How to Relieve Lower Back Pain While Sitting - What Works and What Does Not - Relief Options

How is your lower back doing?

Does it cause you a lot of problems when you sit?

1.) Introduction

You may be fine when you are sleeping, or when you stand, but when you sit the pain just gets out of control. Would you agree? You may wonder why this happens, and we will cover that in this article. We will cover reasons why your pain is worse when you sit. At the end of this article we will also cover a cost effective treatment option for those of you in pain.

2.) Causes of Lower Back Pain When Sitting

Whatever your problem is in your lower back, you need to realize something about your spine first. It revolves around the subject of loads being placed on your spine, especially the lower back. There is a biomechanical that exists regarding different positions that your body is in... For example, when you lay down, the amount of stress that is on your spine is the least. Axial load and gravity place an increased amount of pressure on your back when you stand. Last, but definitely not least, your back is under more stress when you sit, and especially if you sit in a crouched position.

You may not feel the pain all the time, but when it kicks in it can be the worst! - Pain can be the result of a herniated disc that is pressing on a spinal nerve root, or it can be a muscle strain for example, that is causing all the problems.

3.) What Many Physicians Request For Their Patients

When it comes to back pain, many physicians will request that their patients use a lower back support to help offload their lower spine. This is achieved by the increase in intercavitary pressure that helps to free up discs or strained muscles for example. It will not free up an involved kidney problem and you should talk to your doctor about other options if this problem exists for you.

Back support can help reduce your lumbar pain by limiting painful movements that will further your injury or discomfort levels. How great would that be? - You know that those moments can happen when you are sitting down and you are wearing your lower back brace. You might forget that you have a lower back problem that is trying to heal itself, but a lumbar back support will remind you not to make that movement that will send your pain through the roof! - This is just one way in which a back support can help. - These biomechanical principles we mentioned and benefits have been medically documented and this is why many physicians request them for their patients.

* If you have need for medical advice it is best to speak with your physician. We do believe in the benefits of back support, but this is health information only.

The Root Cause of Low Back Pain and How to Reverse It

The root cause of lower back pain is actually nowhere near as complicated as people make it out to be. I have read so many different theories about the cause of back pain and it baffles me that people do not understand the simple basic truth of why 90% of Americans are estimated to have low back pain at some point in their life! I mean, that is an alarming fact. And it is not as if that was the case 100 years ago. No, low back pain has become a much more prevalent problem in the last century. Why?

Well, think about it like this... how many house a day do you sit in a chair? Do you realize how unnatural that is for the human body? Anatomically, we were not meant to sit in chairs. But, we sit in them for hours and hours a day. Now, how many hours do you stretch, exercise and correct the problems created by sitting in a chair? Obviously, nowhere near enough. Are you beginning to see the problem?

Now, let me explain what happens to your low back over time and why you have low back pain. Over time, because we sit too much and do not move enough, certain muscles get very tight, other muscles get very weak and the core becomes unstable. All those things together warp the natural curve of the spine. And when the natural curve of the spine warps, the vertebrae lose their natural spacing. For example, in kyphotic posture (which is extremely common), the vertebrae start to squeeze together and put a lot of pressure on the soft discs in between the vertebrae. And inside those discs are very sensitive nerves. So, guess what happens when nerves get crushed by bone? Yep, really serious back pain.

Now, there are all kinds of treatments out there, but I have never seen any of them deal with the simple root cause of back pain. To get relief and reverse back pain, you have to do the following- fix your posture so that the natural curve of the spine becomes health again. How? Simple... you have to strengthen the weak muscles, mobilize the tight muscles and stabilize the core. Remember, muscles are not set in stone. With the right kind of exercise and stretching program, you can regain your natural posture and then your back pain will be eliminated. Obviously, if you have a much more serious low back injury or condition, this may not apply to you, but it is true for the vast majority of back pain sufferers.

A few other quick tips- First of all, make sure you have a comfortable chair, especially at work. And make sure you stand up every 30 minutes and move around a little bit. Get the blood moving and do a few stretches. It will give your and mind a nice little break and help your body relieve some of the tension that causes all these problems in the first place. And obviously, another important factor is that you should really try and sit less throughout the day. Don't just sit and veg out. Stand up, move around, go for short walks and try to limit how much you sit. Even on an airplane, you can get up and go stretch by the bathrooms. It is the little things that will add up over time and help you out a lot.

Proven Active Isolated Stretching Exercises For Desperate Back Pain Sufferers

There is a lot of buzz about active isolated stretching lately, though many people do not look into it enough to realize this is not traditional stretching as they did in grade school. Rather, this form of lower back pain stretches can ease chronic pain, improve range of motion, and help you to wake up each morning refreshed and without stiffness and pain.

Advocates of active isolated stretching claim it keeps you feeling loose for days, as opposed to the couple of hours relief you might get with traditional stretching, physical therapy or chiropractic treatments. They also enthusiastically recommend the back stretching exercises to people with back pain, saying there are active isolated stretching exercises for all levels of fitness, and different techniques of stretching that ensure safety and help those with chronic pain avoid unnecessary surgical treatments.

Stretching for flexibility is easy to learn with a stretching exercises video. It helps you to learn correct active isolated stretching form and helps teach you a lot about your muscles and skeletal system. Since your muscles support your joints, often certain muscles are used continually throughout the way and constantly contracted for long periods. These muscles need to be stretched out to keep your body in balance and pain away. This is especially important for people who sit at a desk or stand on their feet for long stretches.

Adding a rope to your active isolated stretching routine can make reasonable stretching for increased flexibility easier to do. This form of exercise is taught on many of the good stretching DVD programs available. This type of stretching for lower back pain seems to give people increased energy and many prefer it to yoga exercises, saying that it works better to increase flexibility.

People who attend a stretch class using active isolated stretching report feeling lighter and comfortable afterward. It is often incorporated into dance classes for both children and adults with great results. Instructors report immediate results, with continuing improvement as long as the basic stretching exercises are continued. Luckily, you can simulate a stretch class with a stretching exercises video in your home that will give you more flexibility and good results. These stretching DVD programs are easy to use, and are often geared toward different types of people or different types of activities, with specific stretches aimed directly at the most helpful muscles. The elderly, especially, seem to benefit significantly from the stretches for lower back pain.

The bottom line about Active Isolated Stretching is that it feels good, it works for everyone, and it helps people to remain mobile well into their later years.

Top Tips to Cure Lumbar Back Pain

Suffering from lumbar back pain can be a debilitating condition and for those that have never experienced it, you are in the minority. There are many causes for lower back pain and there could be several reasons for the onset of the pain however even simple routines like sweeping the floor can activate the condition.

The back is strong but when it gets damaged, the pain is real and can last for a long time. When you have a back injury, the results can be different depending on the person that experiences it. While one person may have extreme amounts of pain from an injury, another with the same injury may not have any discomfort at all. This is because the root cause of the pain is not the injury. It is the inflammation and tightness that is affecting the nerves in your back. It is possible to treat these conditions with exercises for back pain.

You must focus on what is truly causing the pain and discomfort. If you can eliminate the nerve pains and or tissue pain then you can live a pain free life while managing your back condition. The chances are very high that the lumbar back pain that you feel today was caused by many years of physical abuse to your back muscles, spine and your pelvis. These are all dysfunctions that take time to build until one day the pain begins to break through. When your muscles in the back, buttocks, upper legs, shoulders and hips begin to weaken or become extremely tight, the result is pressure that causes your spine and pelvis to be out of line. This happens over a span of many years so the affects are not always seen immediately.

When your spine and hips are out of alignment they force your muscles to work in ways that they were not designed to work and it can lead to injuries and nerve related issues. Muscle imbalances force your body to pull and push in an effort to make it perform properly. When you fix the imbalances that are causing the pain then you will find that you are pain free and living life as you did before the lumbar back pain began.

When you start to exercise the back pain will leave and you are sure to feel better. Using muscle balance therapy to help with lumbar back pain is a great solution. This takes the treatment right to the source of the problem. Many of the more common treatments like exercise for back pain and medications simply treat the results and do nothing for the cause.

If you deal with the root cause, you will not have trouble with the dysfunctions that have been accumulating over the years. When you exercise for back pain you will be targeting the muscles that are too tight or too loose and that are leading to the imbalance. The weaker muscles will be strengthened and the tighter muscles loosened up.

When your doctor prescribes medication to help with your lumbar back pain, it is intended to help with the immediate pain and symptoms and does nothing at all for the cause of the pain. That is why you must treat your back pain by attacking the cause. There is a way to do it and to get your life back on track. You must simply be committed to getting the job done.

One popular lumbar back pain exercise that has helped many people find the relief they are looking for is called an extension. It requires you to lie on the floor in the face down position and to extend your feet as far behind you as you can. You should use your arms to slowly lift your head up and arch your back as far back as you can. Push up until your elbows are locked and be sure to keep your hands down to your sides. Stretch your head back as far as you can. This exercise will stretch the lower back muscles and loosen any tight spots.

Another great exercise for back pain is to lie down on your back. Bring your knees up and keep your arms flat on the ground on each side of your body. Slowly lift your buttocks up off of the ground so that your pelvis is thrust up as high as possible. Extend one leg up into the air and straighten it. With the leg straightened, lower the buttocks to the ground and begin again. These lumbar back pain exercises can target the root cause of the pain, the imbalance. When you focus the treatment on the cause of the pain, you will recuperate in no time at all.

Overnight Relief From Lower Back and Neck Pain

Have you ever considered changing your sleep habits to relieve lower back pain, neck pain or other general aches and pains? If not, it is time you did. Your sleep position and pillow choice could be the very culprit to your daily discomfort. If you follow these next 4 tips you could put an end to your lower back pain overnight.

1. Sleep on your back. Sleeping on your back helps maintain a neutral spine position thus easing any pressure on your lower back and neck. By keeping a straight spine you are not forcing any extra curves in your body. When sleeping on your back you should choose a puffy pillow, one that supports your head and neck without propping you up too much. A wonderful pillow I have found to be the answer to my prayers is the Chiroflow Waterpillow. I am able to adjust the amount of water to perfectly support my head and neck.

2. Become a side-sleeper. Sleeping on your side is the next best position if you simply can't sleep on your back. Side-sleeping also keeps your spine elongated and free from curves. In addition to relieving lower back and neck pain, it also is great for reducing acid reflux and decreasing snoring. If you choose to sleep on your side, like I do, it is best to choose a thick pillow, one that will fill the space above your shoulder so your head and neck are supported in a neutral position.

3. Sleeping in a fetal position is not ideal. If you are prone to sleeping in the fetal position with your knees pulled up tight and your chin tucked, you may be setting yourself up for chronic back and neck pain. An easy alteration to this sleep position is to simply straighten yourself out and sleep more in the side position. Again choose the same pillow as you would for side-sleeping.

4. Do NOT sleep on your stomach. Sleeping on your stomach is the absolute worst sleep position. Maintaining a neutral spine is near impossible when on your stomach and even worse is the pressure it imposes on your nerves and joints. Irritated nerves can lead to pain, numbness and tingling. Think if you kept your neck turned to one side for even 30 minutes during the day; it would cause extreme discomfort and pain. Now think what sleeping on your stomach with your neck turned to one side for 7-8 hours would do, not to mention the discomfort to the lower back and hips.

As you can see, the way you sleep has a lot to do with how you feel. Although training yourself to sleep in a proper position may take some time, it will be well worth it. If a simple alteration can relieve lower back pain and neck pain overnight, it is definitely worth your time and effort.

Middle Back Pain Causes And Fast, Easy Relief!

I'm constantly running across the question... "What are the various middle back pain causes and what can I do to get rid of this excruciating pain?" Or phrased another way, "Why do I have middle back pains?"

Middle back (thoracic) pain isn't quite as common as lower lumbar pain, but it can be particularly nasty. All we want is some severe back pain relief.

According to an article on CNN.com, "More than 50 million Americans deal with chronic pain, at a cost of more than $100 billion annually."

There can be quite a number of middle back pain causes... it helps to consider exactly where the pain in the middle back is coming from.

If your middle back pain causes are off center - not in the spinal column - it is likely a strained or torn muscle. This can be easily treated by anti-inflammatory medicine for middle back pain relief and to promote healing. Plus, the old standby rest and ice.

Use ice for about the first 48 hours to help with the swelling and inflammation and after that time, you will want to apply heat to get the blood circulating again.

If your pain is coming from the mid-line area of your back - your middle back pain causes could be arthritis, rheumatism, or even a bone fracture. But most likely, it is a disc problem.

Your vertebrae have a spongy disc shaped material between them that act as shock absorbers to keep the vertebra from rubbing together. The discs have a liquid filled center area surrounded by a fibrous material.

It's sort of like squeezing a water balloon. If one side of the disc is compressed too forcefully or too rapidly, the liquid center could bulge out the other side.

This is very common and most of us have bulging discs at one time or another. There is no pain unless that bulge comes into contact with one of the nerves. (We are talking millimeters.) Then, the pain can be excruciating.

Rather than merely bulging out the side, if the liquid actually breaks through, that is known as a herniated disc.

Now that you know what your middle thoracic pain causes are likely to be, it's time to learn how to get fast relief - and learn what to do to prevent it in the future. Continue reading the rest of this article.

To treat your middle back pain causes and discomfort... as mentioned before, if it is a muscle strain or pull, use ice for 48 hours and take the natural enzyme supplement to reduce the pain and inflammation.

If your middle back pain causes are problems with your discs...

Throughout the day, the natural wear and tear on our backs (and the discs) causes them to lose some of the liquid in the center. By the end of the day, we can actually lose as much as ?簿聶翻?職 in height! (That's why you have to readjust the rear view mirror on your drive home at night.)

While we are sleeping, our backs are able to relax and decompress. This decompression actually separates the vertebra and creates a sort of reverse vacuum that allows the discs to reabsorb the liquids they lost throughout the day.

So, rule number one is to get plenty of sleep. It's vital.

As we age, the ability of the discs to reabsorb the liquids, starts to deteriorate, this is known as degenerative disc disease. The discs become very flat and offer little shock absorbing relief.

Decompression is the best treatment for a bulging disc. It may seem like a hassle, but in reality, it feels so good that once you get started you will want to do it for life. There are several types of decompression tables, chairs and so on...

Then, start on a well designed program of stretching and strengthening exercises for both the abdominal and back muscles. You will find relief faster than you imagined and your middle back pain causes will almost magically disappear.

Primary Causes of Lower Back Pain

For any person trying to learn the causes of lower back pain, it is important to recognize first that it is not a condition but rather a sign of irregularities in the muscles, ligaments, and nerves in the lower area of the back and possible diseases found in that specific area, like the kidneys.

Lower back pain is commonly one-sided; depending upon the pinched nerve root, it may occur on the left side or the right side.

Because many conditions could generate the pain, cited here are the primary causes of lower back pain:

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  Poor form, particularly when carrying large items (the mere act of carrying an object bigger than your body weight could cause lower back pain). Sitting for a long-period of time with arch back can also cause pain on your lower back.? If you work 8 hours a day in work office, sitting the whole time is inevitable. Take a break, stand up and stretch your back at least every three hours, and make sure that you are sitting up straight.? Bad sitting posture can't be corrected by trying harder, you need to stop sitting badly and let your body resume its natural posture.


• 
  Stress and fractures.


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  Non-specific anxiety or sprain of the back muscles, ligaments and soft tissues.


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  Physical factors such as disc degeneration in spondylosis, stenosis of the spine, disc herniation, spinal abnormalities such as scoliosis, and leg length discrepancy (one leg is shorter than the other)


• 
  Inflammation related illnesses, such as rheumatoid arthritis and spondylitis.


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  Infections, like osteomyelitis, epidural abscess and Post-herpetic neuralgia, bring about nerve irritation.


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  Metabolic problems, such as osteoporosis and osteomalacia.


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  Cancers of the bone and spine that would constrict upon the nerves.


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  Related soreness, such as in kidney disease and prostate cancer.


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  Pinched nerve, which is appropriately called as nerve root impingement (direct irritation on a nerve) or nerve root syndromes, such as sciatica and cauda equina syndrome.


• 
  Standard pregnancy (the rising weight and the strain of lugging a child causes strain on the lower part area of the back, nerve irritation, and elongating of pelvic ligaments).


• 
  Bone and joint pain syndromes, such as fibromyalgia (described by generalized ache, tenderness, rigidity and fatigue) and myofascial pain (with pain and tenderness experienced in localized areas referred to as "trigger points", which observe the dermatomal or radiating pattern of a peripheral nerve).

Depression has also been mentioned as one of the causes of lower back pain. However, reports on patients suffering from the pain and making use of anti-depressants as remedy have generated inconclusive outcomes.