdominal crunches, when done properly (by keeping your lower back flat on the floor and supported while crunching), strengthen the abdominal muscles and may decrease the tendency for lower back problems. Many times the pain is made worse by poor posture and flabby abdominal muscles which put more pressure on the spine. I have found these to be very helpful for my back.

- The pelvic tilt has also been very helpful for me to ease tight back muscles, plus it really feels good!
Lower back pain treatment
- Standing arms length away from the wall and leaning your lower back in toward the wall is great for lower back pain. Lean in as far as you can because this will stretch out your vertebrae and can put them back in alignment. This one really, really feels good when you are suffering from back pain. Hold that position as long as it feels comfortable to. You can also do this by placing your hands on a table or counter and leaning the lower back in toward the table or counter.

- In your everyday activities as you are walking around, just suck in your stomach and tighten the abdominal muscles and hold as this really strengthens the abdominals for better posture and support of a healthy lower back.

- Stay active in general. An inactive lifestyle contributes to lower back problems.

- Wear flat shoes or shoes with heels of 1″ or less. Higher heels put strain on your spine by taking it out of the right alignment. Sure wish I would not have worn those high heels while I was younger!

Drug-free applications for relieving lower back pain

There are many over the counter medications to reduce pain, inflammation or swelling caused by back pain. Unfortunately, those come with a high cost – side effects!

Pain Relief Patch – Pain Relief Patch delivers a constant dose of Glucosamine and Chondroitin over a 24 hour period and gives you no need to worry about pain and taking pills throughout the day.

Diclofenac Gel online – is an NSAID, used to treat the symptoms of pain and inflammation.

There are many natural remedies out there that can become a part of your lifestyle that are totally safe. I have found the absolute best topical application that just totally turned my life around as far as relieving my lower back pain.

Basically there are two types of pain; acute and chronic. Acute pain is temporary in nature and this goes away if the cause is resolved. This can be due to an injury, illness or recent surgery. Chronic pain is a long duration pain and can go on for days, months or even years. Chronic pain is considered as the costliest health problem in the United States.

Prevention is better than cure. Hence, it is necessary to follow the steps given below to prevent getting back pain.
American Chronic Pain Association
• Head has to be held high without leaning forward while standing and walking. Feet are to be kept apart with the weight towards the balls of the feet.
• While sitting in a chair, one should keep back straight and with proper support at the back instead of leaning forward.
• While lifting, the back has to be kept straight by bending at the hips.
• The backrest of the chair has to push at the lower back while sitting. Keep the computer screen at eye level. One should not bend too much while sitting.
• Stretching exercises will help in preventing back pain.

Back pain is the most frequent complaint in people. The spine is a complex network of nerves, joints, muscles, tendons, and ligaments and all are capable of producing pain individually.

Exercise and physiotherapy which includes stretching and strengthening are good to help the patient in long term. Series of lessons with an exercise prescription in Alexander technique is found to be beneficial for patients with chronic back pain.

Manipulation by a trained and qualified physical therapist is found to be beneficial for back pain patients. Cold compression therapy is also equally effective in relieving back pain.