Strengthening of abdominal muscles is a key part of any plan to combat lower back pain. Abdominal muscles are the core muscles that help to support the spine and upper body part.

Muscles work together. Spinal flexion is done with the help of abdominal muscles that help the spine to bend forward. When you bend forward, the abdominal muscles contract and the back muscles stretch. Similar is the case with rectus abdominus muscle. There are many people who do not know how to train lower abs because of huge misconception that upper abs and lower abs are one unique muscle and have the same functions of flexion of the spine although this is partly true. Both these muscles form rectus abdominis (RA) which is in fact one muscle. Put simply, your lower abs can be moving while the upper abs can not be moving and vice versa.

Due to this reason, it is very important to strengthen and make flexible the opposing sets of muscles to overcome the lower back pain. Read more »

So is it worth spending so much money just to get a memory foam mattress?  Do they really help to relieve your back pain?  Well there is not really much question about this anymore.  Nowadays there is so much proof and positive research about memory foam mattresses that they are definitely worth the money.

The reason memory foam mattresses are so good is because they give your body so much support while you sleep.  This really helps to relieve back pain, as well as a lot of other joint and muscle pains around the body.

The foam the mattress is made of shapes around the contours of your body, so it supports each part of your body in a way specific to the position you are sleeping in.  As well as this it also provides great warmth and comfort. Read more »

It is well known that massaging relieves back pain, by reducing muscle spasms and loosening the muscles so they aren’t as stiff.  However going to a masseuse can get pretty expensive.

That is were this device comes in. This thing looks a little crazy, but it lets you give yourself a back massage.

This massage tool allows you to reach really difficult to reach muscles on your back, that are tight and need massaging.  It comes with easy to follow instructions, that show you how to use the therapy knobs on the tool to target pressure points and relieve pain.

Using this you can access all the different points in your back, including the neck, shoulder blades, all along the spine and the lower back.  While doing this you still remain in a neutral position which allows you to stay relaxed.

The only complaint I have is it’s shape.  It’s a little bit big and oddly shaped, which makes it really difficult to take with me when I’m travelling.

This takes a bit of experimenting to get used to, and a bit of practice to get the best effect for you, but overall it is one of the best self massage inventions ever.

Back pain scares indiscriminately to every one regardless of country, race, age and gender. Almost every one suffers in one time or the other in life with this problem. In today’s stressful life, back pain is not a problem which needs more emphasis.

While at work, the style of work requires continuously sitting posture in the same position for longer hours. After some time, this sitting work style starts showing its effect with back pain. To get rid of this problem instantly, many persons normally resort to crash exercise schedules; this, however, rather than giving beneficial effects, at times worsens the pain, because back injuries are usually delicate and chronic on which many therapeutic solutions do not normally create any effect. Many turn to back yoga for getting relief from these back problems. Read more »

This site has some great photos and explanations for lower back exercises.

Strengthening is important in order to have muscles that support your back properly.

Let us have a look at what is covered in the strengthening exercises:

1. Transversus abdominus retraining – this has a fancy name but is basically lying down and thrusting the pelvis.  This is a nice and easy exercises.
2. Opposite arm leg raises – you lie on your stomach and raise your opposite arm to your leg.  This helps strengthen your back without putting any stress or physical pressure on it.
3. Prone hold – This is also known as the plank.  It helps strengthen your abs and lower back.  Most people can only hold it under a minute, but be careful not to push yourself too far as otherwise you will have saw abs for day.
4. Supermans – you lie on your stomach and raise your arms and legs.  Has the same effect as number 2.
5. Side holds – also known as side planks.  Strengthens different muscles in your lower back then the frontal plank, which strengthen more of the back supporting muscles.
6. Resistance band rotations – add some twists with resistance.  Just make sure to do a stretch and warm up before you do this.

There are also explanations on how to do further and harder versions of these exercises using a swiss ball.  This is a great investment if you are quite a fit person and specifically need to work on strengthening for back pain.  They also allow you to do a lot of different stretches on them, so are a great investment anyway.

A lot of people suffer from back pain, however most of them don’t really know that cause of their back pain.  Although back pain can come on suddenly, it can be the result of a long and ongoing problem that people are unaware of.

For most people lower sack pain is not really a serious problem and goes away quickly most of the time. Bit doctors advice is very important to get if the pain starts to become long term. Most people think that lying down is a good cure for lower back pain. However research has shown that lying in bed does not really help in relieving back pain, so although you may feel better after a rest, it is actually doing nothing good for your back.It’s actually a lot better if you keep on doing your normal routine as you keep your back mobile.  You should still be careful not to do anything to worsen your back pain, for example don’t lift heavy objects or go running.

Back pain is a very common problem with eighty percent of people experiencing back pain at one point or another during their lifetime.  This pain can be very mild, reoccurring or can even become chronic. The majority of people that get back pain are in the mild category, and their pain goes away in around a month or two, without a bit of effort at home. Read more »

These are three really quick back pain exercises (about 30 seconds each). They are great for office breaks or on the move.

The three exercises are:
1. Tai Chi punch – warms up the back and muscles
2. Oblique Strengthening – to develop some support
3. Swinging hips – loosen up the lower back

Also check out his other videos, search for kevingianni on youtube. There are some pretty good ones for general lifestyle (not so much back pain).

Most of the office going persons suffers from back pain. Incorrect sitting or standing postures creates constriction in spinal chord resulting into back pain. Our entire day’s activities include walking, lying, sleeping, sitting, bending, stooping, standing, stretching etc. While performing all these activities, we just forget to take of our posture which is the main culprit for back pain.

While sitting on chair, you could be sitting on a wrong posture, although your chair might have been made ergonomically suitable. Office working situation of today hardly requires any field activity that means most part of the day you are confined to sitting at one place working in the same manner. This prolonged sitting and working at one place creates tension in spinal chord. Read more »

It’s quite a big claim this gel has, that it will relieve pain.

It’s made from a herbal extract and claims that penetrates deep and is a long lasting pain reliever.

But is it good for back pain?  Well it sure cured the pain (mine is really due to sore muscles).  I don’t know if it will work for spinal problems, but it’s worth a try.  It does claim to help with painful joints, which is usually caused by bones rubbing on each other, so it might be good for spinal problems too.

Also keep in mind that the pain relief is only temporary.  You can rub it on, and it will relieve you of pain for a few hours, but then it will become ineffective.  This is great if your pain only lasts a few hours, but not really good for chronic back pain sufferers (though it can give you a few pain free hours to feel better).

Also you probably need to find someone to help you, or get creative, as rubbing your own back can be difficult (but there is also a spray version if that is easier)

Sun salutations are a great way to relieve lower back pain. At the bottom of this post is a diagram of the sun salutations, and if you click on it it will lead to you to a site with detailed instructions on how to do each move properly.

One thing to be careful of is that there are a couple of moves in the standard sun salutations that are not really good for your back, so I suggest you modify them. These are the ones that involve bending your back while keeping your knees straight. That is not very good as it places undue pressure on your sacroiliac joint. Instead just bend your knees for these moves (and if you want to loosen your hamstrings, go do a different stretch). Read more »