Lower Back Pain: How To Get Rid Of It

Lower back pain affects about 8 out of 10 people. But, there are many steps you can take to avoid it.

• Always stretch before any strenuous physical activity (in fact it would be wise to engage in a regular stretching program like active isolated stretching).
• Don’t slouch when standing or sitting down.
• Sit in chairs or car seats with good lumbar support.
• Switch sitting positions often and periodically walk around or gently stretch muscles to relieve tension.
• Don’t bend over without supporting your back.
• Wear comfortable, low-heeled shoes.
• Sleep on your side to reduce any curve in your spine, and always sleep on a firm surface.
• Lift with your legs, keeping your back straight.
• Try to control your weight.
• If you smoke, quit. Smoking reduces blood flow to the lower spine and causes the spinal discs to degenerate.

All these lifestyle improvements should alleviate and even reverse your lower back pain.

Lower Back Pain? Look at the Front!

Many people fail to realize that most of the time, the pain actually originates from the opposite side of where it hurts.
For example, the very act of sitting for a long period of time ends up shortening the iliopsoas muscles that connect your lumbar region and the top of your femur, at the front, thus creating lower back pain.

When these muscles are shortened, it can cause severe lower back pain when you stand up as they will effectively pull your lower back (lumbar) forward. Many people end up going through drastic medical procedures to “fix” this type of pain, or end up taking pain killers for an extended period of time, when in fact it can be easily remedied by massaging the iliopsoas muscle to release it.

(Please note that this type of massage should ONLY be done by a qualified massage therapist, as your vena cava – a large diameter vein – runs nearby. This massage technique is a deep one, but should be done gently.) To see how to stretch your iliopsoas muscle as a self exercise for lower back pain watch this video below:

Likewise, having firm abdominal muscles is like having a built-in internal corset that does not only hold your gut in, but also stabilizes your spine, vertebrae and discs. Many can completely eliminate their back pain simply by working on their abs!!!

Osteopathy/Chiropractic is a good Line of Defense for Acute Lower Back Pain

Due to their comprehensive training in musculoskeletal management, numerous sources of evidence have shown that Osteopathy/ chiropractic management is much safer, and less expensive, than allopathic medical treatments, particularly for lower back pain.

In addition, researchers have also found out that back adjustment has an effect on the biological processes on a cellular level, which helps with lower back pain!

Back adjustment can affect the basic physiological processes that influence oxidative stress and DNA repair, so in addition to addressing any immediate spinal misalignment that might cause lower back pain, it can also address deeper dysfunction in your body.

A paper published in the Annals of Internal Medicine in 2007 entitled, “Diagnosis and Treatment of Lower Back Pain: A Joint Clinical Practice Guideline” from the American College of Physicians and the American Pain Society concluded that the only recommendation for active treatment of acute lower back pain in people who do not improve with other self-care options is spinal adjustment.

For chronic or subacute lower back pain, they also recommend using “intensive interdisciplinary rehabilitation, exercise therapy, acupuncture, massage therapy, spinal manipulation, yoga, cognitive-behavioral therapy, or progressive relaxation.”

This Little-Known Technique Can Work Wonders for People Suffering from Lower Back Pain

If you are suffering from back pain in general and lower back pain in particular and you’ve never heard of Atlasprofilax, now’s the time to bone up.

Unlike most massage and other manipulations, which do not really address the upper neck,  Atlasprofilax is a unique technique that resets the whole skeletal system by focusing on the realignment of the top cervical, the Atlas.

The Atlas is the pivotal point of the whole skeletal system. Its misalignment gives right to a general imbalance of the whole body structure that results in various problems, such as  a tilted pelvis for example. A lower back pain may result from atlas misalignment in particular due to the muscular compensatory mechanism, created as a result of such imbalance.

The Atlasprofilax technique simply opens the muscles to allow the Atlas bone to get back to its rightful position. This simple and safe treatment “resets” your itself to heal the body. The results are profound and lasting, and usually apparent within two to three sessions.

It is completely safe and appropriate for everyone to use, be it by highly trained athletes, or small children, the elderly or infirm. Atlasprofilax is highly recommended as a starting point for spinal adjustment that eases lower back pain and can be followed by osteopathic or chiropractic treatments.

The Psychological Factors of Back Pain

Few people want to be told that their lower back pain is psychological or emotional in origin, but there’s quite a bit of evidence that backs this up. Underlying emotional issues and unresolved trauma can have a massive influence on your health, particularly as it relates to physical pain and lower back pain.

In a 2004 study, 100 patients were followed over the course of four years. None of them had lower back pain at the onset of the study. The participants instead underwent psychological tests, which were then compared to see which types of people remained pain free and which developed lower back pain.

Not surprisingly, those who did poorly on the psychological tests were reported to be three times more vulnerable to lower back pain at the end of the study.

I certainly believe that your emotional health and your ability to effectively address your stress is an essential component for optimal health and can have a major influence on whether or not you’re effective in eliminating your lower back pain; and so do many other doctors and scientists from various fields of medicine.

At the Energy Medicine Clinic, we offer techniques such as TAPAS/ Meridian tracing (emotional freedom tapping technique) and kinesiology to give better results with lower back pain.

It’s unfortunate that so many people dismiss these types of treatment strategies simply because they seem “too simple to be effective.” Getting well does not necessarily involve radical, often painful treatment. In most cases, it is quite the opposite.

Your body is constantly striving to achieve and maintain equilibrium in all aspects, and most often, what it needs to heal is a gentle reminder of what “normal” is.

Massage for Lower Back Pain and Stress Relief

Massage releases endorphin, which help induce relaxation, relieve pain, and reduce levels of stress chemicals such as cortisol and noradrenaline — reversing the damaging effects of stress by slowing heart rate, respiration and metabolism and lowering blood pressure.

Stronger massage stimulates blood circulation to improve the supply of oxygen and nutrients to body tissues and helps your lymphatic system flush away waste products.

It eases tensed and knotted muscles and stiff joints, improving mobility and flexibility.

It is a particularly effective therapy for stress related tension, which experts believe accounts for as much as 80 to 90 percent of the disease.

Final Thoughts

With such successful alternatives available, there are few good reasons not to turn to pharmaceutical that only treats the underlying causes of your lower back pain, which might not be appropriate in a lot of cases.

Last but certainly not the least, keeping your spine strong also requires sufficient amounts of calcium and vitamin D. Choose Vitamin D3!