Millions
of people struggle with back pain and fail to get lasting relief and
the primary reason is a lack of knowledge and understanding about back
pain.
So the purpose of this article is to educate and inform anyone suffering
from back pain by answering these common questions and by giving
specific recommendations and actions to take.
Question #1 - Is my excess weight causing my back pain?
While
excess body weight is a factor, it by itself typically isn't enough to
create a condition that would cause back pain. Excess body weight in
the form of excess body fat can worsen a pre-existing condition and can
also make recover more difficult.
Also,
it's important to understand that if you are overweight it's very likely
that your muscles are out of balance. When your muscles are out of
balance, it forces your body to function and move in an unbalanced way
and this places uneven pressure, strain and wear tear on your body. And
it's this process that is responsible for creating any conditions or
physical dysfunctions that are causing the pain. Unfortunately, most
people aren't even aware when this is happening with their body.
Action to take:
Don't
worry so much about your weight right now. First focus on eliminating
your back pain by identify the muscle imbalances that are throwing your
body out of balance and work on improving and correcting them. Then,
once your back is feeling better you can focus more on losing weight.
Question #2 - I've tried everything but nothing has worked, what should I do?
First off,
while it may seem like you've exhausted every possible treatment, it's
not likely that you've tried everything. So unless you've given up and
plan on living the rest of your life in pain, you need to make the
decision to be open-minded and continue to identify and experiment with
other available treatment options. But, before you try any other
treatments, it's important that you understand why what you've already
tried hasn't worked.
The
reason nearly all back pain treatments fail to deliver long-term relief
is because they treat just the symptoms and fail to address the actual,
underlying cause. For example, let's talk about back surgery. While
removing a piece of a herniated disc may, if you're lucky, reduce or
eliminate your pain, the fact is it didn't deal with what caused the
disc to herniate in the first place.
In fact,
a study published in the June 2004 issue of Spine, an international
journal for the study of the spine, found that 40% of people who
underwent back surgery had no decrease in their pain even though their
doctor/surgeon had assured them of the results.
So in order for you to get long-term, lasting relief you need to identify and address the underlying cause of your pain.
Action to take:
Identify
the underlying cause of your pain by identifying the muscle imbalances
that are creating your physical dysfunctions and conditions. Make sure
any treatment you are given or perform addresses both the symptoms
(condition and pain) and the cause (muscle imbalances and dysfunctions).
Question #3 - My doctor told me not to exercise, what should I do?
Find a new
doctor. Too many research studies have shown that people with back pain
who avoid exercise and activity, end up suffering longer and have a more
difficult time getting relief.
While
you may need to rest for a few days initially to let things settle down,
after that you will get better results by staying active because by
continuing to move you keep your blood circulating and your muscle
active, which will prevent them from getting weaker.
But that's not enough.
Even
though staying active may help; it's not enough to get rid of the
underlying cause of the pain. In order to do that, you must identify and
address your imbalances and dysfunctions.
And the
generic exercises that almost every back pain sufferer receives from
their healthcare professional, may or may not help it can even worsen
the condition. And the reason is, these exercises do not address the
specific muscle imbalances and dysfunctions that are responsible for
their pain.
Action to take:
If your
doctor or healthcare professional hasn't taken the time to educate about
the effect of muscle imbalances and importance of performing targeted
and specific, corrective exercises and stretches, it's time to look
elsewhere
Conclusion
If
you're a back pain sufferer, you well know that these are just a few of
the many questions that you may have. The fastest way for you to get
lasting relief from back pain is to become an expert on it and your body
and you do that be educating yourself
.
I
strongly encourage you to learn as much as you can about back pain, how
it develops and the various treatment options that are available. And
lastly, stay focused and don't give up.
