Back with more news for you today. It’s amazing how much good information there is on this stuff out there if you know where to look. Three in particular that I found really valuable were…
Pasadena Sub Rosa: CITY TO OPEN URGENT BACK PAIN CLINIC IN CIVIC …
(satire) Based on the newest European research showing that people Read the rest of this entry »
Ok so 3 more posts today that I’ve dug up – I’m an information JUNKIE on this stuff lately. Give em a browse and let me know what ya reckon. They’re just from a few different sites I’ve been surfing lately that are generally good for information like this…
Kneeling Chair – No More Back Pain
In this commentary I am going to argue the benefits to your back, posture and pain reduction by using a Kneeling Chair when you are sitting at your computer or office desk for hours at a time. If you are an office worker or a person who suffers back pain and common discomfort Read the rest of this entry »
Till past few years, low back pain was considered to be a problem affecting only the elderly people. However, in recent years low back pain in children has become a growing concern among doctors.
Children keep growing till late adolescence and so is their skeletal structure. One of the major reasons for growing cases Read the rest of this entry »
Relieving Your Ache Joints and Arthritis — are there Options?
by: Kamau Austin
Can New Joint Treatments Like MSM and Phosoplex Help Relieve Joint, Back and Knee Pain? The Baby Boomer generation or those approaching fifty to sixty-five years of age is the fastest growing segment of the US population. Although these Read the rest of this entry »
Relieve Back Pain With Pilates
Back pain sufferers are constantly searching for natural back pain remedies before resorting to extreme measures like medications and surgeries. Exercise has become very popular for people of all ages in trying to relieve back pain.
One very widespread exercise is Pilates which is Read the rest of this entry »
How about these right… I think you’ll find the following nuggets of wisdom particularly insightful. Leave your comments below. Check out the second one in particular…
Let’s Talk Back Pain Solutions: Cervical Kyphosis – Loss or …
Discuss self-care methods, as well as beds, foam mattresses, sleep products and pain relief Read the rest of this entry »
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I have written at great length about lower back posture and its damaging effects on the back. I have also written on exercises that reduce symptoms of sciatica and why this works. However, today I want to focus on the four best exercises for your lower back and why they are considered the best. These exercises are to be done each and every day. They are quick and easy to do.
Firstly, let’s have a look at one of the biggest myths in back care today and why it doesn’t work. I am sure you have all heard about stretching and strengthening for your lower back to cure your lower back pain. There is only one problem with this theory-it doesn’t! The major drawback is that a strong and flexible back is not a better back. That is to say, just because you can get on a back machine at the gym and extend with 200lbs of weight you are not helping your back. In fact, the machine where you sit and bend forwards and backwards to strengthen your back muscles is one of the worst machines you can do for your back! The research done by the foremost expert in lower backs, Dr. Stuart McGill actually used this same action to make discs rupture! Dr. McGill has written over 200 research papers on lower back health and is one of, if not the most recognised researchers in Lower back health. When it comes to this machine he will tell you that it’s a sure fire way to herniate a disc. The constant bending forwards with weight added to it is extremely harmful.
So having a super strong back does not mean that you have a back that will be pain free. When it comes to having a flexible back the results are the same. Many backs that are too flexible have more problems than backs that have a certain amount of stiffness. A flexible back can be an unstable back.
What you do want is a back that has good stamina. What this means is that your back is able to remain stable during your daily activities without breaking down. This is the great secret to back health!
A study in Finland showed that people who lacked back endurance (or stamina) were 3-4 times more likely to have back pain than those who had good or even fair back endurance. You need to be able to maintain good posture both when you are sitting and standing otherwise you will lose your stability and protection, your back will become unstable and your back will ‘go out on you’ or to put it more correctly, be injured!
Therefore it’s imperative to do these exercises every day to build up your stamina. The studies have shown by doing them every day your back will be better than if you were to do them only two to three times a week. Remember, you are trying to build up your endurance levels.
So before we start, if you haven’t already read my other posts on why you shouldn’t do sit-ups, trying to touch your toes, forward bends etc I suggest you do so that you can remove a vital component which is damaging your back. Also, if you are doing any type of forwards bending like getting out of bed in the morning and start touching your toes, bringing your knees to your chest you most definitely need to read my other posts on back pain because you are now putting your discs at a 300% greater risk of damage.
One final thing, please please please don’t slouch or lift things with a rounded back or work bent over forwards with your lower back bent-keep your lower back straight maintaining its inward arch and bend at the hips. By doing this you have just protected your back ligaments and discs from damage!
And one last final thing, you already know that you should not bend forwards with a rounded lower back because it is damaging to your back. Then what do you think you are doing when you lay on your back and do sit-ups? You are curling your lower back over and over again which is harmful to your lower back! The only difference between doing sit-ups and bending with a rounded back to pick something up is that you are lying on the ground when you do a sit-up. Every single sit up you do is damaging your back!
Ok, so here are the four best exercises to manage your back pain and protect you from having back pain in the future.
Cat-Camel
The cat-camel is a warm up exercises to get your back mobile.
Get down on your hands and knees and place them about shoulder width apart. Now let your head bend forward you also arch your back upwards as high as you can go comfortably. This should give you a rounded spine. Then when you have done this you arch your back the other way as if you are trying to touch your belly button to the ground and also extend your neck so that you are now looking forwards. It is a gentle rhythmical sequence that should not cause you pain. It is to loosen up the spine… Remember not to cause any pain, if something is painful please stop short of the painful range. Do this eight times.
Curl up
This is to work your abdominals region and is the most effective exercise of its type. This will work your abs whilst putting the least amount of stress on your lower back and discs. You will notice with this exercise the hands are placed in the arch of your lower back so that you retain the arch during the curl up instead of allowing the back to flatten. This also protects your lower back from harm.
Lie face up on the floor with one leg straight and the other leg bent so that the foot is placed on the floor. Place your hands under your lower back with your palms facing down. Place your tongue to the roof of your mouth. Slowly raise your head and shoulders of the ground making sure that you are not allowing your head to push forwards of your shoulders. You should feel that you have a steel rod in your spine going from your head to your shoulders and you lift your head and shoulders from the floor as one unit. Hold for 8 seconds and repeat 4 times. Once you have done this, change legs over and do another 4 sets. If you are unable to do this many, do as many as you can up to the point of fatigue. Remember that we are aiming at endurance levels so by doing this each day you will slowly build up so that you can do more and more. You want to be doing more sets of 8 seconds as opposed to trying to increase the amount of seconds you hold the curl up. Breathe deeply as you contract your abdominals.
A more advanced version of this is that when you do your curl up also lift your elbows off the ground.
Side Bridge
This exercise will work your lateral stabilizers which are crucial in giving you support for your spine.
There are two ways to do this. The first is an easier version which I suggest you start with until your muscles are better conditioned.
Lie on your left side with your knees and your upper body propped up on your left elbow and forearm. Place your right hand on your left shoulder and slowly raise your hips until your body forms a straight line from your shoulders to your knees. Hold this position for 8 seconds, breathing deeply the entire time. Do four reps, and then change over to your right side.
The more advanced version you straighten you legs. You have your legs straight and split apart with the top leg in front and the bottom leg behind. They should be about half a meter apart. I am not sure whether this is clear in my explanation so please just Google ’side bridge’ and see an image if you are confused.
Bird Dog
This exercise works your lower- and middle-back extensors-the muscles that help you bend backward. The final part of your core muscles that need to be worked.
Once again you need to get down on your hands and knees with them about shoulder-width apart. Slowly raise and straighten your right leg and left arm at the same time. Hold for 8 seconds, breathing deeply throughout the exercise. Lower your arm and leg straight down, and then sweep them along the floor back into the starting position. That’s one repetition. Perform four repetitions, and then change sides. The important things to look out for here is that you are not overly arching your back when you do this. You need to keep that back in a neutral position engaging your stomach muscles as you do this. You should feel your stomach muscle contracting as you do this exercise. The other important factor is to make sure that you are not hitching your buttock up. In short, if you were to place a bar across your buttocks from one side to the other, when you lift your leg the bar should remain horizontal rather than being tipped up at an angle. You may need someone to check that you are doing it right.
And there you have it!
Do these simple exercise every day to protect your back, strengthen your core muscles-all of your core muscles, lift properly, sit and stand tall and say goodbye to your back pain.
Neck pain exercises.com is a site dedicated to make you pain free by teaching you firstly why you are in pain and secondly how to fix it yourself.
Treat your own neck pain. Sounds easy? It is. Visit http://neckpainexercises.com/ for more information
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Does your back hurt? I know mine does. Do you have poor posture? Most of us do. Well, for men the reason could be related to your wallet. A man’s wallet can add up to an inch of extra padding on one side of your body. This extra inch makes your entire body uneven when you sit there for causing your back, to become misaligned. Back pain in many cases can be limited or demolished by adjusting the way you sit. I went for about a month without carrying my wallet in my back pocket and noticed a significant amount of lower back pain pressure subside. So much so that now I refuse to carry a wallet in my back pocket. So what is a man to do? Buy a handbag or messenger bag? Well for most of us the answer is no, but why not? Why has it become such a stigma for a man to carry a bag?
I know what you’re saying right now; I’m not carrying a handbag. I’m not saying men should start carrying handbags. I know I wouldn’t, but what I am saying is that there should be some type of alternatives.
We’ve tried money clips but let’s just face it, they are bulky as well. We’ve tried emptying unnecessary items but the majority of items that men carry are all important. Credit cards, cash money, ID, Membership cards, all of these items we need and use on a daily basis so there is little chance that men can empty their wallets much. We need to get rid of that bulk causing so much pain but how?
One alternative that I have found is the messenger bag or laptop bag. This messenger bag / laptop bag is cool for the young urban dweller who hangs out at the coffee shop. The bag holds not only your wallet but also other cool items that you never thought of carrying around (like hand sanitizer to keep you from the swine flu or chapstick – just in case you get a date at the coffee shop). However there are drawbacks to this option:
1) You don’t carry your laptop everywhere you go. (Unless you’re a true geek)
2) They don’t make you look cool when you’re over 30. (Sorry to break it to you)
3) Thousands of laptops are stolen each year so if you wallets in it, it’s gone too.
Another alternative is a money belt / Fanny pack. Do I even need to go there? I mean they used to be pretty cool back in the 80’s but if you wear one of these around every day, your either a body builder or over the age of 70. For the most of us fanny packs are either a NO NO or at least only for travel.
So what is my solution you ask? Well here it is! There’s not one really, all I can say is that from personal experience remove it from your back pocket. I went for about a month without carrying my wallet in my back pocket and noticed a significant amount of lower back pain pressure subside. I also noticed that I don’t spend as much (probably because I didn’t have a wallet full of crap to spend) I now only carry a little bit of cash, one credit card, and the membership card that I am going to use that day. I empty my pocket every night and more or less budget my time and money this way. By selecting and consolidating the things I’m going to need for each day I reduced my wallet size in half. I put the rest of my membership cards in my glove box of my car so that they are within reach if needed. Overall only carry what you truly need for each day and you’ll notice a definite difference in your posture and back pain.
About The Author
Brad Whitlock Executive VP of Bangles & Bags, Inc. Find more information on Messenger Bags Styles or Laptop Bags. Or read more interesting articles and get more information by visiting our News & Events Section
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