Top Tips For Back Pain Relief

 Top Tips For Back Pain Relief 1. Get serious spinal issues ruled out This one involves going to see your medical doctor to get ruled out for potential serious pathology. There are many potential signs or symptoms, but may include: numbness, tingling, severe pain, muscle weakness in the legs, saddle/groin area pain, waking at night with pain, and inability to perform most movements without pain. 2. No pain = All gain If your body is producing pain, it means there is something wrong, and pain is the signal to your conscious brain that something is up. Never move into painful ranges of motion unless doing so makes the pain reduce. Corrective exercises and stretches must NEVER increase your pain. The only 2 acceptable outcomes include either the pain goes DOWN or stays the SAME. 3. Keep a journal of which movements cause pain Doing this makes the job of your doctor and movement professional MUCH easier. Do you have pain: -­‐During back bending? -­‐During forward bending? -­‐During sidebending? -­‐During rotation? -­‐Sitting? -­‐Standing? -­‐Laying down? After noting these, take notes on additional factors, such as how long it takes for these movements or general positions to cause pain. Does it take 2 minutes, or an hour? 4. Note all factors that make you feel better For instance, does using a heat-­‐pad for 10 minutes make you better? What about sleeping positions? Do you notice any particular times of the month your back feels worse? These are all potential factors that can lead to solutions to your back pain. Copyright 2011. Visnic Center For Integrated Health, Sam Visnic. http://www.SamVisnic.com http://www.Endyourbackpainnow.com 5. Consider all of your options and choose the most logical and safe approach Perhaps I’m a bit biased here, but I believe that if movement affects back pain, it makes the MOST sense to start with a movement -­‐based approach. We should all be aware that good posture and movement are the foundations of a strong and healthy body, and unless you focus on addressing these, no amount of therapies aimed at a small, localized parts of your spine are going to reduce stress on your back in the long run. 6. Get your posture and movement assessed Based on #5, you need to have your posture and movement assessed for OBVIOUS signs of structural imbalance. Most clinicians overlook such BASIC connections, such as an excessive curve in your lumbar spine, and the incidence of back pain. Same with issues such as a head that is jutting forward 5 cm beyond normal and the incidence of chronic headaches. These are highly related! 7. Select methods to relax the tight/overworked muscles and loosen limited joints The first thing to start with in any corrective approach is to identify any muscles that are restricting normal movement and any joints that are not moving properly. Now, this is a chicken vs. egg situation. If muscles are tight, they may cause the joint issue, but just as easily, a dysfunctional spinal segment can cause increased muscle tension. Both must be ruled out. This is why working with a qualified healthcare provider is critical in the process. Stretching, massage, and relaxation techniques are great for easing excess muscle tension. 8. Select exercises and postural corrections for muscles that are underperforming After normal range of motion is restored in key joints and muscles, the next step is to strengthen the weakened muscles. The muscles that need to be strengthened are generally the opposite muscles that are tight. By doing this, it will FURTHER reduce the tendency toward tightness, and of course support optimal joint health via good muscle balance. 9. Always start with the LEAST amount of effort when beginning a new exercise program This means starting with only 1 SET of each new movement, and keep the intensity minimal in order to be sure the muscles are tolerant. This can also be done by reducing the range of motion or repetitions if needed. If the correct exercises and stretches are selected, they will be targeting very specific areas that may be highly responsive. It may not take much to make you really sore in the beginning! Copyright 2011. Visnic Center For Integrated Health, Sam Visnic. http://www.SamVisnic.com http://www.Endyourbackpainnow.com 10. Take a day off whenever you feel the need to Its important to keep in mind that strengthening muscles takes time, and you can’t hurry it along by doing an excessive amount. Many people have to start off on their corrective program by doing it once every other day to start with, then progress to daily exercise, provided they continue to feel better doing so. 11. Get soft-­‐tissue therapy! Many times the correct exercises and stretches are being done, but the soft-­‐tissues contain trigger points, ischemia (lack of blood flow), and just are not performing well. Working with a qualified Neuromuscular Therapist or Active Release Techniques practitioner can work wonders in addition to your corrective movement program. 12. Overhaul your eating habits The body works as a whole. One cannot separate structure from biochemistry. Therefore, what you put into your body can certainly affect the outcome of your corrective program. Be sure to drink adequate amounts of purified water, eat 3 meals per day along with 1-­‐2 small snacks as needed to support blood sugar balance, and avoid any potentially offending foods which may spark inflammation or digestive imbalances. This may mean foods like dairy, wheat, alcohol, sugar, and processed foods. 13. Be mindful of your thoughts Our emotional states definitely affect our muscle tension. Negative emotional states can be a central barrier to healing, even if one is doing everything else on this list. There are TONS of personal development books and therapists/coaches to teach how to master emotions and habits that support the reduction of stress and therefore healing. Copyright 2011. Visnic Center For Integrated Health, Sam Visnic. http://www.SamVisnic.com http://www.Endyourbackpainnow.com