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One of the most common ailments people suffer from is lower back pain. Approximately 8 out of 10 people will have to deal with back pain at some point in their life. That’s a lot of people - are you one of them?
Of all of the various forms of back pain that we endure, lower back pain is the most common by far and there’s a logical explanation for it. Can you guess what it is?
The number one cause of back pain is lack of movement! I bet your chiropractor or orthopedic specialist didn’t tell you that, did they?
The lack of frequent movement in various muscles over the years leads to muscle imbalances and uneven wear and tear on your body, most of all the spine. For example, how many times each day do you bend, lean, or twist?
This is an example of a typical person’s day:
- Wake up
- Get out of bed
- Eat breakfast (hopefully)
- Commute to work
- Sit at a desk
- Eat lunch
- Return to the desk
- Commute back home
- Eat supper
- Lounge around on the sofa and watch television
- Go to bed
Do you notice a trend here? The average person does an awful lot of sitting and staying still. This immobility leads to serious muscle imbalances. We then go to the gym and perform various exercises that only make these imbalances even worse! This of course leads to even more back pain.
The key to getting rid of back pain (or virtually any ache or pain for that matter) is to identify the muscle imbalances that are pulling the spine, bones, and joints out of place and then learn how to stretch the tight muscles and strengthen the weak ones.
How do I know about this? As a post-rehabilitation specialist and certified personal fitness trainer, I have worked with hundreds of people who have back pain and conditions that included sciatic pain, bulging discs, spinal fusion, and more. While helping these people I discovered these startling facts:
- Many individuals who seek professional help for their back pain are subsequently mis-diagnosed and end up with a treatment plan that fails to get rid of the cause of their back pain.
- Virtually all of the people I worked with were able to eliminate their back pain altogether or greatly improve their condition even though all of the traditional treatments (physical therapy, chiropracty, injections of cortisone, anti-inflammatory drugs, surgery, etc.) had failed to help them.
Amazingly, most of these people were able to completely eliminate their back pain in just a few days or weeks simply by doing a few well-designed exercises and stretches!
These weren’t your basic exercises or the standard back stretches and stomach exercises that are recommended by most “experts”. These were specific exercises and stretches that I prescribed for each individual to help eliminate their back pain.
Many of these people had suffered for several years with
aches, pains, and stiffness. They had lived inactive lives because of their back pain.
- Most treatment plans offered only address the symptoms
and don’t address the cause, which usually delivers just
temporary relief for the individual.
In addition to helping hundreds of people get rid of their back
pain, I have also had my own personal experiences with back pain and other painful conditions such as tendonitis, muscle strains and sprains, and more.
In every single case, the traditional treatments only treated the symptoms, and they were often unsuccessful. The only approach that gave me lasting improvements and relief was using targeted exercises and stretches.
Have you used traditional treatments for back pain and found little relief? I am not saying these treatments are ineffective at temporarily reducing the inflammation or pain, but I am saying that almost all fail to get rid of the underlying cause of the back pain.
So how do you identify the muscle imbalances that are causing your back pain? Well, it isn’t easy, but with a fundamental understanding of just how your body works you can at least begin looking at your particular situation and find out which muscles are being over worked, which ones are too strong and/or tight, and which ones aren't strong enough and stretched out.
It is also beneficial to seek out a qualified health professional who specializes in identifying muscle imbalances. The problem is, there are still very few professionals who use what I prefer to call the “common sense approach.”
Your best bet is to search for a personal fitness trainer that is trained and certified in post-rehabilitation, an osteopath, or a manual physical therapist. And don’t be afraid to ask questions because you must take charge of your own health care. Be sure to quiz them on what type of approach they take in treating back pain.
I also recommend my informative video, "Lose the Back Pain" which shows you, step-by-step, how to identify the real cause of your back pain and which specific exercises and stretches you need to perform in order to correct it.
I wish you all the best, and remember: the key to a healthy back is movement!
About the author:
Jesse Cannone is a certified personal fitness trainer and post-rehabilitation specialist who has helped hundreds of individuals to get rid of their back pain. Visit him at
www.losethebackpain.com. While you're there, be sure to sign up for his free email course on eliminating back pain and check out his informative video "Lose the Back Pain".
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