I know that there are always a lot of questions coming up in respect to your back pain. So on this page I will try to answer as many as possible for you and hopefully it will answer your personal questions as well.
1. Why do I get back pain in the first place?
Of course there are many reasons why we develop back pain and some of them are very specific, personal and not necessarily common. But there are also very general reasons which, when we know about them, also can help to prevent back problems.
One of the main issues in modern life is of course the lack of movement or exercise. Did you know that the pressure on the spine is much higher whilst we are sitting as opposed to be standing or moving around? So that might give you some idea about changing certain habits during your day.
Obesity – well that is pretty much self explanatory, the more weight the body, respectively the spine has to carry, the weaker it becomes and will eventually express pain because nerves get trapped and muscles tight which inhibits a normal flow of energy, blood, nutrition to tissue etc.
Then of course there are accidents. And they don’t have to be recent in order to develop into back pain or neck pain. Often we have an accident and we feel fine. But then all of a sudden, we might wake up one morning with a sore back, hip pain, neck pain etc. and have no idea where it is coming from. And of course we don’t relate it to that accident we had 5 years ago because we felt fine so far. But as a matter of fact, that accident can be the reason simply because your body has managed to hold itself up for the last years but now just can’t do that anymore. That’s when pain kicks in. therefore it is important to tell your practitioner about those old accidents because it can help him as well to get a better picture about what might be going on.
Then there is our posture, as mum always told us to sit straight – and guess what, she was right. But we just don’t. and then we have to pay with pain.
Different leg length which most people actually have without even knowing about it. but this can put a strain on our lower back and eventually lead to lower back pain or even neck pain.
Not enough fluids which simply means that our tissues are dehydrated and start hurting.
Carrying handbags on one shoulder preferably will misalign the body eventually which then leads to muscular and structural strains and pains.
There are many more reasons of course but these are just some of the most common ones and if any one of those you can identify with then it is time to change some patterns, behaviors or attitudes in your life.
2. What can I do to reduce my back pain?
There are many ways to approach your pain and I will only list a few here but with a bit more research you will find that there are many more. And before committing to back surgery you definitely should consider any other treatments as, once the surgery is done, it is done. There is no way back and often surgery still doesn’t give you the relief you were hoping for. So here we go:
• Dorn Spinal Therapy,
a gentle, very effective treatment from Germany which also is the basis for the exercises in the book (Learn more about Dorn Spinal Therapy)
• Acupuncture
• Acupressure
• Shiatsu
• Chiropractic although I recommend you are really responsible and stop the treatments when they are not giving you any improvement. If you do not feel a considerable improvement after 5 treatments you should look for something else.
• Osteopathy
• Exercise to strengthen the core muscles and therefore stabilize the back.
• Lose weight and take in more fluids.
• Cranio Sacral Therapy
3. How do I find a good therapist?
The best promotion for a therapist is word of mouth. So ask others about their experience with therapists. Once you are with a therapist make sure he/she takes a case history before actually starting to work with you.
You shouldn’t be asked to sign any contract to ensure a number of treatments, even if it means you might save a few dollars. But you just never know if you really need that many treatments, for whatever reason.
Listen to your inner voice. Being with a therapist has a lot to do with trust and how you feel about the therapist. And if that feeling is not positive you should go and look for someone else because you will not be looking forward to the treatments and possibly tense up, which is contraindicated for getting rid of your pain. As always, trust your instincts and don’t feel bad about “abandoning” your therapist.
If you have a question we should answer and publish here please feel free to contact us by either sending your suggestion to P.O. Box 519, Avalon 2107 NSW, Australia, or email to: ask@backcaresolutions.net
