Research shows that twenty percent of people who go through surgery for back pain get not much pain relief, and on top of that those left that do get relief can get minimal relief.

Yoga is not cure for back pain, but rather an ongoing treatment and prevention that works for the majority of people. This is because it helps build up strong muscles around the spine, and helps realign the spine itself. Another important point is that if you have back pain you must remain conscious throughout the day to make sure that you don’t do anything to aggravate it. These are some tips: Read more »

Could it be that the bag you carry around every day with you is giving you lower back pain? Well the answer is yes, if you use your bag in the wrong way, in can cause back pain.

Well bags do really help us stay organised, and they are an essential part of many peoples day, so we will try to outline things you can do to prevent back pain from your bag.

What Causes the Problems

• If you have a side bag it can make you lean to one side and this can create lower back pain, as well as straining your shoulders., if you carry a backpack on only one shoulder it can do the same thing.
• Badly shaped bags – if you have a bag or backpack that you just find uncomfortable, for example its tight, strap is unsupportive or so thin it stops your circulation, the bag sits in the wrong position.  These can all lead to back pain.
• Badly adjusted bag – the main culprit of this is teenagers who want to look cool and wear their backpacks really low.
• Heavy bags – especially side bags.  It is recommended you don’t carry more then 10% of your weight on a daily basis.

Read more »

While advancement in technology has increased comfort at the office to a great extent, long sitting hours working in a chair has created many physical problems. Office workers are usually the most likely to get tproblems with their lower back region. Lower back stretches are the most beneficial solution to these problems.

There are some exercises for your lower back and hip which can be done at a seated work-place. The things that should be kept in mind while doing lower back stretches are that the stretch should be strong and yet produce a comfortable sensation in the muscles being stretched and the stretches should be held for 15 to 30 seconds. Read more »

This is a quick video that shows you a good technique to stretch out your back a bit. This is nice and quick but still very effective.

There are only 4 poses: cat pose, cow pose child pose and cobra, which are all well known for increasing flexibility in the back muscles.

Don’t be fooled by the fact she is young a pretty, because these are two of the best yoga moves to stretch out the back (I say two of them because cow/cat are usually done in combination and so are child/cobra).

This chair is developed by a chiropractor to help relieve back pain that comes from sitting at a desk for too many hours. It works by stimulating the same core muscles as used in a balance ball workout routine. Keeping these muscles moving helps to keep them from tightening and cramping up, so you don’t get lower back pain.

This means that while you are sitting at your chair you are strengthening your core muscles (those that help support your back), and it keeps your spine in a neutral aligned position (so you don’t put any extra pressure on it).

A nice thing about this chair is that during your break you can also remove the balance ball to do some workouts or stretches.

Note that you can get some of the benefits of sitting on this chair fro sitting on a balance ball (such as the shock absorbing and strengthening). So if you have a balance ball sit on the for a while (or go into a sports store and sit on theirs) and see how you like it before ordering one.

Also keep in mind that this isn’t designed for tall people (the instructions say it’s suitable for people 5′ to 5′11″ tall), so if you are over 6 feet you are out of luck. I’m short so I have no problems

A lot of people don’t realise how helpful back support pillows can be in reducing back pain.  Sitting the wrong way can create a lot of tension in the back, resulting in lower back pain. Having the right pillow when you sleep can undo and prevent a lot of the pressure you put on your back during the day.

Back support pillows fill in the space in between your back and chair, caused by the natural curve of your spine. These pillows give the proper support throughout our neck, shoulders and upper back.  This helps keep your back and neck properly aligned, and relieves back tension and pressure. A back support pillow is very comfortable, which makes you feel good, relax, and have a great sleep.
If you have back problems you can get a lot of benefits from using supportive pillows. Pillows that contains a proper and firm filling are better at giving support then soft feathery pillows. People that have back pain are more likely to get the benefits from a firm pillow, filled with a ergonomically shaped supportive foam.
Read more »

Lower back pain is preventable. Surprisingly despite knowing it most of the people face this problem. Main causes of the back pain are incorrect sitting, incorrect posture and improper lifting. Sedentary lifestyle is also one of the reasons where we have become lazy and seek shortcuts. A person becomes more susceptible to lower back problem as he ages.

Muscles of the lower back require maintaining their flexibility to carry out normal mobility. When it gets stiff, the back loses its flexibility and becomes more susceptible to injury and discomfort.

Lower back pain generally affects middle aged and young adults regardless of gender that work continuously for long hours on chair with no exercise or those whose nature of work involves carrying heavy loads regularly. Everyone in their life suffers back pain at least once. There are numerous causes for lower back pain from simple muscular strain to spinal cancer. It is, therefore, essential that the back pain should not be ignored and taken lightly. Read more »

The Lumbar Roll helps to counteract poor posture, which is one of the major causes of back pain.  You can attach this roll to a chair or car seat, to help you sit properly to prevent back pain.

You can apparently also attach it to your waist and wear it around, and then have the support wherever you sit down.  To me this seems a little weird, as it is bulky and I wouldn’t really want to be walking around wearing it.

I have tried plenty of other cushions and backrests, but the Lumbar Roll is quite good in that it made me feel a lot less pain when I was sitting, and I noticed I had a lot better posture.

However I still think there must be a better alternative out there, as it feels quite stiff and a little bit uncomfortable to have on your seat.  Don’t get me wrong, the awkwardness of having something stiff supporting you is still way better than the back pain, I will probably be searching for an alternative.

The muscles in your back as well as the spine itself need to be stretched if you want to help relieve lower back pain.

Here is a great resource with explanations on which lower back stretches to do and how to do them:
Lower Back Stretches at PhysioAdvisor.com

The site is a physio site so they do have a good idea of what they are talking about. There are also photos of each stretch, which really helps you figure out what yuo are meant to do for those of you doing these at home. Read more »

Since most people get back pain from sitting too much, I thought I would show a video of how to properly sit in your chair. Everyone keeps telling you to sit with proper posture, but not many people really explain it.

It explains how to sit, the quality of your seat, as well as a bit about back supports. I think I’m going to buy one of these supports so expect a review on it later (Just for the record I’m not selling it, so no free tube of rubbing relief).

Do visit the website www.losethebackpain.com as they have some good free ebboks on relieving back pain.