Many of us suffer from low back pain. It is amazing that most of these problems are preventable. Generally, the majority of low back pain is coming from incorrect sitting, incorrect posture and improper lifting. For whatever reason, we become lazy and take shortcuts. This puts extra burden on the lower back which can lead to discomfort and pain.
The lower back consist of five intervertebral discs. These are often referred to as the lumbar. These discs are stacked on top of each other. They are separated by soft tissue, tendons, ligaments and muscles. The bones provide the structure and rigidity while the soft tissue provides for flexibility.
Of course, as we get older injuries become more likely to are lower back. Maintaining the flexibility of the soft tissue areas is vital to your longevity and mobility. Many of us have experienced having back pain after an injury. However, many people experience back pain because of long hours of sitting.
The lower back relies on its strength in its ability to be flexible. The elasticity of the ligaments, tendons and muscles between the discs is critical. The other critical element is strength. The majority of the weight must be absorbed and distributed by the lower back. It must be even stronger when you add weight by caring different items.
One of the causes of low back pain is when the joints fail to function properly. Between each of the cervical discs, there is soft tissue. This holds the discs together. There are certain conditions which may impact the joint from functioning properly. This can lead to stiffness in muscle pain.
Another impact to the low back is strain and tension to the muscles of the spine. This is often referred to as myofascial pain. This occurs when there is more stress put on this area than usual. This may come from being seated in a certain position or from overexertion and sometimes injury.
Most of us don’t realize the importance of our lower back. It gives us our mobility. Small impacts to the lower back can affect this mobility as well. The lower back and spine must provide two major functions. One is to absorb shocks and impacts. The second is to transmit the weight between the upper and lower body.
There is a cumulative affect with injuries to the lower back. When one injury occurs it can cause the spine to become out of balance. Many times we don’t notice that we are changing our posture in sitting position because of these types of injuries. These must be corrected to restore proper balance in the spine.
There are two main categories of lower back pain. The first is chronic and the second is acute. In the case of chronic back pain, it is much more serious than acute. Chronic back pain may come from serious conditions such as degenerative arthritis, degenerative disc disease or spinal disc herniation. These conditions may require surgery and physical therapy.
Most likely causes of low back pain are from injury, overuse or improper use. Injuries are tough to prevent. However we can change how we sit, how we lift objects in how we maintain our posture. It is important that we recognize that these can affect our mobility in the future.
If you suffer from lower back pain, you should seek out natural treatments if at all possible. Stretching exercise and massage chair therapy can be very therapeutic and relieving of pain and discomfort. Check with your medical professional as to your situation and they are recommendations.
There are many ways to prevent low back pain. Make sure that your sitting in an upright position with your shoulders back area posture is very important. Also make sure that when you lift, you use your legs and not your back. Prevention is always the best medicine. The key to preventing low back pain is to maintain the flexibility of the lower back. Diet exercise stretching and massage help to maintain the vitality of the lumbar region.
