Solution to Relieve Back Pain

If you're suffering from back pain, here are a few solution to help alleviate the muscles

REST
The most important thing to do is rest, try to rest for at least 24hrs

Over the counter Anti-Inflammatory medication such as ibuprofen and aspirin

ICE
Apply an ice pack or some frozen peas packet in the area for 15 - 20min. Reapply it every hour or so. Ice will numb the pain in the area and help reduce inflammation.

NOTE - Make sure you do remove the ice pack, and do not keep it for more than 20min as it will constrict the blood vessels which will prevent blood flow to the area. A lack of blood flow will decrease the transport of nutrients and wastes at the cellular level, and will disrupt the flow of oxygenated blood reaching the cells in that area which can lead to cell death *Think frost bite

STRETCH
Stretching will help to relieve the pain and tension in that area of the back. Attempt them at slow and gentle pace. The muscles are tensed and contracted, and require some stretching to alleviate the tension

Here are some stretches

Lower Back Pain



Rotator Stretch

Weak Back - Muscle Imbalance

When someone mentions muscle, most people often tend to think of Pecs(chest), Biceps(arms), or Abs. What you'll notice here is that these muscles are the ones we can see, I call them the vanity muscles. People, especially newbies to exercising, tend to over-train these muscles which causes the physical problems for the body



The muscles that we can see in the mirror tend to be overly developed and the antagonist(opposite) muscles in the back(the ones we can't see) tend to be weak and underdeveloped. This is usually a result of just over exercise of the vanity muscles, or even slouching forward over a computer at work.

Examples of muscles that are underdeveloped, are the hamstrings, muscles in the upper(trapz) and lower back(erector spinae), triceps. What occurs is that the developed muscles become tight and start pulling the body forward.


If someone just focuses on just working out on their pecs, and neglect their back(trapezes), then the the shoulders will start to pull forward, your chest begins to sink down, giving you a nice hunchback or slouch. The traps and other back muscles struggle to regain their proper posture. The muscles start competing against themselves like a tug of war, which ulitmately leads to pain and tightness in the back.



The picture above is an exaggeration of what can occur, but I wanted to depict the point I was trying to get across. Postural Kyphosis is very common and is usually caused by slouching in both young and old patients. Its very easy to treat this condition in younger patients by correcting muscular imbalances. In older patients, the condition is called HyperKyphosis and can cause vertebral fractures.

Underdeveloped leg and pelvic muscles can also lead to back pain. Specifically underdeveloped hamstrings will lead to pain. If they're not stretched, loosened, or normal(developed), exercise/activity/daily routine that requires the use of the hamstrings will struggle...as they will require other muscles like your lower back muscles to assist and put strain on them.

Back Pain - Fear of Motion, Fear of Pain

I'm going to be blunt, pain in your back can be a real bitch. I'll share one experience with you about how much I hated it. I wake up to the sounds of birds chirping on my balcony, and I thought...today's going to be a great day. I grabbed my iPhone to check some emails/texts while lying in bed and pondered my plans for the weekend, as I reached over to place the phone on the dresser a sudden piercing sensation rocks my mid back(between the shoulder blades, the Thoracic region of my spine)...it was so painful I couldn't get out of bed. It was the worse feeling ever, as I am relatively young to be getting pain in my back.

Human beings have advanced over millions of years or so. Our primitive ancestors spent long days hunting for meat, more active than what many of us are stuck doing at the moment - in a cubicle sitting in front of the computer. Since hunting for food is not the 'norm' for today's modern man, and how easily food is prepared/stored/accessible to us, the modern man has become a bit...lazy(compared to our ancestors)

As a result of this sedentary lifestyle, we've gained more pounds than we really wanted and reminisce over the good ol' days when pain was tolerable. Back pain has many different sources of origin, our muscles are not as strong as they should be, the shape of our upright spine, fat protruding from our mid section forcing the lower back muscles to work harder to account for this weight, and I'll even add heavy lifting(but this isn't common as most people make it out to be the cause of their pain).



This week's topic will be pertaining to 'Back Pain', and how to deal with it. I will briefly discuss

- Spine and the Muscles of the Back
- Exercises that will help strengthen the back muscles
- Stretches