
There is an epidemic, at least in the States when it comes to treating back pain. Most doctors do just that... treat back pain rather than finding and eliminating the cause.
You can treat your symptoms for an eternity, and you may feel better for a short period of time. To truly get at the heart of the matter though, you have to find and eliminate the cause of low back pain.
I*ll let you in on a little secret. Most chronic low back pain can be resolved in six weeks or less. It*s true!
A majority of chronic low back pain is caused by simple factors including:
Let*s take a look at each of these more closely.
Poor Posture
Posture is everything when it comes to back pain. Good posture results in stability and strength. Bad posture results in back pain. Many people can alleviate chronic back pain simply by taking the time to improve their posture. You probably can too!
Injury
We are all subject to injury at one time or another. You can work toward preventing injury in certain circumstances however. A lot of the injuries that result in low back pain are caused by improper lifting techniques. You may be lifting a heavy box, or you may be lifting a heavy weight without warming up adequately. Either way, if you injure yourself you are subject to back pain. What can you do to improve your chances for recovery? One of the best things you can do is exercise. You should incorporate stretching activities into your daily regimen. By doing so you will condition your back and are les likely to get injured, and more likely to recover faster when you do get injured.
Muscle Imbalances
Muscle Imbalances occur when two muscles that oppose each other are unequally matched. If you exercise your back regularly for example, but never exercise your stomach, you body will be in a state of imbalance. No matter how strong your back is in this situation, you are going to be subject to back pain. Eliminate the muscle imbalances through rehabilitation and proper exercise and you stand a good chance of eliminating back pain.
Improper Lifting
OK, go back and re-read the section on injury. You need to lift correctly in order to avoid injury. NEVER bend from the waist when picking something up off of the floor, even if it is a feather. Always bend from the knees, and use your leg and abdominal muscles to support you when lifting an object. Many improper lifting injuries actually occur in the gym. This happens when a person attempts to lift a weight that is too heavy or fails to warm up properly. You can avoid these injuries by paying close attention to technique at all times.
Extra Weight
Carrying around a few extra pounds may not seem like a big deal, but when it comes to back pain it could mean the difference between no back pain and chronic back pain. Even if you are carrying around just ten extra pounds, your body will have to shift and redistribute itself to accommodate the extra weight. Consider losing the extra weight, and you may realize your back pain soon follows.
About The Author
Steve Preston, President of Fast Fitness has been training and counseling clients for 15 years. He offers personal fitness training, metabolic testing and customized fitness and nutrition plans. His new guide *The Better Back Guide: 6 Weeks to Improving Strength and Reducing Pain Without Surgery* teaches people how to reduce, eliminate and prevent chronic back pain using a six week program. You can read more about his guide and his other fitness guides and services at: http://www.fast-fitness.net. Learn More about Back Pain at: http://www.backpainworkout.com.
AP - Lebanese militants fired at least three rockets into Israel early Thursday, threatening to open a new front for the Jewish state as it pushed forward with a bloody offensive in the Gaza Strip that has killed nearly 700 people.
AP - President-elect Barack Obama said Thursday that the nation's recession could "linger for years" unless Congress acts to pump unprecedented sums from Washington into the U.S. economy, making his highest-profile case yet on an issue certain to define his early presidency.
AP - Wall Street headed for a mixed open Thursday, bracing for what are expected to be more bleak data on employment and retail sales.
AP - Illinois Republicans are promising tough questions Thursday for Senate-appointee Roland Burris on why he accepted a position offered by disgraced Gov. Rod Blagojevich and whether he promised the governor anything in return.
AP - The United States and its partners have shortchanged Afghanistan by focusing on short-term goals pursued without a cohesive strategy or a clear understanding of the way the poor, decentralized country works, an independent study concludes.
AP - More than 30,000 people were urged to leave their flood-endangered western Washington homes as swollen rivers, mudslides and avalanches engulfed neighborhoods and roadways.
AP - Showing the emphasis that some lawmakers are putting on health care issues this year, former Sen. Tom Daschle will be the first of President-elect Barack Obama's Cabinet choices to undergo a hearing.
AP - Standing next to the crystal football, Bob Stoops was the picture of Mr. Agreeable. Any pose the photographers wanted, the Oklahoma coach gave them. Looking to the right, gazing to the left, smiling straight ahead. That is, until a shutterbug told Stoops to hold up one finger a "we're No. 1" shot. No chance, pal.
Reuters - President-elect Barack Obama will seek Thursday to rally support for a massive fiscal stimulus package by warning that the United States could remain mired in recession for years without bold action.
Reuters - Several rockets fired from Lebanon struck northern Israel on Thursday, slightly wounding two people, police and medics said, in an attack seen as linked to Israel's war on Hamas Islamists in the Gaza Strip.
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Reuters - Russia and Ukraine failed to resolve a gas row at a meeting in Moscow but will continue talks to end the dispute which has choked off supplies to Europe, a senior Ukrainian gas official said on Thursday.
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Reuters - Bleak economic data in Europe and a wave of profit warnings and job cuts world-wide soured investor sentiment on Thursday, strengthening the case for further rate cuts and government stimulus efforts.
AFP - Rockets fired into northern Israel from Lebanon on Thursday jolted efforts to end the war in Gaza where Israeli jets carried out mass strikes on smuggling tunnels.
AFP - Israeli warplanes bombed suspected arms-smuggling tunnels in southern Gaza early Thursday, as diplomats worked to secure a ceasefire in an offensive that has killed 700 Palestinians.
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