I am a great fan on exercise as way to health, so from Health News, another natural way to approach pain management. What do you think? Exercise good, or not so good?
With July being Juvenile Arthritis Awareness Month, it is a great time to celebrate the ways science is trying to help arthritis sufferers by thinking outside the Western medicine box…or bottle. It seems that the pain from this autoimmune disease can be helped by the ease of movement and concentration that a patient can receive from none other than the art of Tai Chi. Although the name may sound a lot like “Chai tea,” don’t be confused, I assure you these two items only share the common bond of a long and healthy tradition: Tai Chi in China and Chai tea in India. Tai Chi is the culmination of mind and body working together as an alternative cure, helping the body heal itself.
In recent years, exercise has started to dominate the chat rooms, forums, and medical office brochures offering to ease the pain of arthritis through different forms of exerting your body physically. Although some call it “moving meditation,” the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (NCCAM) says that the movements attributed to Tai Chi are slow and gentle, showing great awareness of the space and body as well as paying attention to the depth of your breaths.
By showing restraint while exerting force and power with your body, your mind can help calm you as well as building a closer connection to the physical being in order to help heal. Not that long ago, Health News ran an article about the benefits of Tai Chi among the elderly, citing that among the positive effects of Tai Chi on the older generations were: better concentration, more energy, greater quality of sleep, better balance and posture, muscle strength, and less stress among others that may occur like a boost in the immune system.
A new study has emerged with evidence pointing to Tai Chi being beneficial for more than just senior citizens, this time the target group is arthritis sufferers, which can start at anytime, even as a child. Recently published in Arthritis & Rheumatism, the study was done by the George Institute for International Health in Australia. The researchers found that Tai Chi is beneficial for musculoskeletal pain, by improving frequency of pain and offering a better range of movement for the afflicted person.
With millions of Americans living with arthritis and hundreds of thousands of children also suffering, it is promising that Tai Chi has developed a following in North America. Used as a common exercise routine for general health in China, the practice Tai Chi is quickly being spread across the world. Already classified as a trend in Complementary and Alternative Medicine (CAM) here in the U.S., the slow practice of movement linked with meditation is now more helpful than many may have realized.
As a low-impact form of movement, Tai Chi can be done in solitude or in a group healing environment and is recommended for all ages because of its slow and gentle approach to the positions. Tai Chi is also an inexpensive way to let off steam, meet new people if you like, or just have fun while also staying fit. Author, Dr. Chris Maher of the George Institute says that these positive results will hopefully yield more positive results by transferring to chronic lower back pain; a study they hope to be working on next. A colleague at The George Institute Ms. Amanda Hall, says that their research should encourage those living with arthritis pain, “This research should reassure people with musculoskeletal conditions such as arthritis to seek exercise to relieve the pain. The fact that Tai Chi is inexpensive, convenient, enjoyable and conveys other psychological and social benefits supports the use this type of intervention for pain conditions.”
Even if you don’t have arthritis or the fear of getting it later in life, you may want to try a Tai Chi class just to spice up your workout routine and as an added bonus afterwards, spice up your taste buds with a nice soothing cup of Chai tea.
For more information on exercise and back pain, take a look at www.backpainloss.com
Look, it c\nnot be seen - it is beyond foem
Listen, it cannot be heard - it is beyond sound
Grasp, it cannot be held - it is intangible
Tao-T-Ching
Stay well and healthy
Best wishes Paul
Showing posts with label Exercise. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Exercise. Show all posts
Sunday, 5 July 2009
Saturday, 20 June 2009
Is your workout hurting your back?
From the New York Times. Does a workout cause back pain> Interesting article, take a look.
June 17, 2009, 11:00 am
Is Your Ab Workout Hurting Your Back?
By Gretchen Reynolds
The genesis of much of the ab work we do these days probably lies in the work done in an Australian physiotherapy lab during the mid-1990s. Researchers there, hoping to elucidate the underlying cause of back pain, attached electrodes to people’s midsections and directed them to rapidly raise and lower their arms, like the alarmist robot in “Lost in Space.”
In those with healthy backs, the scientists found, a deep abdominal muscle tensed several milliseconds before the arms rose. The brain apparently alerted the muscle, the transversus abdominis, to brace the spine in advance of movement. In those with back pain, however, the transversus abdominis didn’t fire early. The spine wasn’t ready for the flailing. It wobbled and ached. Perhaps, the researchers theorized, increasing abdominal strength could ease back pain. The lab worked with patients in pain to isolate and strengthen that particular deep muscle, in part by sucking in their guts during exercises. The results, though mixed, showed some promise against sore backs.
From that highly technical foray into rehabilitative medicine, a booming industry of fitness classes was born. “The idea leaked” into gyms and Pilates classes that core health was “all about the transversus abdominis,” Thomas Nesser, an associate professor of physical education at Indiana State University who has studied core fitness, told me recently. Personal trainers began directing clients to pull in their belly buttons during crunches on Swiss balls or to press their backs against the floor during sit-ups, deeply hollowing their stomachs, then curl up one spinal segment at a time. “People are now spending hours trying to strengthen” their deep ab muscles, Nesser said.
But there’s growing dissent among sports scientists about whether all of this attention to the deep abdominal muscles actually gives you a more powerful core and a stronger back and whether it’s even safe. A provocative article published in the The British Journal of Sports Medicine last year asserted that some of the key findings from the first Australian study of back pain might be wrong. Moreover, even if they were true for some people in pain, the results might not apply to the generally healthy and fit, whose trunk muscles weren’t misfiring in the first place.
“There’s so much mythology out there about the core,” maintains Stuart McGill, a highly regarded professor of spine biomechanics at the University of Waterloo in Canada and a back-pain clinician who has been crusading against ab exercises that require hollowing your belly. “The idea has reached trainers and through them the public that the core means only the abs. There’s no science behind that idea.” (McGill’s website is backfitpro.com.)
Related
More from Gretchen Reynolds
Faster, Higher, Stronger
Fitness and Nutrition News
The “core” remains a somewhat nebulous concept; but most researchers consider it the corset of muscles and connective tissue that encircle and hold the spine in place. If your core is stable, your spine remains upright while your body swivels around it. But, McGill says, the muscles forming the core must be balanced to allow the spine to bear large loads. If you concentrate on strengthening only one set of muscles within the core, you can destabilize your spine by pulling it out of alignment. Think of the spine as a fishing rod supported by muscular guy wires. If all of the wires are tensed equally, the rod stays straight. “If you pull the wires closer to the spine,” McGill says, as you do when you pull in your stomach while trying to isolate the transversus abdominis, “what happens?” The rod buckles. So, too, he said, can your spine if you overly focus on the deep abdominal muscles. “In research at our lab,” he went on to say, “the amount of load that the spine can bear without injury was greatly reduced when subjects pulled in their belly buttons” during crunches and other exercises.
Instead, he suggests, a core exercise program should emphasize all of the major muscles that girdle the spine, including but not concentrating on the abs. Side plank (lie on your side and raise your upper body) and the “bird dog” (in which, from all fours, you raise an alternate arm and leg) exercise the important muscles embedded along the back and sides of the core. As for the abdominals, no sit-ups, McGill said; they place devastating loads on the disks. An approved crunch begins with you lying down, one knee bent, and hands positioned beneath your lower back for support. “Do not hollow your stomach or press your back against the floor,” McGill says. Gently lift your head and shoulders, hold briefly and relax back down. These three exercises, done regularly, McGill said, can provide well-rounded, thorough core stability. And they avoid the pitfalls of the all-abs core routine. “I see too many people,” McGill told me with a sigh, “who have six-pack abs and a ruined back.”
The Phys Ed column will appear here in Well every Wednesday and also in print once a month, in the Sunday magazine. In it, Gretchen Reynolds, who is working on a book about the frontiers of fitness, will write about what the latest science can tell us about how to make ourselves stronger, more flexible, less prone to pain and generally fitter and healthier. We want to hear what you think, so stay tuned and offer your comments and questions.
As always, exercise with care, more advice om www.backpainloss.com
Regards
Paul
June 17, 2009, 11:00 am
Is Your Ab Workout Hurting Your Back?
By Gretchen Reynolds
The genesis of much of the ab work we do these days probably lies in the work done in an Australian physiotherapy lab during the mid-1990s. Researchers there, hoping to elucidate the underlying cause of back pain, attached electrodes to people’s midsections and directed them to rapidly raise and lower their arms, like the alarmist robot in “Lost in Space.”
In those with healthy backs, the scientists found, a deep abdominal muscle tensed several milliseconds before the arms rose. The brain apparently alerted the muscle, the transversus abdominis, to brace the spine in advance of movement. In those with back pain, however, the transversus abdominis didn’t fire early. The spine wasn’t ready for the flailing. It wobbled and ached. Perhaps, the researchers theorized, increasing abdominal strength could ease back pain. The lab worked with patients in pain to isolate and strengthen that particular deep muscle, in part by sucking in their guts during exercises. The results, though mixed, showed some promise against sore backs.
From that highly technical foray into rehabilitative medicine, a booming industry of fitness classes was born. “The idea leaked” into gyms and Pilates classes that core health was “all about the transversus abdominis,” Thomas Nesser, an associate professor of physical education at Indiana State University who has studied core fitness, told me recently. Personal trainers began directing clients to pull in their belly buttons during crunches on Swiss balls or to press their backs against the floor during sit-ups, deeply hollowing their stomachs, then curl up one spinal segment at a time. “People are now spending hours trying to strengthen” their deep ab muscles, Nesser said.
But there’s growing dissent among sports scientists about whether all of this attention to the deep abdominal muscles actually gives you a more powerful core and a stronger back and whether it’s even safe. A provocative article published in the The British Journal of Sports Medicine last year asserted that some of the key findings from the first Australian study of back pain might be wrong. Moreover, even if they were true for some people in pain, the results might not apply to the generally healthy and fit, whose trunk muscles weren’t misfiring in the first place.
“There’s so much mythology out there about the core,” maintains Stuart McGill, a highly regarded professor of spine biomechanics at the University of Waterloo in Canada and a back-pain clinician who has been crusading against ab exercises that require hollowing your belly. “The idea has reached trainers and through them the public that the core means only the abs. There’s no science behind that idea.” (McGill’s website is backfitpro.com.)
Related
More from Gretchen Reynolds
Faster, Higher, Stronger
Fitness and Nutrition News
The “core” remains a somewhat nebulous concept; but most researchers consider it the corset of muscles and connective tissue that encircle and hold the spine in place. If your core is stable, your spine remains upright while your body swivels around it. But, McGill says, the muscles forming the core must be balanced to allow the spine to bear large loads. If you concentrate on strengthening only one set of muscles within the core, you can destabilize your spine by pulling it out of alignment. Think of the spine as a fishing rod supported by muscular guy wires. If all of the wires are tensed equally, the rod stays straight. “If you pull the wires closer to the spine,” McGill says, as you do when you pull in your stomach while trying to isolate the transversus abdominis, “what happens?” The rod buckles. So, too, he said, can your spine if you overly focus on the deep abdominal muscles. “In research at our lab,” he went on to say, “the amount of load that the spine can bear without injury was greatly reduced when subjects pulled in their belly buttons” during crunches and other exercises.
Instead, he suggests, a core exercise program should emphasize all of the major muscles that girdle the spine, including but not concentrating on the abs. Side plank (lie on your side and raise your upper body) and the “bird dog” (in which, from all fours, you raise an alternate arm and leg) exercise the important muscles embedded along the back and sides of the core. As for the abdominals, no sit-ups, McGill said; they place devastating loads on the disks. An approved crunch begins with you lying down, one knee bent, and hands positioned beneath your lower back for support. “Do not hollow your stomach or press your back against the floor,” McGill says. Gently lift your head and shoulders, hold briefly and relax back down. These three exercises, done regularly, McGill said, can provide well-rounded, thorough core stability. And they avoid the pitfalls of the all-abs core routine. “I see too many people,” McGill told me with a sigh, “who have six-pack abs and a ruined back.”
The Phys Ed column will appear here in Well every Wednesday and also in print once a month, in the Sunday magazine. In it, Gretchen Reynolds, who is working on a book about the frontiers of fitness, will write about what the latest science can tell us about how to make ourselves stronger, more flexible, less prone to pain and generally fitter and healthier. We want to hear what you think, so stay tuned and offer your comments and questions.
As always, exercise with care, more advice om www.backpainloss.com
Regards
Paul
Exercise balls and abck pain
From Fitness and weight loss, exercise balls ans back pain
Exercise Balls
Exercise balls are one of the most innovative ways to exercise. These little balls will catch every one’s fancy due to their shape and very attractive colors. The real benefit of these balls, which were introduced by a group of Swiss medical therapists, is a substitute of support during exercise.
Working out with the exercise balls will strengthen and tone all of the major muscles of the body. The soft texture of the balls make it an ideal choice for Yoga positions, using dumbbells for muscle toning, or working on heavy duty weight training equipment.
The advantage of exercise balls is that they are durable and maintain shape well under pressure. The documentation with the balls will provide test load figures for how much weight the exercise balls will hold. The advantage here is the fact that the balls provide soft yet firm support that doesn’t harm your body.
You can find exercise balls in several different colors and finishes. You can even get a ball that matches the texture of your room. They are simple to store and you can even roll them under your bed or a table if you prefer. When you aren’t using them, you can let kids play with them. These balls are very fun for kids, as they are very soft and won’t cause them any harm.
Medical equipment
Originally developed for use in medical therapy, the exercise ball is used to support the body during exercise. These balls will provide support to the body when you do a specific exercise in a specific position and still need to maintain the balance. Most exercise balls are made of burst proof latex or other material that is very safe to use.
There are many postures with yoga and muscle toning exercise that can only be done with the help of support. For these postures, exercise balls are quite useful. The exercise balls will introduce an element of stability to the exercise that you wouldn’t normally get with the floor exercise.
Your body responds automatically to the instability to keep balanced on the exercise ball. This will help in strengthening the muscles that aren’t actively participating in exercise.
An exercise is also very useful for physiotherapy treatment. Exercise balls will help to get rid of backache and spinal disorders. The small range of movement and adjustment of balance of the spine that is induced by exercising with the exercise ball will help reduce back pain.
The Swiss ball exercise is for people with back pain to provide them with a simple way to restore movements after an episode of back pain. It also results in improved muscle strength, greater flexibility, and a wide range of motion of the spine during treatment.
Remeber, if you have any back pain, always start an exercise program gently. If you rush a back pain may be aggravated, build up slowly and exercise will help your back pain, works for me.
For more on ecercise and back pain, www.backpainloss.com.
All the best
Paul
Exercise Balls
Exercise balls are one of the most innovative ways to exercise. These little balls will catch every one’s fancy due to their shape and very attractive colors. The real benefit of these balls, which were introduced by a group of Swiss medical therapists, is a substitute of support during exercise.
Working out with the exercise balls will strengthen and tone all of the major muscles of the body. The soft texture of the balls make it an ideal choice for Yoga positions, using dumbbells for muscle toning, or working on heavy duty weight training equipment.
The advantage of exercise balls is that they are durable and maintain shape well under pressure. The documentation with the balls will provide test load figures for how much weight the exercise balls will hold. The advantage here is the fact that the balls provide soft yet firm support that doesn’t harm your body.
You can find exercise balls in several different colors and finishes. You can even get a ball that matches the texture of your room. They are simple to store and you can even roll them under your bed or a table if you prefer. When you aren’t using them, you can let kids play with them. These balls are very fun for kids, as they are very soft and won’t cause them any harm.
Medical equipment
Originally developed for use in medical therapy, the exercise ball is used to support the body during exercise. These balls will provide support to the body when you do a specific exercise in a specific position and still need to maintain the balance. Most exercise balls are made of burst proof latex or other material that is very safe to use.
There are many postures with yoga and muscle toning exercise that can only be done with the help of support. For these postures, exercise balls are quite useful. The exercise balls will introduce an element of stability to the exercise that you wouldn’t normally get with the floor exercise.
Your body responds automatically to the instability to keep balanced on the exercise ball. This will help in strengthening the muscles that aren’t actively participating in exercise.
An exercise is also very useful for physiotherapy treatment. Exercise balls will help to get rid of backache and spinal disorders. The small range of movement and adjustment of balance of the spine that is induced by exercising with the exercise ball will help reduce back pain.
The Swiss ball exercise is for people with back pain to provide them with a simple way to restore movements after an episode of back pain. It also results in improved muscle strength, greater flexibility, and a wide range of motion of the spine during treatment.
Remeber, if you have any back pain, always start an exercise program gently. If you rush a back pain may be aggravated, build up slowly and exercise will help your back pain, works for me.
For more on ecercise and back pain, www.backpainloss.com.
All the best
Paul
More exercise and back pain
From The Los Angeles Times. Some interesting comments on Back Pain and exercise
Lower back pain? Don't just sit there -- exercise
2:45 PM, June 3, 2009
More is better when it comes to alleviating lower back pain -- more exercise, that is.
Although many who suffer back pain don't exercise, fearing it will exacerbate the problem, a recent study found that exercising four days a week gave people greater relief from back pain than those who worked out fewer times per week, or not at all.
In the study, 120 people were randomly assigned to one of four groups for 12 weeks: one did a strength training program two days a week, one did it three days a week, and one four days a week. A control group did no exercise, but participated in a two-week exercise familiarization program. Exercises in the workout program included bench presses, lat pull downs and leg presses.
Those in the four-day-a-week program had the most reduction in pain -- 28% -- compared with 14% for those who exercised two days a week. The four-day group also reported having a better quality of life and less disability than those who exercised less. In addition, it showed the greatest strength gains. The control group showed insignificant change in all areas.
Robert Kell, an assistant professor in the department of social sciences at the University of Alberta, Augustana Campus, was the lead author of the study presented recently at the annual meeting of the American College of Sports Medicine in Seattle.
-- Jeannine Stein
I do hope this is of interest. For more on back pain and exercise, please goto www.backpainloss.com
Regards
Paul
Lower back pain? Don't just sit there -- exercise
2:45 PM, June 3, 2009
More is better when it comes to alleviating lower back pain -- more exercise, that is.
Although many who suffer back pain don't exercise, fearing it will exacerbate the problem, a recent study found that exercising four days a week gave people greater relief from back pain than those who worked out fewer times per week, or not at all.
In the study, 120 people were randomly assigned to one of four groups for 12 weeks: one did a strength training program two days a week, one did it three days a week, and one four days a week. A control group did no exercise, but participated in a two-week exercise familiarization program. Exercises in the workout program included bench presses, lat pull downs and leg presses.
Those in the four-day-a-week program had the most reduction in pain -- 28% -- compared with 14% for those who exercised two days a week. The four-day group also reported having a better quality of life and less disability than those who exercised less. In addition, it showed the greatest strength gains. The control group showed insignificant change in all areas.
Robert Kell, an assistant professor in the department of social sciences at the University of Alberta, Augustana Campus, was the lead author of the study presented recently at the annual meeting of the American College of Sports Medicine in Seattle.
-- Jeannine Stein
I do hope this is of interest. For more on back pain and exercise, please goto www.backpainloss.com
Regards
Paul
Friday, 5 June 2009
Pilates and Back Pain
An interesting article on Pilates and back pain
Laura Coale
Pilates helped Laura Coale recover from back surgery over 10 years ago. She believes in the benefits of pilates so much that she became a pilates instructor and owner of Colorado Pilates. Contact her at info@coloradopilates.com.
Subscribe to Laura's Email Alerts
Get alerts when Laura submits a new article
Email Address
Include other special offers from Examiner.com
Terms of Use
Laura has been added to your favorite examiners·View my favorite Examiners
Next ArticleDenver Pilates Examiner Pilates shouldn't be a pain in the neck
June 2, 6:57 PM · Add a Comment
Add a CommentShareThisFeed What should you do if you feel neck tension or pain in your neck during some of the abdominal exercises? Modify the exercise or choose different types of exercises.
Neck tension and pain can be caused by a number of different things, but working through the pain is certainly NOT going to help alleviate it.
In many of the exercises where you are lying flat on your back, you can keep your head on the floor and not curl up (i.e. during the hundreds) until the deep muscles in your neck gain strength to support the weight of the head. Also, as your abdominal muscles increase in strength, you’ll be able to curl up higher off the mat so that your head will be more supported on top of the shoulders.
Weak abdominals may be the cause of the neck tension so working on strengthening the abdominal muscles is always good. Choosing exercises that start seated on the sits bones and roll back from there are more “neck-friendly” than others. In addition, exercises in the all-fours position can really help you connect with your deepest abdominal muscle, the transversus abdominis, and this will help your abdominal muscle endurance as well.
There are many modifications to Pilates exercises so please ask your instructor what you can do to avoid neck tension or pain. After all, Pilates is supposed to make you feel better not worse!
While performing the Pilates "hundreds" exercise you can simply place one hand behind your head or place your head on the mat to relieve any neck tension you may feel.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Morenformation on complementary therapies and back pain at www.backpainloss.com
Besr wishes
Paul
Laura Coale
Pilates helped Laura Coale recover from back surgery over 10 years ago. She believes in the benefits of pilates so much that she became a pilates instructor and owner of Colorado Pilates. Contact her at info@coloradopilates.com.
Subscribe to Laura's Email Alerts
Get alerts when Laura submits a new article
Email Address
Include other special offers from Examiner.com
Terms of Use
Laura has been added to your favorite examiners·View my favorite Examiners
Next ArticleDenver Pilates Examiner Pilates shouldn't be a pain in the neck
June 2, 6:57 PM · Add a Comment
Add a CommentShareThisFeed What should you do if you feel neck tension or pain in your neck during some of the abdominal exercises? Modify the exercise or choose different types of exercises.
Neck tension and pain can be caused by a number of different things, but working through the pain is certainly NOT going to help alleviate it.
In many of the exercises where you are lying flat on your back, you can keep your head on the floor and not curl up (i.e. during the hundreds) until the deep muscles in your neck gain strength to support the weight of the head. Also, as your abdominal muscles increase in strength, you’ll be able to curl up higher off the mat so that your head will be more supported on top of the shoulders.
Weak abdominals may be the cause of the neck tension so working on strengthening the abdominal muscles is always good. Choosing exercises that start seated on the sits bones and roll back from there are more “neck-friendly” than others. In addition, exercises in the all-fours position can really help you connect with your deepest abdominal muscle, the transversus abdominis, and this will help your abdominal muscle endurance as well.
There are many modifications to Pilates exercises so please ask your instructor what you can do to avoid neck tension or pain. After all, Pilates is supposed to make you feel better not worse!
While performing the Pilates "hundreds" exercise you can simply place one hand behind your head or place your head on the mat to relieve any neck tension you may feel.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Morenformation on complementary therapies and back pain at www.backpainloss.com
Besr wishes
Paul
Sunday, 5 April 2009
This article from CarrieSpry.com
Hello again
I love Yoga,at the moment I am very interested in Meditation, have a read.
Yoga and Back Pain
by Andrew Mitchell
Back problems can often be very uncomfortable, making it difficult to bend down, lift objects, sit on a soft sofa ” common things that many people take for granted. GPs advise you to go on diets, take medications, and follow special treatments to deal with the more painful symptoms, but in recent years there has been an upsurge of interest in non-western solutions to psychical problems. And apparently, they work. One eastern alternative has been particularly helpful for dealing with back pain: yoga.
How does it work?
Yoga has many varieties ” gentle exercises that relax the mind and body, to more challenging types that are psychically demanding and a great workout. Through a combination of poses and breathing techniques, yoga allows you to gain a greater awareness of your body, helping it become more aligned and improving your overall posture.
Osteopaths and yoga experts recommend a style that is known as hatha yoga for people who are suffering from back problems, as it is one of the gentlest forms that involves careful stretches, easy breathing exercises, and practices of the basic yoga poses. They discourage yoga variations such as Bikram and Ashtanga, as they can be hard on the back. Hatha yoga can make it easier to recover quickly from back problems such as Sciatica, Osteoarthritis and Fibromyalgia, and can also prevent them from occurring in the first place.
What you can do
Here are some yoga exercises you can do to strengthen your back, alleviate pain, and make your muscles more flexible:
1) Begin with some stretches before moving on to the more complicated poses. Get into the Mountain Pose: stand up straight with your feet touching, balancing the weight of your body over the feet evenly. Keep your arms at your sides, slightly pressed into the body. Tighten your buttocks and stomach muscles but maintain a firm posture. Whole holding the pose, breathe in through your nose, out through your mouth.
2) Crescent Moon Pose: this pose strengthens your back, legs, and shoulders, helping you build extra stamina. Complete it in two steps:
Keep your back straight and kneel to your knees. Step forward with your right foot so that your foot is a little past your right knee, and keep your leg parallel to the floor.
Stretch both arms above your head, hooking the thumbs together. Keeping your balance, slowly lift your left knee off the floor, stretch out the leg, and make sure your weight is spread evenly over both the front and leg. Pay attention to keeping your chest low, otherwise you create a hollow in your back.
3) The Child Pose: this pose helps you stretch your spine, hips, and thighs, and should help alleviate the psychical and emotional stresses in your body. Carry it out in three steps:
Kneel down separating your knees, and sit on your feet with your feet pointing outwards.
Gently place your forehead on the floor and swing your arms forward, so that your shoulders brush your ears.
With your head still touching the floor, bring your arms around to your sides, palms facing upwards.
These traditional ways of healing the body can therefore be a great supplement or alternative to western back treatments. As long as each pose is exercised with caution, hatha yoga can ensure that your mind and body feel better and refreshed.
About the Author:
Andrew Mitchell, clinical director of the Osteopath Network, writes papers about musculo-skeletal conditions and Southampton Osteopath. The Osteopath Network has more than 550 clinics located throughout the UK and offers treatment at weekends and after hours.
There should be more about Yoga near you. Everything from Hatha Yoga, Ashtanga, I thinh thats right, a bit more like hard work. If you are really adventurous, try Tantric, I have not gone that far.
Whatever you do, don't forget www.backpainloss.com
Bye for now
Paul
I love Yoga,at the moment I am very interested in Meditation, have a read.
Yoga and Back Pain
by Andrew Mitchell
Back problems can often be very uncomfortable, making it difficult to bend down, lift objects, sit on a soft sofa ” common things that many people take for granted. GPs advise you to go on diets, take medications, and follow special treatments to deal with the more painful symptoms, but in recent years there has been an upsurge of interest in non-western solutions to psychical problems. And apparently, they work. One eastern alternative has been particularly helpful for dealing with back pain: yoga.
How does it work?
Yoga has many varieties ” gentle exercises that relax the mind and body, to more challenging types that are psychically demanding and a great workout. Through a combination of poses and breathing techniques, yoga allows you to gain a greater awareness of your body, helping it become more aligned and improving your overall posture.
Osteopaths and yoga experts recommend a style that is known as hatha yoga for people who are suffering from back problems, as it is one of the gentlest forms that involves careful stretches, easy breathing exercises, and practices of the basic yoga poses. They discourage yoga variations such as Bikram and Ashtanga, as they can be hard on the back. Hatha yoga can make it easier to recover quickly from back problems such as Sciatica, Osteoarthritis and Fibromyalgia, and can also prevent them from occurring in the first place.
What you can do
Here are some yoga exercises you can do to strengthen your back, alleviate pain, and make your muscles more flexible:
1) Begin with some stretches before moving on to the more complicated poses. Get into the Mountain Pose: stand up straight with your feet touching, balancing the weight of your body over the feet evenly. Keep your arms at your sides, slightly pressed into the body. Tighten your buttocks and stomach muscles but maintain a firm posture. Whole holding the pose, breathe in through your nose, out through your mouth.
2) Crescent Moon Pose: this pose strengthens your back, legs, and shoulders, helping you build extra stamina. Complete it in two steps:
Keep your back straight and kneel to your knees. Step forward with your right foot so that your foot is a little past your right knee, and keep your leg parallel to the floor.
Stretch both arms above your head, hooking the thumbs together. Keeping your balance, slowly lift your left knee off the floor, stretch out the leg, and make sure your weight is spread evenly over both the front and leg. Pay attention to keeping your chest low, otherwise you create a hollow in your back.
3) The Child Pose: this pose helps you stretch your spine, hips, and thighs, and should help alleviate the psychical and emotional stresses in your body. Carry it out in three steps:
Kneel down separating your knees, and sit on your feet with your feet pointing outwards.
Gently place your forehead on the floor and swing your arms forward, so that your shoulders brush your ears.
With your head still touching the floor, bring your arms around to your sides, palms facing upwards.
These traditional ways of healing the body can therefore be a great supplement or alternative to western back treatments. As long as each pose is exercised with caution, hatha yoga can ensure that your mind and body feel better and refreshed.
About the Author:
Andrew Mitchell, clinical director of the Osteopath Network, writes papers about musculo-skeletal conditions and Southampton Osteopath. The Osteopath Network has more than 550 clinics located throughout the UK and offers treatment at weekends and after hours.
There should be more about Yoga near you. Everything from Hatha Yoga, Ashtanga, I thinh thats right, a bit more like hard work. If you are really adventurous, try Tantric, I have not gone that far.
Whatever you do, don't forget www.backpainloss.com
Bye for now
Paul
From the Chicgo Tribune.com, more on back pain
Here is an interesting article from Chicgo
SEATED EXERCISES PROPER FORM
Give your chair a rest
6 strategies
Julie Deardorff |
April 5, 2009
Where are you right now? Lounging on an overstuffed couch with the newspaper and a cup of coffee? Sitting on a kitchen chair taking in the news online? Well, I hope you're sitting down for this bit of news. (Or maybe you should stand.) Your chair is slowly killing you.
Chair disease, as we like to call it, is an increasingly common malady in the U.S. that is almost always caused by spending too much time parked on your rear end.
It's not really the chair's fault, though. The problem is that most of us sit wrong—slouched forward with our earlobes in front of our shoulders—and for hours without moving. The result? Avoidable chair-related ailments, including flabby butts, an increased risk of blood clots, and back pain, the leading cause of disability in Americans under age 45. And if you haven't had back pain yet, just wait; it affects 8 out of 10 people at some point during their life, according to the National Institutes of Health.
"Sitting all day is the worst thing in the world you can do for your back, " said Dr. Joel Press, the medical director of the Spine & Sports Institute at the Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago.
Julie Deardorff Bio | E-mail | Recent columns
Related links
Give your chair a rest Photos Sitting puts nearly twice the stress on the spine as standing; slouching while you sit increases the pressure even more.
That's because hunching forward pushes the back into a convex or C shape. Try it. Now pull your shoulders back and together and put your hand on your lower back. That natural concave curve is what you want; slouching fatigues and overstretches the ligaments, causing back pain.
To make matters worse, we stay in this bad C position for hours, barely moving, even when nature calls. "I'll be crashing on a project and three hours go by," said Kara Carmichael, a 23-year-old Chicago publicist with back pain who sits behind her computer for 10 hours a day.
Movement is key because the disks in our vertebrae are important shock absorbers. When we're locked in one position, we're starving the disks of nutrients.
"There's no vascular or nerve supply to the disks; they get their nutrition through movement," said Press. "If we're not moving, everything stagnates."
Sitting also tightens and shortens the psoas—the strong hip flexor—which can affect how the pelvis rotates and increase the load on the low back. If you've ever run on a treadmill at lunch and then returned to your desk, you know hamstrings also tighten when we sit. The gluteal muscles, meanwhile, stretch out, but they're not being used so they turn off and get weaker (flabbier!) from sitting.
A significant portion of low back pain can be remedied by avoiding what Chicago physical therapist Vincent Gutierrez calls the two most common sitting mistakes: leaning forward and having the chair too low. But to really stand up to chair disease, try the following techniques:
Change your position. It's the single best thing you can do, said Press. Stand up every 15 to 30 minutes and clasp your hands behind your back. Take a phone call standing instead of sitting or simply straighten up, contract your abs and lean back. Carmichael sets an Outlook reminder to tell her to move.
Get a treadmill desk. Lisa Solomon operates her law practice from her New York home while walking on a treadmill at 2.2 miles per hour. She has lost 8 pounds. For more information: officewalkers.ning.com.
Squat. It's more comfortable than sitting because most of the weight of the abdomen is supported on the thighs, said Dr. William Meller, author of "Evolution Rx" (Perigee, $24.95). "Also squatting with the head and shoulders held up and back keeps the low back in its natural position," he told me.
Use a lumbar roll. About 6 inches in diameter, lumbar rolls help maintain the natural curve of the back. You can use them in a car or the office. Order one—along with Angela Kneale's useful handbook "Desk Pilates"—at optp.com.
Practice Robin McKenzie's "slouch-overcorrect" exercise. If you have to sit for a long time, move from slouched position to upright 10 to 15 times, three times a day, said Gutierrez. (If you know yoga, it's similar to moving between a seated cat and cow pose.) For more info: mckenziemdt.org.
Try the Alexander Technique. Studies have shown that the postural educational system is an effective treatment for back pain when used in conjunction with exercise. alexandertechnique.com
jdeardorff@tribune.com
I think this is very interesting. Why not go to www.backpainloss.com for more info on backpain
SEATED EXERCISES PROPER FORM
Give your chair a rest
6 strategies
Julie Deardorff |
April 5, 2009
Where are you right now? Lounging on an overstuffed couch with the newspaper and a cup of coffee? Sitting on a kitchen chair taking in the news online? Well, I hope you're sitting down for this bit of news. (Or maybe you should stand.) Your chair is slowly killing you.
Chair disease, as we like to call it, is an increasingly common malady in the U.S. that is almost always caused by spending too much time parked on your rear end.
It's not really the chair's fault, though. The problem is that most of us sit wrong—slouched forward with our earlobes in front of our shoulders—and for hours without moving. The result? Avoidable chair-related ailments, including flabby butts, an increased risk of blood clots, and back pain, the leading cause of disability in Americans under age 45. And if you haven't had back pain yet, just wait; it affects 8 out of 10 people at some point during their life, according to the National Institutes of Health.
"Sitting all day is the worst thing in the world you can do for your back, " said Dr. Joel Press, the medical director of the Spine & Sports Institute at the Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago.
Julie Deardorff Bio | E-mail | Recent columns
Related links
Give your chair a rest Photos Sitting puts nearly twice the stress on the spine as standing; slouching while you sit increases the pressure even more.
That's because hunching forward pushes the back into a convex or C shape. Try it. Now pull your shoulders back and together and put your hand on your lower back. That natural concave curve is what you want; slouching fatigues and overstretches the ligaments, causing back pain.
To make matters worse, we stay in this bad C position for hours, barely moving, even when nature calls. "I'll be crashing on a project and three hours go by," said Kara Carmichael, a 23-year-old Chicago publicist with back pain who sits behind her computer for 10 hours a day.
Movement is key because the disks in our vertebrae are important shock absorbers. When we're locked in one position, we're starving the disks of nutrients.
"There's no vascular or nerve supply to the disks; they get their nutrition through movement," said Press. "If we're not moving, everything stagnates."
Sitting also tightens and shortens the psoas—the strong hip flexor—which can affect how the pelvis rotates and increase the load on the low back. If you've ever run on a treadmill at lunch and then returned to your desk, you know hamstrings also tighten when we sit. The gluteal muscles, meanwhile, stretch out, but they're not being used so they turn off and get weaker (flabbier!) from sitting.
A significant portion of low back pain can be remedied by avoiding what Chicago physical therapist Vincent Gutierrez calls the two most common sitting mistakes: leaning forward and having the chair too low. But to really stand up to chair disease, try the following techniques:
Change your position. It's the single best thing you can do, said Press. Stand up every 15 to 30 minutes and clasp your hands behind your back. Take a phone call standing instead of sitting or simply straighten up, contract your abs and lean back. Carmichael sets an Outlook reminder to tell her to move.
Get a treadmill desk. Lisa Solomon operates her law practice from her New York home while walking on a treadmill at 2.2 miles per hour. She has lost 8 pounds. For more information: officewalkers.ning.com.
Squat. It's more comfortable than sitting because most of the weight of the abdomen is supported on the thighs, said Dr. William Meller, author of "Evolution Rx" (Perigee, $24.95). "Also squatting with the head and shoulders held up and back keeps the low back in its natural position," he told me.
Use a lumbar roll. About 6 inches in diameter, lumbar rolls help maintain the natural curve of the back. You can use them in a car or the office. Order one—along with Angela Kneale's useful handbook "Desk Pilates"—at optp.com.
Practice Robin McKenzie's "slouch-overcorrect" exercise. If you have to sit for a long time, move from slouched position to upright 10 to 15 times, three times a day, said Gutierrez. (If you know yoga, it's similar to moving between a seated cat and cow pose.) For more info: mckenziemdt.org.
Try the Alexander Technique. Studies have shown that the postural educational system is an effective treatment for back pain when used in conjunction with exercise. alexandertechnique.com
jdeardorff@tribune.com
I think this is very interesting. Why not go to www.backpainloss.com for more info on backpain
Saturday, 21 March 2009
Exerxise for the back
Hello.
Here is an inter sting article from the Columbus Times, enjoy.
exercise
Strengthening back stabilizes core
Monday, March 16, 2009 3:03 AM
By Jeannine Stein
LOS ANGELES TIMES
Christina House | Los Angeles Times
The move known as the Superman: Lift the arms and legs for at least 10 seconds.
LOS ANGELES -- The back often gets short shrift in pursuit of strength and conditioning because people tend to focus on muscles more prone to easy definition: arms, abs and chest.
But neglecting the back can lead to aches, stiffness and chronic pain.
A healthy back is flexible, allowing you to bend, turn and reach without a twinge. A strong back stabilizes the rest of the body.
"Having a strong back is huge," said Torri Shack, a trainer at Sky Sport & Spa in Beverly Hills, Calif. "The stronger your back, the more weight-bearing exercise you can do. . . . The stronger your back, the stronger your stomach."
To help restore backs to their proper shape, we asked trainers to suggest exercises. Always get a doctor's OK before beginning an exercise program.
"I tell my clients to do the front plank (the name of an exercise) in the morning and before they go to bed," Shack said.
Here are some of the trainers' recommendations:
• The front plank: Face the floor, support your body on your lower arms and your toes and hold it for a minute; progress to a minute and 15 seconds, a minute and a half, etc. To create more instability, raise the right leg, then the left leg, holding for 10 seconds. That strengthens the overall core. The front plank helps people begin to increase the weight they lift because they will have a stronger back.
• The Superman: Lie on your stomach, with hands and legs outstretched. Lift the arms and legs at the same time, hold for 10 seconds, relax, then do it again. Work up to a minute of 10-second intervals.
• Dumbbell pullovers on a stability ball: Rest the upper shoulders and head on the ball and place feet on the floor. Hold one dumbbell with both hands, arms extended overhead over the chest. Squeeze the lats (wide triangular muscles on each side of the spine) and keep the elbows straight, lower the weight over the head, then bring the weight back up.
Rob Sham of Bally Total Fitness in Culver City, Calif., said most people sit hunched, and when the shoulders slump forward, that stretches the muscles in the upper back. Sitting that way for a prolonged period shortens the muscles in front. To offset that habit, he suggests:
• The upper-trapezius stretch: Sit in a chair facing forward while maintaining good posture. Hold onto the chair with the left arm, gently pull the head toward the right shoulder with the right hand. You should feel a mild stretch, but it shouldn't hurt. Repeat on the other side.
For more on exercise for the back, please look at www.backpainloss.com
Paul
Here is an inter sting article from the Columbus Times, enjoy.
exercise
Strengthening back stabilizes core
Monday, March 16, 2009 3:03 AM
By Jeannine Stein
LOS ANGELES TIMES
Christina House | Los Angeles Times
The move known as the Superman: Lift the arms and legs for at least 10 seconds.
LOS ANGELES -- The back often gets short shrift in pursuit of strength and conditioning because people tend to focus on muscles more prone to easy definition: arms, abs and chest.
But neglecting the back can lead to aches, stiffness and chronic pain.
A healthy back is flexible, allowing you to bend, turn and reach without a twinge. A strong back stabilizes the rest of the body.
"Having a strong back is huge," said Torri Shack, a trainer at Sky Sport & Spa in Beverly Hills, Calif. "The stronger your back, the more weight-bearing exercise you can do. . . . The stronger your back, the stronger your stomach."
To help restore backs to their proper shape, we asked trainers to suggest exercises. Always get a doctor's OK before beginning an exercise program.
"I tell my clients to do the front plank (the name of an exercise) in the morning and before they go to bed," Shack said.
Here are some of the trainers' recommendations:
• The front plank: Face the floor, support your body on your lower arms and your toes and hold it for a minute; progress to a minute and 15 seconds, a minute and a half, etc. To create more instability, raise the right leg, then the left leg, holding for 10 seconds. That strengthens the overall core. The front plank helps people begin to increase the weight they lift because they will have a stronger back.
• The Superman: Lie on your stomach, with hands and legs outstretched. Lift the arms and legs at the same time, hold for 10 seconds, relax, then do it again. Work up to a minute of 10-second intervals.
• Dumbbell pullovers on a stability ball: Rest the upper shoulders and head on the ball and place feet on the floor. Hold one dumbbell with both hands, arms extended overhead over the chest. Squeeze the lats (wide triangular muscles on each side of the spine) and keep the elbows straight, lower the weight over the head, then bring the weight back up.
Rob Sham of Bally Total Fitness in Culver City, Calif., said most people sit hunched, and when the shoulders slump forward, that stretches the muscles in the upper back. Sitting that way for a prolonged period shortens the muscles in front. To offset that habit, he suggests:
• The upper-trapezius stretch: Sit in a chair facing forward while maintaining good posture. Hold onto the chair with the left arm, gently pull the head toward the right shoulder with the right hand. You should feel a mild stretch, but it shouldn't hurt. Repeat on the other side.
For more on exercise for the back, please look at www.backpainloss.com
Paul
Sunday, 11 January 2009
Work and Back Pain
From personal trainerreport
"How to Prevent Office Back Pain
An office job can cause a lot of back pain. Here is how to avoid back pain with tips that you can do at work.
First, adjust your chair so that your elbows are even with your work surface. This will keep you from leaning over your work and causing back pain in the upper back area. Also, make sure that your computer monitor is positioned so that you can see it without staining your neck. Neck stain can lead to pain in the upper back, as well.
Next, try adjusting the lumbar controls on your office chair. If your chair doesn’t have a lumbar support option you can use a lumbar pillow to support your lower back. This keeps the back in a much more natural position and helps create better posture, which is always good for the back.
Frequent breaks are important to keeping back muscles loose and relaxed. During your breaks, take time to do simple stretches such as touching your toes and twisting at the torso. This will keep the muscles limber.
A good exercise that helps prevent back pain is the wall press. This move is a lot like a standing push-up and does wonders for your back. Stand a few feet away from a wall that has very little on it such as pictures and decorations. Place your palms on the wall at about shoulder height and a shoulder width apart. Slowly bend your elbows until your nose is touching the wall between your hands. Make sure that your feet are still firmly planted on the floor. Then, raise yourself back up. Repeat this movement five to ten times. You may feel your back pop as the stress is relieved in your back.
Last, try to do your work standing up. Standing puts the least amount of pressure on your back. Try pacing as you talk on the phone or get a keyboard stand that can be raised.
These tips can keep your back healthy while you work without interfering with your workflow. That will make you and your boss happy.
For more tips on getting healthy try reading ebooks, such as Turbulence training review
The author, Aaron Patterson, went from couch potato to kickboxer in less than a year! His favorite passion is helping people get off their butts and start leading healthier, more active lives through his Website, http://www.eliminatetheweight.com"
Now the holidays are well and truly over, back to the office and the habits of your workstation.
Go to www.backpainloss.com and get some advice.
Paul
"How to Prevent Office Back Pain
An office job can cause a lot of back pain. Here is how to avoid back pain with tips that you can do at work.
First, adjust your chair so that your elbows are even with your work surface. This will keep you from leaning over your work and causing back pain in the upper back area. Also, make sure that your computer monitor is positioned so that you can see it without staining your neck. Neck stain can lead to pain in the upper back, as well.
Next, try adjusting the lumbar controls on your office chair. If your chair doesn’t have a lumbar support option you can use a lumbar pillow to support your lower back. This keeps the back in a much more natural position and helps create better posture, which is always good for the back.
Frequent breaks are important to keeping back muscles loose and relaxed. During your breaks, take time to do simple stretches such as touching your toes and twisting at the torso. This will keep the muscles limber.
A good exercise that helps prevent back pain is the wall press. This move is a lot like a standing push-up and does wonders for your back. Stand a few feet away from a wall that has very little on it such as pictures and decorations. Place your palms on the wall at about shoulder height and a shoulder width apart. Slowly bend your elbows until your nose is touching the wall between your hands. Make sure that your feet are still firmly planted on the floor. Then, raise yourself back up. Repeat this movement five to ten times. You may feel your back pop as the stress is relieved in your back.
Last, try to do your work standing up. Standing puts the least amount of pressure on your back. Try pacing as you talk on the phone or get a keyboard stand that can be raised.
These tips can keep your back healthy while you work without interfering with your workflow. That will make you and your boss happy.
For more tips on getting healthy try reading ebooks, such as Turbulence training review
The author, Aaron Patterson, went from couch potato to kickboxer in less than a year! His favorite passion is helping people get off their butts and start leading healthier, more active lives through his Website, http://www.eliminatetheweight.com"
Now the holidays are well and truly over, back to the office and the habits of your workstation.
Go to www.backpainloss.com and get some advice.
Paul
Thursday, 8 January 2009
More Golf and Back Pain
From Super Article.com the article directory
"What Causes Golf Back Pain?
Why it that golf back pain is such a common complaint in golf and amongst golf players on any course?
Does golf back pain have something to do with the game or do most players bring back pains acquired elsewhere into the game?
While it is true that there are golfers who started having back pains and related problems long before they set foot on the course, there is clear evidence that golf does cause back pain, especially to those who do not exercise and condition their bodies for the game.
One reason is that many of the golf back pains are aggravated by playing the game for long periods.
So why do many golfers continue to suffer in silence and yet simple golf specific exercises can permanently cure a golf back pain for good? The following effective, but simple exercise has helped many golfers gain more endurance to play golf the whole day without experiencing the usual nagging lower back problems that are extremely common on the course.
This golf back pain exercise also does an excellent job in adding endurance and strength to the muscles and usually makes such a tremendous difference in your strength that you have to try it to believe and experience the impact for yourself.
This exercise that cures golf back pain is done by lying flat on the floor on your stomach with your hands at your sides. You then raise your chest and upper body as well as arms and legs as high as you can. You do this so that your stomach supports the weight of your entire body. Hold the position and go for a count of 10. Doing this simple exercise for 2 sets daily will completely eliminate your low back pain for good.
Keeping yourself golf fit by getting involved in a good golf specific exercise program will keep any golfer free from golf back pain."
I do hope there are some golfers who will gain some useful information here.
For more, as usual, go to www.backpainloss.com
Paul
"What Causes Golf Back Pain?
Why it that golf back pain is such a common complaint in golf and amongst golf players on any course?
Does golf back pain have something to do with the game or do most players bring back pains acquired elsewhere into the game?
While it is true that there are golfers who started having back pains and related problems long before they set foot on the course, there is clear evidence that golf does cause back pain, especially to those who do not exercise and condition their bodies for the game.
One reason is that many of the golf back pains are aggravated by playing the game for long periods.
So why do many golfers continue to suffer in silence and yet simple golf specific exercises can permanently cure a golf back pain for good? The following effective, but simple exercise has helped many golfers gain more endurance to play golf the whole day without experiencing the usual nagging lower back problems that are extremely common on the course.
This golf back pain exercise also does an excellent job in adding endurance and strength to the muscles and usually makes such a tremendous difference in your strength that you have to try it to believe and experience the impact for yourself.
This exercise that cures golf back pain is done by lying flat on the floor on your stomach with your hands at your sides. You then raise your chest and upper body as well as arms and legs as high as you can. You do this so that your stomach supports the weight of your entire body. Hold the position and go for a count of 10. Doing this simple exercise for 2 sets daily will completely eliminate your low back pain for good.
Keeping yourself golf fit by getting involved in a good golf specific exercise program will keep any golfer free from golf back pain."
I do hope there are some golfers who will gain some useful information here.
For more, as usual, go to www.backpainloss.com
Paul
Sunday, 7 December 2008
More about exercise.
Here is an article from a paper, The Press, York England
"It’s such a pain in the... back
8:27am Saturday 6th December 2008
By Sara Hawthorn »
IN THE mad rush to the shops, now those vital few VAT pennies have been shaved off, try and remember to lift all those jampacked shopping bags correctly or Christmas may be far from merry.
In the UK, it is estimated that five million working days are lost every year as a result of back pain, which costs the NHS more than £1 billion a year to treat. Anyone who has suffered from this affliction has my sympathy.
Pain in this core area of the body can be debilitating, frustrating and depressing. And it is one of the worst for conflicting advice on the best course of action to take.
I’ve had back problems for years and have seen doctors, physiotherapists, osteopaths, acupuncturists and massage therapists to try and get rid of the constant pain.
I’ve had painkillers so strong you could have told me the world was ending in five minutes and I’d have smiled serenely and blown a raspberry, acupuncture needles in bizarre places, and my neck twisted in such a violent way I could have sworn my head was going to come clean off.
Each treatment gave me relief in one way or another, and I was so grateful just to be able to move without cranking myself upright like an old clockwork doll or get a decent night’s sleep.
In fact, I had so many people prodding and poking me I began to get fascinated by the mechanics of the body and ended up taking myself off to college.
We really are remarkable, at least in the way our bodies work, and yet in these days of office jobs and games console exercising, it is easy to see why our bodies are packing in on us.
The human body, and backs in particular, is not designed for being hunched over desks or slumped in front of the television.
Hints and tips about good posture and benefits of exercise are easily available, but if you are hobbling around bent double, then trying to sit with your shoulders back and spine in a natural ‘s’ curve is laughable.
One thing that professionals seem to agree on is that resting and doing nothing is not the thing to do. Yet I’ve also found that what works for one person, won’t necessarily work for another. It makes sense; causes are different and therefore treatments can differ too.
However, I often think that problems such as back pain can be brushed under the carpet (providing that the afflicted can bend down that far) and not taken seriously or can turn into more of a psychological condition.
Now that’s not saying people are faking, rather that the presence of pain has been adopted into the mindset and it’s hard to get out of the habit of always expecting it.
Plus there is a tendency to pop a few drugs (remember the above mentioned horse tranquilisers?) and get on with it. Which is great for a slot of four to six hours, but doesn’t really do anything to tackle the underlying problem.
Many statistics estimate that between 80 to 85 per cent of people will suffer with back pain at some point in their lives. That’s a lot of people chucking ibuprofen down their necks.
Campaigns tackling back pain are becoming more prolific, but it’s a bit like the five portions of fruit and veg a day debacle – everyone knows what they should do, but few of us manage it.
For the record, I heard that we are actually meant to eat eight portions a day, but the powers that be decided our heads would probably explode if we had to force that much down and decided to go with five.
I’m as guilty as the next person; even more so as I’ve trained to help other people with such problems.
It’s always the small changes that can have the biggest impact over long periods of time but, as I’ve mentioned, breaking the bad habits is continuously the hardest part.
So if you’ve been hunched over reading this column and feel that nagging twinge in your neck, middle, or lower back, get up and do some stretching and make those muscles work. (No, playing the Wii doesn’t count!) "
That last comment is a blow! I have been "playing" at exercising on the Wii, I still get tired.
Note for anyone, on the new year I will produce a book on exercise at home, the aim is to show how you can start a fitness campaing, at home. No gym fees, or Gym visits, unless you want to.
I hope to produce a simple introduction to fitness, and then go on to produce a bigger, all bells and whistles product later in the year.
If anyone has any comments about this or anything, let me know.
Love as always
Paul
PS More about exercise and back pain, try http://www.backpainloss.com
"It’s such a pain in the... back
8:27am Saturday 6th December 2008
By Sara Hawthorn »
IN THE mad rush to the shops, now those vital few VAT pennies have been shaved off, try and remember to lift all those jampacked shopping bags correctly or Christmas may be far from merry.
In the UK, it is estimated that five million working days are lost every year as a result of back pain, which costs the NHS more than £1 billion a year to treat. Anyone who has suffered from this affliction has my sympathy.
Pain in this core area of the body can be debilitating, frustrating and depressing. And it is one of the worst for conflicting advice on the best course of action to take.
I’ve had back problems for years and have seen doctors, physiotherapists, osteopaths, acupuncturists and massage therapists to try and get rid of the constant pain.
I’ve had painkillers so strong you could have told me the world was ending in five minutes and I’d have smiled serenely and blown a raspberry, acupuncture needles in bizarre places, and my neck twisted in such a violent way I could have sworn my head was going to come clean off.
Each treatment gave me relief in one way or another, and I was so grateful just to be able to move without cranking myself upright like an old clockwork doll or get a decent night’s sleep.
In fact, I had so many people prodding and poking me I began to get fascinated by the mechanics of the body and ended up taking myself off to college.
We really are remarkable, at least in the way our bodies work, and yet in these days of office jobs and games console exercising, it is easy to see why our bodies are packing in on us.
The human body, and backs in particular, is not designed for being hunched over desks or slumped in front of the television.
Hints and tips about good posture and benefits of exercise are easily available, but if you are hobbling around bent double, then trying to sit with your shoulders back and spine in a natural ‘s’ curve is laughable.
One thing that professionals seem to agree on is that resting and doing nothing is not the thing to do. Yet I’ve also found that what works for one person, won’t necessarily work for another. It makes sense; causes are different and therefore treatments can differ too.
However, I often think that problems such as back pain can be brushed under the carpet (providing that the afflicted can bend down that far) and not taken seriously or can turn into more of a psychological condition.
Now that’s not saying people are faking, rather that the presence of pain has been adopted into the mindset and it’s hard to get out of the habit of always expecting it.
Plus there is a tendency to pop a few drugs (remember the above mentioned horse tranquilisers?) and get on with it. Which is great for a slot of four to six hours, but doesn’t really do anything to tackle the underlying problem.
Many statistics estimate that between 80 to 85 per cent of people will suffer with back pain at some point in their lives. That’s a lot of people chucking ibuprofen down their necks.
Campaigns tackling back pain are becoming more prolific, but it’s a bit like the five portions of fruit and veg a day debacle – everyone knows what they should do, but few of us manage it.
For the record, I heard that we are actually meant to eat eight portions a day, but the powers that be decided our heads would probably explode if we had to force that much down and decided to go with five.
I’m as guilty as the next person; even more so as I’ve trained to help other people with such problems.
It’s always the small changes that can have the biggest impact over long periods of time but, as I’ve mentioned, breaking the bad habits is continuously the hardest part.
So if you’ve been hunched over reading this column and feel that nagging twinge in your neck, middle, or lower back, get up and do some stretching and make those muscles work. (No, playing the Wii doesn’t count!) "
That last comment is a blow! I have been "playing" at exercising on the Wii, I still get tired.
Note for anyone, on the new year I will produce a book on exercise at home, the aim is to show how you can start a fitness campaing, at home. No gym fees, or Gym visits, unless you want to.
I hope to produce a simple introduction to fitness, and then go on to produce a bigger, all bells and whistles product later in the year.
If anyone has any comments about this or anything, let me know.
Love as always
Paul
PS More about exercise and back pain, try http://www.backpainloss.com
Wednesday, 3 December 2008
Back to Basics
Hello
An article from the National Post seems of interest. Have a read through it was called, "back to basics"
"After 25 years of treating sore, aching bodies, the team at Concordia Sports Medicine know a thing or two about back pain. So does Stuart McGill, a researcher and expert in spine bio mechanics from the University of Waterloo.
In what seems to be the perfect marriage between science and practice, here is the latest lowdown about what to do when back pain hits.
Find out why it hurts
"Identify what causes your back pain and solve it," McGill said.
Sounds easy enough, but chances are you need some expert guidance on pinpointing and solving the problem. That's where someone like osteopath and athletic therapist Paul Evans from Concordia Sports Medicine can help. His evaluation isn't limited to the spine, but includes a look at how well your hips, shoulders and other core muscles and movements function. It's that kind of whole body approach that can make the difference between finding relief and not.
As for trying to isolate your problem to one particular event like bending over to tie your shoe, don't even try.
"Back pain is usually caused by the things you've done and not done," Evans said. "Unless your back pain is related to a specific injury, chances are your back health has been deteriorating slowly and steadily over time. And, since damage to your back accumulates, you're adding to the problem every day you don't do something to solve it.
McGill says that most people between the ages of 20 and 55 sit too much, which puts them at risk for disc problems. Evans agrees. He has patients who sit all day at a desk and then sit all night gaming on their computer. It's no surprise, then, when they show up at his office complaining of a sore back.
But sitting isn't the only culprit. Poor posture, overuse and poor movement patterns all contribute to back pain, yet most of these potential problems are ignored until the back starts to protest.
Treating the pain
Gone are the days when bed rest and a batch of anti-inflammatory drugs were the only option for a sore back. For many, the combination of manual therapy and exercise works best to relieve pain.
A word of caution here, however: Not all back pain is the result of the same set of circumstances, and not all back pain warrants the same treatment. In fact, tailoring treatment to your specific problem can mean the difference between success and failure. McGill suggested that finding out what postures hurt and don't hurt, what movements cause pain and what movements don't and how much load the spine can and can't bear are all key elements in designing a treatment plan.
Until you can get a back care specialist to look at your back, ice it and don't do anything that makes the pain worse. If that means laying low a couple of days, do it. But you can't get away with more than a couple of days of taking it easy. Activity, albeit light activity, not rest, is what your back needs.
The role of exercise
While it's true that exercise is an instrumental part of the treatment plan, don't think that you can download a series of back exercises off the Internet and consider yourself good to go. There's nothing generic about back pain, so it's rare that a one-size-fits-all exercise program will work for you. Nor will a couple of well-chosen exercises do it all.
McGill prescribes a series of individually targeted corrective exercises that improve movement patterns before moving onto traditional exercises like the plank or the bird dog. The idea is get the body moving in a back-friendly way before prescribing exercises, which, combined with improved everyday movement, contribute to improving back health.
And that brings about the next point. Exercising your back should become a daily event. We're not talking anything fancy here. A simple walk is a good place to start. And if you can walk only for 100 feet until the pain kicks in, stop just short of the pain mark and try it again tomorrow or later that same day. Take that walk every day until you find yourself travelling with ease.
When getting your back in shape, it's best to keep it light. Lots of repetitions of exercises that aren't too taxing on your back is the best way to start. As the health and endurance of your back improves, so should the intensity of the exercises. Adequate back health means being able to move pain-free, not just in everyday life but in an athletic setting as well. Don't consider your back healthy until you can move it pain-free with some measure of speed and mobility.
As to how long it takes to get relief, Evans said that most of his patients begin to see a return on their investment in five or six visits. If you don't, discuss your treatment plan with your back specialist and consider making some changes. Getting rid of back pain is not only possible, with the right approach, it can happen sooner than you think.
jbarker@videotron.ca "
I do hope this was of value.
If anyone reading this has ideas or needs information, please let me know. Till then, bye for now.
Paul
For information on exercise and back pain goto: www.backpainloss.com now
An article from the National Post seems of interest. Have a read through it was called, "back to basics"
"After 25 years of treating sore, aching bodies, the team at Concordia Sports Medicine know a thing or two about back pain. So does Stuart McGill, a researcher and expert in spine bio mechanics from the University of Waterloo.
In what seems to be the perfect marriage between science and practice, here is the latest lowdown about what to do when back pain hits.
Find out why it hurts
"Identify what causes your back pain and solve it," McGill said.
Sounds easy enough, but chances are you need some expert guidance on pinpointing and solving the problem. That's where someone like osteopath and athletic therapist Paul Evans from Concordia Sports Medicine can help. His evaluation isn't limited to the spine, but includes a look at how well your hips, shoulders and other core muscles and movements function. It's that kind of whole body approach that can make the difference between finding relief and not.
As for trying to isolate your problem to one particular event like bending over to tie your shoe, don't even try.
"Back pain is usually caused by the things you've done and not done," Evans said. "Unless your back pain is related to a specific injury, chances are your back health has been deteriorating slowly and steadily over time. And, since damage to your back accumulates, you're adding to the problem every day you don't do something to solve it.
McGill says that most people between the ages of 20 and 55 sit too much, which puts them at risk for disc problems. Evans agrees. He has patients who sit all day at a desk and then sit all night gaming on their computer. It's no surprise, then, when they show up at his office complaining of a sore back.
But sitting isn't the only culprit. Poor posture, overuse and poor movement patterns all contribute to back pain, yet most of these potential problems are ignored until the back starts to protest.
Treating the pain
Gone are the days when bed rest and a batch of anti-inflammatory drugs were the only option for a sore back. For many, the combination of manual therapy and exercise works best to relieve pain.
A word of caution here, however: Not all back pain is the result of the same set of circumstances, and not all back pain warrants the same treatment. In fact, tailoring treatment to your specific problem can mean the difference between success and failure. McGill suggested that finding out what postures hurt and don't hurt, what movements cause pain and what movements don't and how much load the spine can and can't bear are all key elements in designing a treatment plan.
Until you can get a back care specialist to look at your back, ice it and don't do anything that makes the pain worse. If that means laying low a couple of days, do it. But you can't get away with more than a couple of days of taking it easy. Activity, albeit light activity, not rest, is what your back needs.
The role of exercise
While it's true that exercise is an instrumental part of the treatment plan, don't think that you can download a series of back exercises off the Internet and consider yourself good to go. There's nothing generic about back pain, so it's rare that a one-size-fits-all exercise program will work for you. Nor will a couple of well-chosen exercises do it all.
McGill prescribes a series of individually targeted corrective exercises that improve movement patterns before moving onto traditional exercises like the plank or the bird dog. The idea is get the body moving in a back-friendly way before prescribing exercises, which, combined with improved everyday movement, contribute to improving back health.
And that brings about the next point. Exercising your back should become a daily event. We're not talking anything fancy here. A simple walk is a good place to start. And if you can walk only for 100 feet until the pain kicks in, stop just short of the pain mark and try it again tomorrow or later that same day. Take that walk every day until you find yourself travelling with ease.
When getting your back in shape, it's best to keep it light. Lots of repetitions of exercises that aren't too taxing on your back is the best way to start. As the health and endurance of your back improves, so should the intensity of the exercises. Adequate back health means being able to move pain-free, not just in everyday life but in an athletic setting as well. Don't consider your back healthy until you can move it pain-free with some measure of speed and mobility.
As to how long it takes to get relief, Evans said that most of his patients begin to see a return on their investment in five or six visits. If you don't, discuss your treatment plan with your back specialist and consider making some changes. Getting rid of back pain is not only possible, with the right approach, it can happen sooner than you think.
jbarker@videotron.ca "
I do hope this was of value.
If anyone reading this has ideas or needs information, please let me know. Till then, bye for now.
Paul
For information on exercise and back pain goto: www.backpainloss.com now
Wednesday, 8 October 2008
Back Pain and Skiing
The summer is nearly over and many people, my wife included, are getting ready for the Ski season. Here are some ideas from a skier to help prevent the worst of back pain when those of you who do hit the slopes enjoy themselves.
"
Few recreational skiers train their bodies all year for the physical demands of skiing. To feel your best when you ski, you want to train so that you do not strain muscles, feel extremely sore, or get injured.
Here are three great exercises to make your back muscles stronger for skiing:
1) Lunges- Yes, lunges that focus on the thighs and butt. Skiing is a very leg-intensive sport. If you do not train your legs properly for the hard work, then you may compensate by using other muscles like the back.
Furthermore, as you return to the ski slopes, you will use your back for many extraneous activities. You'll bend over and fool with your boots a million times. You'll lean over to pick up gear a million times, too. By doing lunges, you train your legs to do more work and give your back a break.
2) Dead Lifts- These focus on the lower back muscles. You can use dumbbells, a barbell, resistance tubing or bands, or a cable machine with the handles set low.
Generally, you can use heavier weights when you practice dead lifts. However, you should start with lighter weight and slowly progress.
If you have any previous back injuries, only perform dead lifts with the supervision of a physical therapist or qualified fitness trainer.
3) Good Mornings- These are beneficial for your lower and middle back. Unlike dead lifts, you keep the chest lifted forward during these back-strengtheners. This will improve posture and upper-body tone, as well as making the low-back stronger.
Like dead lifts, seek the care of a fitness professional if you have a history of back pain or injuries.
By practicing these three exercise diligently for a few months before ski season, you will get a stronger back, prevent back pain and injury, and enjoy your powder days more.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Nina_Schnipper"
I am told that sking is fun, and in the Alps at least, quite warm, so perhaps I will be going soon. If I do I will follow this advice.
Bye for now, Paul.
"
Few recreational skiers train their bodies all year for the physical demands of skiing. To feel your best when you ski, you want to train so that you do not strain muscles, feel extremely sore, or get injured.
Here are three great exercises to make your back muscles stronger for skiing:
1) Lunges- Yes, lunges that focus on the thighs and butt. Skiing is a very leg-intensive sport. If you do not train your legs properly for the hard work, then you may compensate by using other muscles like the back.
Furthermore, as you return to the ski slopes, you will use your back for many extraneous activities. You'll bend over and fool with your boots a million times. You'll lean over to pick up gear a million times, too. By doing lunges, you train your legs to do more work and give your back a break.
2) Dead Lifts- These focus on the lower back muscles. You can use dumbbells, a barbell, resistance tubing or bands, or a cable machine with the handles set low.
Generally, you can use heavier weights when you practice dead lifts. However, you should start with lighter weight and slowly progress.
If you have any previous back injuries, only perform dead lifts with the supervision of a physical therapist or qualified fitness trainer.
3) Good Mornings- These are beneficial for your lower and middle back. Unlike dead lifts, you keep the chest lifted forward during these back-strengtheners. This will improve posture and upper-body tone, as well as making the low-back stronger.
Like dead lifts, seek the care of a fitness professional if you have a history of back pain or injuries.
By practicing these three exercise diligently for a few months before ski season, you will get a stronger back, prevent back pain and injury, and enjoy your powder days more.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Nina_Schnipper"
I am told that sking is fun, and in the Alps at least, quite warm, so perhaps I will be going soon. If I do I will follow this advice.
Bye for now, Paul.
Monday, 11 August 2008
Exercise and Back Pain
Hello,
Today I thought I would talk about Exercise and Back Pain, or how regular exercise, within your own limits, may help with the general health and flexability of your back. The reverse, of course, is true, that is irregular extreme exercise may cause pain and discomfort.
I think we all agree that exercise, in moderation, is good for all of us. Some time ago I found myself slightly overweight and unfit, the reason? I had not been regularly exercising for some time, and as a result I was a little out of condition.
In order to help the whole family, my wife bought an electronic fitness system, no names, and I looked forward to some fun fitness programes and a quick return to my previous healthy condition.
We had two teenage relatives staying with us and they pounced on the thing and started to play with it. My son, who has just finished University and has some time on his hands, did the same. Then my wife, who technically owned it all, joined in.
I sat back and waited for the fuss to die down before I had a go. As I was a week behind everyone else, I thought, push yourself and catch up, always a mistake!
The first time I went on, I found a general weakness in muscle strength, poor balance and a long way to go to get the cardio- vascular system working properly. Also I was about 15 years "older" according to the machine.I spent about 35 minutes training and was exhausted at the end. The second day I spent 40 minutes and was even worse. The system gives a warning that you should take a break, well I don't have time to take breaks and so I kept on. The third day after 45 minutes I felt I was getting there, until I felt a lump in my right shoulder, a knotted muscle, that was very painful. This was followed by a pain down the right side of my back and pains in my pectoral muscle.
The words of my last personal trainer came back to me, "never exert yourself and vaty your program day to day" came to mind. Several days of mobilisation, massage and rest followed before I was able to resume the training. So was pushing past the limits rather than taking it slow and steady worth it? In the end I am over a week "behind" the others and will re start slowly
Never push yourself beyond limits that are set for a reason and work slowly and surely. Aim for a flexible supple body first, then go for strength and stamina.
Find out how you can exercise, within your limits, then go to www.backpainloss.com
Be well
Paul
Today I thought I would talk about Exercise and Back Pain, or how regular exercise, within your own limits, may help with the general health and flexability of your back. The reverse, of course, is true, that is irregular extreme exercise may cause pain and discomfort.
I think we all agree that exercise, in moderation, is good for all of us. Some time ago I found myself slightly overweight and unfit, the reason? I had not been regularly exercising for some time, and as a result I was a little out of condition.
In order to help the whole family, my wife bought an electronic fitness system, no names, and I looked forward to some fun fitness programes and a quick return to my previous healthy condition.
We had two teenage relatives staying with us and they pounced on the thing and started to play with it. My son, who has just finished University and has some time on his hands, did the same. Then my wife, who technically owned it all, joined in.
I sat back and waited for the fuss to die down before I had a go. As I was a week behind everyone else, I thought, push yourself and catch up, always a mistake!
The first time I went on, I found a general weakness in muscle strength, poor balance and a long way to go to get the cardio- vascular system working properly. Also I was about 15 years "older" according to the machine.I spent about 35 minutes training and was exhausted at the end. The second day I spent 40 minutes and was even worse. The system gives a warning that you should take a break, well I don't have time to take breaks and so I kept on. The third day after 45 minutes I felt I was getting there, until I felt a lump in my right shoulder, a knotted muscle, that was very painful. This was followed by a pain down the right side of my back and pains in my pectoral muscle.
The words of my last personal trainer came back to me, "never exert yourself and vaty your program day to day" came to mind. Several days of mobilisation, massage and rest followed before I was able to resume the training. So was pushing past the limits rather than taking it slow and steady worth it? In the end I am over a week "behind" the others and will re start slowly
Never push yourself beyond limits that are set for a reason and work slowly and surely. Aim for a flexible supple body first, then go for strength and stamina.
Find out how you can exercise, within your limits, then go to www.backpainloss.com
Be well
Paul
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
