Reasons Your Back Pain Exercises Don’t Work and What You Can Do About It

Back & Neck Pain Resources — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 17:55:43 +0000

If you suffer from chronic back pain, chances are you have a long list of cookie-cutter exercises that are supposed to provide pain relief, strengthen your back, and build the muscles that support the spine.

If you’re sticking to these exercises, you may very well see some pain relief, BUT if you’re not getting results from your back exercise routine, there’s a good explanation.

Here’s the deal, cookie-cutter back pain exercises fall short because they aren’t geared to your specific cause. In order to get rid of your chronic back problem, you need to focus on back pain exercises that target your unique circumstance. For example, If you’re suffering from sciatica, and you have pain shooting down your legs, a back pain exercise that is targeted toward the upper back may be futile for you.

You may find it difficult to pinpoint your specific back pain exercise needs. Your best bet is to first examine the balance of your body.

Believe it or not, most back pain and tension is caused by living with a body that is ‘out of balance’.

It only makes sense that the load bearing integrity of your body will be compromised if the foundation of your body is out of balance.

Your spine has a natural curve, and consists of a series of consecutive discs. If the natural curve of your spine extends beyond a certain point, or just one of those discs slips out of alignment, the strength of your spine becomes significantly weaker. Imagine your spine as a spring, as long as the coils are aligned as they should, the spring will flex and bend with ease. But, if just one coil is kinked or pulled, suddenly the spring becomes useless. The same goes for your skeletal structure.

Your skeletal structure isdesigned to work smoothly in a specific manner.

Typically, when we’re born our spine is flawlessly curved, our joints work smoothly, and the balance of our skeletal structure is perfect. But, as time goes by we spend more and more time sitting, we develop poor posture, we suffer trauma, we develop poor stress management habits, and the list goes on.

As a result of these developments, our once balanced physique becomes contorted, and when the pain starts, as it inevitably will, we neglect to take steps toward correcting our balance issues, and instead we be begin doing cookie-cutter back pain exercises.

For this reason alone, it is imperative that you practice back pain exercises that are designed to eliminate your specific issue. In many cases, this will mean addressing your posture, your alignment, and your overall physical stature.

So, where do you begin?

Start by examining your current needs. Where is your pain, do you slouch when you stand, what about when you sit, is one shoulder higher than the other, are your legs at even length, etc.?

Once you’ve assessed your specific problems, be they upper back pain, middle back tension, or sciatica associated with the lower back, with the right instruction (guided by a uniquely qualified practitioner or therapist) you CAN pinpoint the exact exercise and pain relief techniques that will eliminate your pain and heal your back.

If your current back pain exercises are bearing no fruit, consider exploring other, more successful and beneficial options. You have nothing to lose but pain, and there’s no time like the present.

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Improve Your Posture for Neck and Back Pain Relief

Back & Neck Pain Resources — Sat, 03 Jan 2009 16:11:52 +0000

Although it’s common knowledge that correct posture is a good way to avoid pains and aches in the back and neck, most people don’t realize how important the connection really is. In fact, improving posture doesn’t just correct minor problems in the back and neck but often drastically reduces or even provides complete neck and back pain relief.

Poor posture can cause many problems.

It strains muscles, puts too much stress on the spine, and over time can change the anatomical structure of the spine leading to constricted blood vessels and nerves, as well as muscle problems and issues with the discs and joints. All these factors have the potential to contribute to neck and back pain, which is why establishing correct posture is so important.

What is correct posture?

Correct posture involves keeping each part of the body in alignment with all its parts, so that everything is properly balanced and supported. If you have good posture you should be able to draw a straight line from the earlobe through the shoulder, hip, knee, and middle of the ankle (while standing).

In addition, it’s a good idea to ensure good posture in all positions, including sitting, bending, and lying down.

How to improve posture…

The first step in correcting bad posture is to identify what aspects of your posture need improvement. Examine your posture at various times of day – sitting in a chair, carrying items, and standing. This will help you figure out when and where your posture is at its worst.

You can also ask someone else to pay attention for you. Some common signs of bad posture include:

Slouching with shoulders hunched forward
Lordosis or “swayback,” which involves a large inward curve in the lower back
Head held either too high or too low
Slumping forward (this is most common when sitting in an office chair)
Sliding forward on an office chair

Once you’ve identified that you have poor posture, it’s time to change daily habits and implement certain exercises for posture improvement. This will take time and effort, but if you want back pain relief and neck pain relief it will be necessary to make some changes.

Poor posture can be a result of bad habits, depression, muscle tension, illness/disease or muscle atrophy due to a sedentary lifestyle.

For posture related to bad habits, muscle tension and muscle atrophy due to a sedentary lifestyle – neck and back pain exercises are a viable solution.

Most exercise can be an effective way to improve posture and help you achieve back pain relief and neck pain relief. Forms of meditation and mental relaxation can help relieve tense muscles and make it easier to undertake the posture-correcting exercises. Yoga and Pilates work for some people as a way to relax, stretch, and strengthen the muscles in better positions.

That said, it’s important to note that the most effective neck and back pain exercises are those that are custom designed to work with your own postural deficiencies due to the uniqueness of every person and cause.

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Back & Neck Pain Relief, Treatments, Tips, Exercises, and Resources » Alignment

Reasons Your Back Pain Exercises Don’t Work and What You Can Do About It

Improve Your Posture for Neck and Back Pain Relief