Back Pain Explained
Back Pain explains what back pain is and how it can be treated and prevented.
Basic Anatomy:
Causes of Back Pain:
Back Pain Exercises:
Proper Posture:
Types of Therapy:
Surgery For Back Pain:
Backache Plagues Modern Society
What exactly is backache?
Technically, it is a symptom rather than a true condition. Despite this, millions of individuals suffer from nothing more than 'disabling' backache. A contradiction? Well, in a way, yes. Often individuals have nothing more than simple back ache but it can be like a bad tooth and one that nags away in the background. The low-level continuous nature of back ache can literally wear you down.
It is not to say that back ache is not serious. On the contrary, as mentioned earlier, back ache may just be a symptom of something more serious like a disc prolapse. In many cases it is not always helpful to place labels on problems. If you have been diagnosed with a disc prolapse but have no problems apart from a low-level ache, then the problem may not be so bad. In this case, the label given to you is worse than the problem itself!
Practical Illustration!
In the absence of any serious problem, back ache is a symptom but one that may have a mechanical basis to it. Let me illustrate this. If you take your index finger and gently bend it backwards until you feel some stretching. Now, if you hold this position, the stretch will eventually turn into a discomfort. Holding it even longer, the discomfort becomes an ache and the ache eventually gives way to a pain.
This is a common cause of lower back ache. It is extremely prevalent in the office working population and its cause is postural in nature. Those who spend hours on end behind a desk at the computer are those who are most at risk of experiencing this most simple form of back pain.
The cause of this type of problem is simply from the slow overstretching of the ligaments of the back. It reaches the point where ligaments and nerves are irritated, leading to inflammation and aching! There is rarely anything seriously wrong with the structures of the back and the simple answer is to interrupt any prolonged postures.
10 Hour Theatre Show...Daily!
Think back to when you watch a film or go to the theatre to watch a show. After the show almost everyone stands up and has a good stretch because of backache! This is the body doing this naturally because it is what is needs. Now, that was for a 2-3 hour show. Can you imagine what your back is going through in the course of a day, sitting there for 8-10 hours a day, many days per week!
Read the sitting posture guide and you will have a better idea of how to sit properly and help yourself.