Lose weight and get fitter…

As with any medical condition, rather than waiting for a back pain problem to develop, it makes far more sense to take steps before you ever suffer the first invidious twinges of back pain to take steps to ensure that you never do so.

One way that you could do this has already been mentioned earlier in this report. If you are overweight or obese, you are at a significantly higher risk of suffering back problems and therefore you should begin to shed the extra weight as soon as possible. Of course, this will not only benefit your back, as your general health is also likely to increase significantly as you shed the extra bulk that is undoubtedly putting a strain on your general health and well-being. For example, your heart will undoubtedly be working harder than it really needs to do if you are significantly overweight or obese, and you are at a far higher risk of suffering diabetes than you would otherwise be.

Add these to the fact that losing weight is going to take a great strain off your spine, and doing so becomes something of an no-brainer! However, even if you are not at all overweight or obese, you may not be as fit and a strong as you could otherwise be. This is significant, because if for example you start working out at the gym once or twice a week, you will improve your muscle tone, strength and flexibility over time. This improved strength and flexibility will naturally make it considerably less likely that you will suffer back strains, for example.

This is not to suggest that you need to become a body builder or weightlifter or that you need to go to the gym every day. However, it is a fact that the more flexible, strong and fit you are, the less likely it becomes that you will suffer the strains or pulls that are the most common cause of back pain complaints. Moreover, you are going to significantly reduce the chances of suffering other muscle injuries by becoming fitter and stronger, and your general ability to deal with minor medical problems will also be enhanced.

Prevention is always better than having to find a cure, and in the case of the most common cause of back pain complaints, prevention is to a very large extent in your own hands. There are other ways in which a ‘workout’ based exercise program can help reduce the chances of suffering back problems in the future. For example, it is generally believed that weight-bearing exercise helps to reduce the bone loss that is a primary symptom of osteoporosis, as well as keeping muscles toned which can again help to offset the worst effects of osteoporosis.

In this respect, basic exercises like walking, playing tennis or aerobics can be a big help, particularly for women who are the primary sufferers of osteoporosis. Insufficient calcium in your diet also increases the chances of suffering the bone wasting disease, which would in turn increase the chances of suffering back problems in later life. Vitamin D deficiency also increases the probability of suffering fractures, and this is another condition which gets worse as you get older. Vitamin D is generally generated by the body through the action of sunlight on the skin, but it is possible to supplement your diet in order to make sure that you take enough on board.

Prolonged use of tobacco and/or alcohol can also increase your chances of contracting osteoporosis later in life. Once again, it comes down to the notion of living a healthy life in order to prevent unpleasant or even potentially crippling medical conditions (remember that osteoporosis makes your bones more susceptible to fracture, and a snapped spine often equals paralysis) later in life.

Not all back problems are minor muscle strains or caused by disease…

Many people who have the biggest back problems, those that suffer the greatest degree of pain, are people whose condition has nothing to do with a minor muscle strain, nor have they suffered any of the medical ailments highlighted earlier in this book. These are people who have suffered spinal injury, and for many of these people, it can be a very long and hard road back to full fitness and normality, if they are ever fortunate enough to regain that condition.

For such people, the initial treatment usually involves a degree of necessary medical treatment to ‘patch them up’ in the early stages. However, once the surgeons have ‘done their magic’, it is interesting to note that the job of bringing these people back to as close to normality as they can ever hope to be is almost always entrusted to people who employ natural means and strategies to do their job.
As some of these strategies could have a part to play in reducing pain for anyone who has a particularly serious back problem (however it is caused), it may help to look at some of the more practical back pain solutions.

Physical therapists: These are trained individuals whose job it is to work with anyone who has suffered injuries or surgery to return them to full activity, strength and mobility as quickly as possible. They will generally teach specialized exercises and techniques using equipment specially designed for the task, and they are trained to recognize deficiencies or weaknesses in the biomechanics of any individual patient’s anatomy. For example, a physical therapist will focus on stretching tight muscles and joints because without the ability to stretch, you naturally lose mobility. Furthermore, the stronger and more mobile you, the more you have the ability to fight against any joint or muscle pain, and that applies just as much to the muscles and joints in your back as it does to any other part of your body.

If the injury you have suffered necessitates an exercise program designed to strengthen the muscles of your back, then you would find many appropriate exercises on this page.

Aquatherapy:

Aquatherapy is equally exercise based as it would be if you were working with a physical therapist, with the main difference that your exercises are all carried out in water. The relevance of this is that when you are submerged in water, you become weightless, and it is therefore far easier to exercise without putting strain on your body or applying pressure to your muscles. Consequently, aquatherapy is a superb environment in which to work painful back muscles in order to loosen them and strengthen them in a non-impact environment. For example, if you were recovering from a back injury and needed gentle traction (stretching), then you might find yourself hanging by the arms, being supported by a float with small weights attached to your legs.

Ultrasound:

This is a form of high energy soundwave-based treatment that has many medical uses, including having the ability to help repair damaged muscles and bones while relieving the pain at the same time. Obviously, whilst it is unlikely that your medical attendant or physician would recommend ultrasound for a simple muscle strain, it is certainly something that could happen if you suffered serious accidental muscle injury.