Lower Back Pain: Top 11 Tips

Your appointment has finished, and you are about to begin your 45 minute commute home. You open your garage door, anxiously stepping out of the car, and an electrical shock wave jolts your body from the lower back down to the shins. Pain! Your ailing back is acting up again.

This little story is quite common for 70 percent of adults at some point in their lives. Statistics indicate that these 70 percent of adults, at one point or another, will have a bout of back pain, and are searching for quick lower back pain relief.

Experiencing this type of pain can put a damper on day to day activities. However, most cases improve within a couple of days. The fact is ninety five percent of back pain doesn't require surgery. It is the month after month, chronic conditions that require a closer medical look.

To help you tackle lower back pain I have put together a list of a the 11 most powerful tips that may provide protection from this frustrating dilemma.

1. Stay Active - Don't just sit around and rest. Move, but do movements that won't hinder your back. Avoid exercise movements that will. Becoming inactive will only weaken your lower back and other surrounding core muscles.

2. Don't Smoke - It is proven that smoking can cause damage to the spinal disks, weaken the ligaments, and thin the bones.

3. Proper Posture - Do the best you can to walk around with proper posture. I always tell back suffers to contract your abdominals which promotes proper posture, and lower back strengthening all at the same time. Sitting with proper posture is also a lower back pain reliever.

4. Sleep Right - Try sleeping on your side with a pillow between your knees to reduce back pressure. While on your back, try using a pillow under your knees, and a small pillow under your head. Look for a mattress that is not too hard, or too soft. Try out numerous beds before investing in one for you.

5. Decrease Weight - Reducing body weight has a tendency to decrease the load on your back.

6. Pain-Free Back Exercises - Do pain free back exercises to improve the overall muscle strength and endurance in your surrounding core muscles. An excellent exercise to consider is the opposite arm and leg exercise where your back is stable and your hands and knees are placed on the floor.

7. Keep Stress In Check - You will want to do the best possible in keeping your stress levels in check. Use deep breathing, visualization, and living in the present time as strategies to reduce stress.

8. Push, Pull And Lift Properly - It is better to pull an object than push. Make sure you contract your abdominals, and bend your knees when lifting heavy objects.

9. Move Naturally - Consider activities with an emphasis on fluid, coordinated motions. Take your time, don't rush.

10. Be Careful With Overhead Lifting - Don't overreach when grabbing something up high or at a distance. Be careful!

11. Stay Balanced - When carrying two or more objects consider keeping your body balanced. Maintain proper spinal alignment at all times. This will help reduce the chance of developing lower back pain.

Try and live by these beneficial 11 tips to avoiding back pain. If your condition is chronic, seek a qualified medical professional to discuss alternative options, and treatments such as physical therapy, medication, or spinal nerve blocks. The last resort is, of course, surgery. Good luck at keeping your back strong, healthy, and pain free.

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About the Author: Jim O'Connor Exercise Physiologist / The Fitness Promoter 9461 Charleville Blvd. #312 Beverly Hills, CA 90212 1-866-935-5967 www.wellnessword.com Jim O'Connor is a Beverly Hills health and fitness expert who is the author and publisher of Wellness Word Multimedia Newsletter. To receive additional health and fitness consumer protection tips, subscribe free to health fitness. Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Jim_O'Connor

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Back Pain Facts?

There are several causes of back pain: mechanical causes, eg lumbar disc disorders; degenerative conditions, eg degenerative disc disease; inflammatory conditions, eg ankylosing spondylitis; infective causes, eg osteomyelitis; neoplastic causes, eg primary benign or malignant tumours; metabolic bone disease, eg osteoporosis; referred pain, eg from duodenal ulcer; psychogenic pain - originating in the mind rather than the body.

Back pain is one of humanity's most frequent complaints and does not usually reflect any underlying disease. However, anyone with back pain that does not improve after a few days should first consult a Physician, as back pain can sometimes indicate significant and serious conditions which might not otherwise be diagnosed. Back pain is very rarely a sign of a serious medical problem. It is however important that the treatable medical causes are identified early on.

Back pain affects 50 to 80 percent of people in the U.S. at some point in their lives. In any given year, 10 percent of adults experience back pain or other symptoms, such as limited mobility or stiffness. Each year, Americans spend an estimated $24 billion on treatments for back pain - not including missed time from work nor the emotional costs of enduring pain and not being able to participate in daily activities. Imagine what it would be like to have problems working, golfing or enjoying playtime with children!

Back pain can be mildly uncomfortable, excruciating or anywhere in between. It can start slowly, sometimes a result of poor posture, or come on suddenly because of injury. If your question is not answered here, please contact one of our information specialists. Back pain can last for a few short days or can linger for weeks, months and even years. Arthritis is a common form of back pain. The earlier arthritis is diagnosed, the more steps can be taken to reduce disability in the future. Other factors that aggravate back pain include suffering from stress, not getting enough sleep, being overweight, having poor posture or not being physically fit.

Back pain should not be considered a normal part of aging; it is a chronic condition that calls for similar lifestyle changes as diseases like arthritis and diabetes do.