Back Pain Causes: What Can Cause Back Pain and What Can Back Pain Cause?

Your back is comprised of over 30 muscles, many ligaments, joints, discs and 33 vertebrae.  So , you can see how easy it is to cause back pain.  I’ve talked about many back pain causes, but will give a brief overview of the most common back pain causes, then will review some other issues that back pain can cause.  Some of the most common back pain causes include:

• Muscular strain, lumbar muscle strain or muscle spasm caused by a sudden or awkward movement, fall or other impact, over-straining your back, lifting bulky or heavy items, awkward angles, pushing, pulling, lifting, twisting, or trauma.  This causes inflammation or injury including possible tearing.  Ligament sprains are common when the back is stretched beyond its capacity.  These commonly occur with muscle strains.

• Herniated discs are caused by compression of the spinal nerves.  They result from repetitive motion like machine operators or truck drivers, or unaccustomed heavy loading on the back.  Proper lifting is Very Important.  Sciatica is a common form of a herniated disc or “radicular” back pain, along the nerve(s).

• Osteoporosis is a common cause of back pain, particularly in women and when you’re older.  It affects the spinal joints. It’s referred to as a “degenerative joint disease”.  It can get worse the longer it goes when bearing weight or walking.  Surgery is sometimes needed for this.

• Spinal Stenosis is another back pain cause, also more common in people over 50.  It’s a narrowing of the spinal canal and includes thickening of ligaments, bone spurs, and enlarged joints (cartilate) from arthritis-type changes.  It also gets worse with longer periods of bearing weight or walking, and may need surgery.

• Fibromyalgia is another common cause of chronic back pain and chronic lower back pain.  It’s rheumatic which includes soft tissue pain, sleep interruptions, and widespread, evenly-distributed tenderness.

• Other common causes of back pain are: #1 Poor Posture, standing, sitting or hunching, bending too long, constipation, gas, stress, kidney stones or infections, dehydration, smoking or even eating the wrong foods (sugar, processed foods).  Eat more raw, organic types of foods.

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Lower Back Pain Exercises Including Stretches for Lower Back Pain

Chronic lower back pain is one of the most prevalent health issues in our country.  Your back pain causes and symptoms are wide-ranging, and can be hard to diagnose.  But, as many back pain causes and symptoms there are, there are also many back pain remedies.  Being a prior chronic back pain sufferer, I can tell you that lower back pain exercises are one of the most important things to do to strengthen, stretch and condition your back to reduce pain and possibility of injury or re-injury, but you have to do them right.  I’ll briefly review some of the most beneficial back strengthening exercises and stretches for lower back pain that I’ve found.  You really need to exercise for lower back pain if you want to be proactive in getting rid of it.

Stretches for Lower Back Pain

One of the most important things you can do for your back health is to regularly stretch your back.  This includes stretches for lower back pain.  It helps keep your muscles and ligaments flexible, and reduces strain on joints.  It improves your circulation, pumping the needed nutrients throughout your body.  Without it, you’ll get stiffness, limited movement and pain.  It’s essential to stretch before and after vigorous physical activities or sports to avoid injuries, muscle strain and soreness.  To get the most benefit, you need to do it properly.  Here are some helpful tips when doing stretches for lower back pain:

• If you can, start at the neck and work each muscle group down your body. This way you’re using muscles that are already stretched as you go
• Stretch Gently and Slowly only until you feel Mild tension
• Don’t bounce.  Hold your stretch 10-20 seconds
• Don’t hold your breath.  Inhale deeply before you stretch, and exhale during the stretch
• Stretch for the same amount of time on each body part, doing 3-5 stretches is fine.  You can increase repetition as you progress
• Alternate sides and muscle groups

Stretching first thing in the morning also helps pump blood throughout your system, giving you increased energy for the day.  You should do stretches for lower back pain at least 2-3 times a week up to daily to reduce your lower back pain.

Exercise for Lower Back Pain

Proper stretching and exercise for lower back pain is crucial if you want to get rid of the pain and improve the quality of your life.  Here’s one exercise for lower back pain that is very helpful.  Some exercises that can help reduce or prevent lower back pain are:

• Aerobic exercises
• Back strengthening exercises
• Back stretching exercises

Some exercises can make your back pain worse, so avoid them:

• Straight leg sit ups
• Bent leg sit ups or partial situps when you have acute back pain
• Lifting both legs laying on your back
• Lifting heavy weights above your waist
• Touching your toes while standing

Here are some good resources for lower back pain exercises and stretches for lower back pain.  I can tell you from personal experience that if you want to get rid of your back pain (consult your doctor first*), you really need to exercise and stretch and strengthen your back muscles:

Back Strengthening Exercises

Lower Back Pain Exercises

Stretches for Lower Back Pain

If you’d like a copy of the “Low Back Pain Exercises” pdf, just let me know or sign up for the newsletter and email me.  I’d be happy to send it to you.

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Back Pain and Its Remedies
 by: Saurabh Jain

Back pain is quite a common phenomenon and generally occurs due to wrong posture or sudden movements. Each one of us is prone to back pain since the lower portion of our back supports a large portion of (more…)

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The total being is generally viewed as an interrelation between mind, body and spirit in essence with one having absolute influence over the other. With the intangible having the propensity to gain significant control over the tangible, much can be said (more…)

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More than 100 million Americans suffer with some form of chronic back pain. This epidemic problem, represents the number one reason for lost productivity and efficiency in American Corporations today. Whether you suffer with lower, middle, or upper back (more…)

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Back Pain Remedy: Lose the Back Pain and Find a Back Pain Remedy For You

Back pain is the 2nd most common neurological disorder in the U.S.  You may have sudden back pain, or a burning back pain.  It can be temporary, or a long-term debilitating pain with back pain symptoms such as lower back muscle spasms, a pinched nerve, herniated discs, sciatica symptoms (nerve pain radiating from lower back down the leg), herniated discs, or referred back pain (radiates to your buttocks, groin area, or legs).  Your back pain symptom can be caused by things so simple as dehydration, lack of nutrition or exercise, need for supplements, and emotional stress.

Muscular back pain is all too common in today’s world, but there are a lot of choices you can make in treatment of lower back pain.  You should always consult with your doctor to diagnose the cause of your back pain, and discuss how to get rid of back pain.

Lose the Back Pain

Besides back strengthening exercises, you can lose the back pain with natural techniques and treatment alternatives that are gentle, and help address the underlying problem.  Some of these are natural vitamins, minerals, and supplements.  There are also natural techniques that help as a natural back pain remedy to alleviate your back pain cause, including sciatic nerve relief, chronic back pain relief, herniated disc treatment, and other techniques used in healing back pain:

1)  Vitamin D – Chronic muscle pain can result from a deficiency of Vitamin D.  It is found in small-boned fish, fortified milk, and cereal.

2)  Vitamin B12 – Has been found to relieve back pain.  People who received vitamin B12 have shown a statistically significant reduction in pain and disability. They also used less pain medication than a placebo group.

3)  Music therapy – Music therapy has been found to reduce disability, anxiety, and depression associated with chronic pain, and has been shown to dramatically reduce pain immediately.

4)  Breathing Techniques – Breathing techniques that use the mind-body connection have been found to reduce lower back muscle pain. They integrate body awareness, breathing, movement, and meditation, and you can do them yourself at home at no cost.  One study compared 6-8 weeks of breath therapy to physical therapy, and patients improved significantly with breath therapy.  Other benefits of breath therapy were improved coping skills, and new insight into the effect of stress on the body.

5)  Exercise – See Back Strengthening Exercises, which includes quick and simple Back Stretching Exercises.

6) Massage Therapy – Studies have found that massage may be effective for sub-acute and chronic back pain relief.  It has also been found to reduce anxiety and depression associated with acute lower back pain. Massage therapy is also the most popular therapy for pregnancy and back pain.

7)  Yoga – Yoga creates balance in the body through various poses that develop flexibility and strength.  A study of people with chronic mild low back pain compared Iyengar yoga (highly respected yoga instructor) to back education.  After 16 weeks, there was a significant reduction in pain intensity, disability, and reliance on back pain medications in the yoga group. Benefits were also seen at the three month follow up.

8)  Pilates – Uses the mind to control the muscles.  It focuses on the core postural muscles, which help keep the body balanced, and are essential in providing support for the spine.  Pilates exercises teach awareness of breath, and alignment of the spine, to strengthen the deep torso muscles.

9)  Acupuncture – A very thin needle is used at areas called “meridians.”  It’s used as a very effective treatment for many symptoms, and is one of the most time-tested treatments known.  There are many different forms, and it’s usually not painful.  It seems to have very few side effects, and appears to be safe for pain management.

10)   Bowen Therapy – Gentle bodywork where the therapist uses a series of specialized moves using their fingers and thumbs, pulling the skin slack away from the muscle, applying pressure, and quickly releasing the tension.  They are performed on specific areas of muscles where special receptors are located. Nerve impulses are sent to the brain, resulting in muscle relaxation and reduction of pain.

11)  Alexander Technique – This technique teaches people to improve their posture, and eliminate bad habits such as slouching, which can all lead to pain, muscle tension, and decreased mobility.

12)  Prolotherapy – Addresses damaged ligaments (connective tissue) to relieve chronic musculoskeletal pain.  It involves an injection of a solution into soft tissues such as ligaments and tendons. This triggers local inflammation, and triggers the body’s natural healing response, which repairs the weakened soft tissues and relieves pain.  There is often mild pain with this treatment, but can be reduced by a local anesthetic.  A typical course of treatment is 10 to 25 sessions for back pain.  Since it is believed to repair the joint, no other treatment is necessary. Preliminary studies have found that back pain, which often involves ligament injury, responds particularly well to prolotherapy.

13) Balneotherapy – One of the oldest therapies for pain relief.  “Balneo” comes from the Latin word, balneum, meaning bath.  It’s a form of hydrotherapy, bathing in mineral water or warm water.  In a study comparing bathing in mineral water to plain tap water, mineral water containing sulphur was superior in reducing pain, and improving mobility. Dead Sea salts and other sulphur-containing bath salts can be found in spas, health food stores, and online.  *People with heart conditions should not use balneotherapy unless they are under the supervision of their physician.

Other natural therapies include:

Trager Approach

Hellerwork

Feldenkrais Method

Other natural pain relievers used as a back pain remedy include:

Willow Bark:  The bark of the white willow tree has pain-relieving properties similar to aspirin.  An ingredient in it, salicin, is converted to salicylic acid in the body (aspirin is also converted to salicylic acid when in the body). Salicylic acid is believed to be the active compound that relieves pain and inflammation.

Capsaicin Cream (capsaicin is in chili peppers, and provides analgesic relief).

There are a lot of simple and natural alternatives to natural back pain relief, including vitamins and supplements, massage and music therapy, breathing techniques, back strengthening exercises and back stretching exercise.  There are many techniques and methods used as indicated above, as well as alternative natural pain relievers.

*You should consult with your physician about your back pain cause, and determine your back pain symptom before taking it upon yourself to find the most appropriate back pain remedy.

More information on relieving back pain from across the web:

Relieving Back Pain…   Read more…

Trying Yoga for Back Pain? Pick the RIGHT Poses (Part 1.   Read more

Trying Yoga for Back Pain? RIGHT Poses (Part 2 … Read more…

Alexander Technique Blog – Back Pain Last summer the British Journal of Medicine published a large randomized study that showed an 85% reduction in back pain through lessons in the Alexander Technique. After a year, patient…   Read more…

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Back Pain Remedy

 Back pain is the 2nd most common neurological disorder in the U.S. You may have sudden back pain, or a burning back pain. It can be temporary, or a long-term debilitating pain with back pain symptoms such as lower back muscle spasms, a pinched nerve, herniated discs, sciatica symptoms (nerve pain radiating from lower back down the leg), herniated discs, or referred back pain (radiates to your buttocks, groin area, or legs). Your back pain symptom can be caused by things as simple as dehydration, lack of nutrition or exercise, need for supplements, and emotional stress.

Muscular back pain is all too common in today’s world, but there are a lot of choices you can make in the treatment of lower back pain. You should always consult with your doctor to diagnose the cause, and discuss how to get rid of back pain.

Healing Back Pain Besides back strengthening exercises, you can lose the back pain with natural techniques and treatment alternatives that are gentle, and help address the underlying problem. Some of these are natural vitamins, minerals, and supplements. There are also natural techniques that help as a natural back pain remedy to alleviate your back pain cause, including sciatic nerve relief, chronic back pain relief, herniated disc treatment, and other techniques used in healing back pain: 1) Vitamin D – Chronic muscle pain can result from a deficiency of Vitamin D. It is found in small-boned fish, fortified milk, and cereal. 2) Vitamin B12 – Has been found to relieve back pain. People who received vitamin B12 have shown a statistically significant reduction in pain and disability. They also used less pain medication than a placebo group. 3) Music therapy – Music therapy has been found to reduce disability, anxiety, and depression associated with chronic pain, and has been shown to dramatically reduce pain immediately. 4) Breathing Techniques – Breathing techniques that use the mind-body connection have been found to reduce lower back muscle pain. They integrate body awareness, breathing, movement, and meditation, and you can do them yourself at home at no cost. One study compared 6-8 weeks of breath therapy to physical therapy, and patients improved significantly with breath therapy. Other benefits of breath therapy were improved coping skills, and new insight into the effect of stress on the body. 5) Exercise – See Back Strengthening Exercises, which includes quick and simple Back Stretching Exercises.

6) Massage Therapy – Studies have found that massage may be effective for sub-acute and chronic back pain relief. It has also been found to reduce anxiety and depression associated with acute lower back pain. Massage therapy is also the most popular therapy for pregnancy and back pain.

7) Yoga – Yoga creates balance in the body through various poses that develop flexibility and strength. A study of people with chronic mild low back pain compared Iyengar yoga (highly respected yoga instructor) to back education. After 16 weeks, there was a significant reduction in pain intensity, disability, and reliance on back pain medicine in the yoga group. Benefits were also seen at the three month follow up.

What Are My Back Pain Treatment Alternatives?  Read more…

Pilates – Uses the mind to control the muscles. It focuses on the core postural muscles, which help keep the body balanced, and are essential in providing support for the spine. Pilates exercises teach awareness of breath, and alignment of the spine, to strengthen the deep torso muscles.

9) Acupuncture – A very thin needle is used at areas called "meridians." It’s used as a very effective treatment for many symptoms, and is one of the most time-tested treatments known. There are many different forms, and it’s usually not painful. It seems to have very few side effects, and appears to be safe for pain management.

10) Bowen Therapy – Gentle bodywork where the therapist uses a series of specialized moves using their fingers and thumbs, pulling the skin slack away from the muscle, applying pressure, and quickly releasing the tension. They are performed on specific areas of muscles where special receptors are located. Nerve impulses are sent to the brain, resulting in muscle relaxation and reduction of pain.

11) Alexander Technique – This technique teaches people to improve their posture, and eliminate bad habits such as slouching, which can all lead to pain, muscle tension, and decreased mobility.

Alexander Technique Blog – Back Pain Last summer the British Journal of Medicine published a large randomized study that showed an 85% reduction in back pain through lessons in the Alexander Technique… Read more…

12) Prolotherapy – Addresses damaged ligaments (connective tissue) to relieve chronic musculoskeletal pain. It involves an injection of a solution into soft tissues such as ligaments and tendons. This triggers local inflammation, and triggers the body’s natural healing response, which repairs the weakened soft tissues and relieves pain. There is often mild pain with this treatment, but can be reduced by a local anesthetic. A typical course of treatment is 10 to 25 sessions for back pain. Since it is believed to repair the joint, no other treatment is necessary. Preliminary studies have found that back pain, which often involves ligament injury, responds particularly well to prolotherapy.

13) Balneotherapy – One of the oldest therapies for pain relief. "Balneo" comes from the Latin word, balneum, meaning bath. It’s a form of hydrotherapy, bathing in mineral water or warm water. In a study comparing bathing in mineral water to plain tap water, mineral water containing sulphur was superior in reducing pain, and improving mobility. Dead Sea salts and other sulphur-containing bath salts can be found in spas, health food stores, and online. *People with heart conditions should not use balneotherapy unless they are under the supervision of their physician.

Other natural therapy methods include:

Trager Approach
Hellerwork
Feldenkrais Method

Other natural pain relievers used as back pain remedies include:

Willow Bark: The bark of the white willow tree has pain-relieving properties similar to aspirin. An ingredient in it, salicin, is converted to salicylic acid in the body (aspirin is also converted to salicylic acid when in the body). Salicylic acid is believed to be the active compound that relieves pain and inflammation.

Capsaicin Cream (capsaicin is in hot peppers, and provides analgesic relief). There are a lot of simple and natural alternatives to natural back pain relief, including vitamins and supplements, massage and music therapy, breathing techniques, back strengthening exercise, and back stretching exercises.

There are many techniques and methods used as indicated above, as well as alternative natural pain relievers.

*You should consult with your physician about your back pain causes, and determine your back pain symptom before taking it
upon yourself to find the most appropriate back pain remedy.

More sources of information on back pain remedies across the web:

Relieving Back Pain | Back Pain Blog The therapist uses slow, hard strokes and deep, sustained finger pressure to work deeply into the contracted muscles, fascia and tendons to help alleviate back pain… Read more…

Trying Yoga for Back Pain? Then Pick the RIGHT Poses (Part 1 … Studies have shown that Yoga may be one of the most effective exercises for back pain relief…. Read more…

Trying Yoga for Back Pain? Then Pick the RIGHT Poses (Part 2 … I went over in detail the use of the shoulder stand sequence as ?the? Yoga exercise for back pain in part one of this article. Now let?s go over the rest of the. Read more…

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