Lower Back Pain Exercises – Teach Your Tailbone To Feel Great
Lower back pain can be agonizing. Without an efficient and healthy lower back, every moment spent sitting or standing can be challenging, leaving us hopelessly wondering if the pain might ever lessen or vanish. Pain from an unknown origin is also quite worrisome, since we can’t rid ourselves of it if we aren’t sure what causes it, often wondering if expensive drugs or surgeries might do the trick.
Fortunately, the situation isn’t nearly as hopeless as it may at first appear. Unless resulting from a break or other serious trauma, you can lessen or completely eliminate your lower back pain, naturally, using a good postural program and specialized exercise routines.
The lower back supports more weight than we may realize, especially when relaxed. During every moment spent upright, the head, shoulders and even the arms apply vertical pressure on the lower back and spine.
Much of this support is provided by the lower back’s arched inward curve toward the body. Incredibly stable structures, arches efficiently support heavy loads and, in a classic case of function following form, appear frequently in modern and ancient architecture.
Unfortunately, we often compromise this natural support in many ways that feel completely relaxed, and without even knowing we do so. We do things that pull our vertebrae out of alignment, thus reducing or eliminating the natural arch and causing back pain.
The spine’s hundreds of muscles are often not toned enough to maintain a natural posture, resulting in slouching as weakened muscles struggle to bear our weight. Sometimes we work to correct the problems ourselves without fully understanding what we’re doing, failing to strengthen the weakened muscles and in turn straining. This creates tension, which only tires us further and perpetuates the negative cycle.
A program to improve posture must teach several skills to help the body find a comfortable stance, one that can be maintained for long periods, and strengthen your body so the posture feels natural and relaxed. By maintaining good and efficient posture, your chronic pain will slowly diminish, or may even disappear entirely. What was once agonizing will then become relaxed and natural.
A complete postural adjustment program should strengthen disused muscles so they aren’t fatigued when assuming efficient posture. It should also include stretches to increase flexibility. Relaxation exercises are also important, as tension can also inhibit good posture and encourage developing new bad habits. Finally, body awareness is essential to identify inefficiencies before they cause new pain and introduce new problems that must be corrected later.
All four of these criteria are essential for a good postural program. Without one, you may feel better at first, but over time the aches and pains will return as your body settles into its old and inefficient routines. When combined, however, these four types of exercise support and re-enforce each other. They’ll help you to not only acquire new good habits, but to maintain them, and to prevent inefficiencies from developing.
Good posture is not only important for pain management. It’s great for confidence as well. Those who stride through life standing straight and with heads held high are often treated with distinction, seen as inspirational. Striving to improve your posture is not only simple, but can have effects in many areas of life beyond naturally eliminating pains that may have plagued you for years. It is only a few steps away.
Tag: lower back pain exercises
Category: Back Pain