Statistics show that back pain still plagues many of us and remains a leading cause of days off work and long term disability. Many put this down to excessive hours sat at desks and the general lack of quality activity in many of our lives. However, it does not take a huge amount of time to introduce activities that help prevent and manage back problems.

Conventional Approach

In most instances the conventional approach seems to consist of a prescription for pain killers or anti-inflamatories. While these may ease the symptoms they do nothing to prevent the cause or future problems. While a quick visit to your GP is wise to ensure your back pain is not caused by any serious medical condition, research suggests many GPs feel inadequately trained to assess and diagnose back pain[1]

What Causes Back Pain

Our spine is an amazing structure made from 33 small bones called vertebrae, that are separated by discs of a soft jelly like substance and which is supported by series of interconnected muscles that interact with each other to stabilise the spine during movement. The discs absorb shock and allow nerve roots to leave the spine while the muscles hold us upright for all of our working day.

Back pain can be due to a muscle strain or spasm, it can be due to decreased space between the vertebrae or pinching and irritated nerves. Back pain can be the result of injury to the vertebrae or ligaments or the result of disease. Obviously, due to the varying nature of back pain, the first port of call should always be your GP to check that nothing serious is wrong.

Preventing Back Pain

Preventing back ache begins by encouraging strong core muscles. By ensuring the muscles supporting the spine are strong we reduce the risk of injury from activities such as lifting and bending. One of the most effect ways of strengthening these muscles is with a device known as a FLEXI-BAR. Originally designed as a physiotherapists tool, the FLEXI-BAR is a simple, 5ft long, fibre-glass rod with a rubber hand-grip in the centre and 2 fixed end weights that vibrates when shaken.

By shaking the flexi-bar, the all of your supporting muscles are made to contract and relax at least 290 times a minute. This results in stronger, more efficient core muscles that keep the back stable. While the exercise in itself can help with pain caused from muscle spasm a strong core reduces the chance of future muscle spasm. The good news is that vibration training with a flexi-bar is so effective that as little as 10 minutes 3 times a week can produce results.

Reducing Back Pain

It is not surprising that back pain is something that often comes with ageing. Not only do our core muscles weaken, but gravity is constantly compressing our spine, making the disc smaller and reducing the space for nerves between the vertebrae. This can be seen by the temporary loss in height experienced daily during our waking hours. Studies show that we may lose between 1.3 and 1.9 cm during the course of average day due to the compressional effects of gravity. This can lead to back pain.

However, studies have shown that being safely and comfortably inverted on an inversion table results in a stretch that elongates the whole back and increases the distance between the vertebrae [2], that in turn reduces the pressure on the nerves and discs in the spine. This reduction in pressure can result in a reduction of back pain.

This is the most effective position for releasing pressure on the discs between vertebrae [3] as even when laying down, there is compression pressure from ligaments in the spinal column acting like rubber bands.

Being inverted for just 10 seconds can result in 35% less back pain. The good news is that this has been found safe and effective for home use [5] Conclusion

Combining a routine to strengthen core muscles using the FLEXI-BAR and spending a few minutes each day on an inversion table should significantly reduce the risk of back pain associated with ageing and injury. Due to the effective nature of inversion and vibration training this can be done without major lifestyle changes or demands on time.

[1] http://www.elsevier-international.com/e-books/viewbook.cfm?ID=841 [2] Kane, M, et al: Effects of Gravity-facilitated Traction on Intervertebral Dimensions of the Lumbar Spine. Journal of Orthopedic and Sports Phys Ther. 281-288, Mar 85 [3] Nachemson, A and Elfstrom, G: Intravital Dynamic Pressure Measurements in Lumbar Discs. Scandinavian Journal of Rehab Medicine, supplement, 1970. [4] Nosse, L.: Inverted Spinal Traction. Arch Phys Med Rehabil 59: 367-370, Aug 78. [5] Meshino, J.: The Role of Spinal Inverted Traction in Chiropractic Practice. ACA Journal of Chiropractic 18:63-68, Feb 84.

By: Davina Joy Article Directory: http://www.articledashboard.com

Davina writes on a variety of health, beauty and wellness topics. For more information on the products discussed visit FLEXI-BAR, Inversion Tables To ask questions on any of the issues discussed visit www.pureskincare.co.uk/talk/index.php Note to Publishers: You may freely republish this article as is, without editing or modification, and all links must be kept live. This article may be reproduced wholly or in part without written permission provided the byline, resource area, and any hyperlinks remain in order to give proper credit to the author.

Preventing Lower Back Pain
Arthritis pain treatment involving patients with rheumatoid arthritis deals with low back pain to a very great extent.

How to prevent back pain with traditional athletic abdominal
Prevent back pain with traditional athletic abdominal conditioning. There are many non evasive strategies worth trying in regards to back pain prevention plus you can have better lookin.

Chronic Back Pain Relief | Reasons For Back Pain
The major emphasis is on using your muscles and joints in the correct way which can both help to prevent back pain from developing, or can help in dealing with chronic back pain.

How to Prevent Back Pain – Exercises to Prevent Back Pain
It is estimated that eighty percent of all Americans will struggle with back pain at some point during their life. In most situations, we find that once back pain is experienced.

Technorati Tags: Back Pain, muscle, spasm, strain, vertebrae

Incorrect use of voluntary muscles can cause pain throughout the body. This article discusses an example in the lower back based on one engineering principle. There are others which will be discussed in other articles.

This article is about a cause of back pain which most people, including doctors, don’t understand.

This back pain cause is not disease such as cancer or arthritis. It is not injury such as falling off a ladder. Also, it is not a mentally caused pain…it is a very real pain.

This back pain is caused by incorrect use of voluntary muscles. Voluntary muscles are muscles you can control. Do this. Lift your arm. There you used voluntary muscles.

You can cause pain by using, or not using, your voluntary muscles incorrectly. By using one hand to bend the fingers of your other hand backward you can cause pain. This is an example of incorrectly using voluntary muscles and causing pain.

This discovery, called Denlinger’s Discovery(TM), is about another cause of pain throughout the human body and how to fix it. Denlinger’s Discovery came about by applying engineering basics to the human body. Using these engineering basics one can also increase the load carrying capability of the body. In this article we’ll only look at one function, of several functions, of the back.

In 1759 a Switzerland born scientist named Leonardo Euler (1707-1783) developed the first, most basic formulas about the relationship of the height to the thickness of a column. A summary of this formula is that the thinner a column or post, as compared to its height, the more likely it will fail (ie, break) by bending rather than by crushing. Also, if the column has supports in the middle to keep it from bending, it will be able to carry a much heavier load.

Here’s an experiment you can do. get a long, skinny twig from a tree or bush. Stand it up on a table vertically and push down on the top with a finger. Feel how easily it bends. If you push too hard it will break. Next, place your other hand on the side to keep it from bending so much and press down on the top again. Feel how much stronger the twig is now.

You can see an example of this principle applied in daily life by looking at a very tall television transmission tower. Typically these towers have wires, called guy wires, going from the middle (often from quarter, half and three quarter points or more) down to the ground. These guy wires keep the tower from bending in the middle, so it can carry a load to a much greater height.

The spine in the lower back of the human body has voluntary muscles which can act like guy wires to keep the spine from bending from side to side. Looking in the Doctor’s Bible, “Gray’s Anatomy”, you can see these muscles in one of the drawings looking at the rear of the body.

These muscles are called “quadratus lumborum” (they are shown in a posterior view of the back and described in the section on Deep Muscles of the Abdomen). Correctly using these voluntary guy-wire-type muscles per Euler’s formulas could fix a problem called scoliosis. Currently doctors use braces and even surgery to correct scoliosis.

As long as the muscles and nerves are in place and not damaged and the person is willing and able to learn how to use them and s/he then trains his or her guy-wire-type muscles the scoliosis problem could be fixed by correct use of voluntary muscles.  The same basic principle of preventing too much bending, using other muscles, can be applied in another direction to strengthen the spine by preventing too much curve forward and backward. There are other engineering basics which can be applied to the back and other parts of the human body which will be covered in other articles.

By Dennis Denlinger
Published: 4/7/2008

Back pain’s newly discovered cause
You can cause pain by using, or not using, your voluntary muscles incorrectly. by using one hand to bend the fingers of your other hand backward you can cause pain.

Back Pain Causes – How To Cure Back Pain – Symptoms & Treatment
Back pain is one of the most frequent problems, which is being experienced by majority of adults’ nowadays. It is a symptom that may restrict movement.

Back Pain Solutions – How To Stop Back Pain
About the Author: Is your back killing you? There are multiple causes of back pain. Find out about the causes of back pain and a remedy for back pain by going to fef.

Back Pain Treatment
Then you need to get to work on finding the true cause of the pain and fixing that. Regular stretching and back exams for misalignment can be a care plan for treatment of back.

Technorati Tags: back, control, incorrect, muscle, pain, voluntary