I was doing much better for a while with the physical therapy, i.e., getting a little more endurance.

Unfortunately, some other, very demanding, problems have come up, and I haven't been exercising like I should. Nevertheless, the physical therapy exercises do seem to help, if one stays on course. It takes a while, and it can even make the pain worse for a few weeks starting out (in my experience), but I do recommend it.

Of course it is not for everyone, as it depends a lot on what the cause of your pain is, and what the symptoms are. So be careful to consult with a professional medical care provider if you are uncertain.

Meanwhile, if you'd like to be an informed consumer when you talk to that medical care provider, i.e., it always helps to be able to ask the right questions, there are a couple of resources about physical therapy that I've come across and think are worthwhile. One, of course, you should see referenced at the bottom of the page — assuming your browser supports frames, but I've also become aware of another resource (I think it is so worthwhile that I am now linking to it throughout this site) that, though it costs a bit more, is quite helpful, and it comes with a money back guarantee, which is always nice.

It is written by Dr. Kareem Samhouri, who is a graduate of the University of Miami, Doctor of Physical Therapy program as well as having earned a degree in Kinesiology from Pennsylvania State University. He really seems to know what he is talking about — well, in my admittedly non-expert estimation anyway.

You can check it out and read more about it here if you like: Back Pain Solution Guide.

In any case, thanks for visiting. Hopefully I will post again soon (i.e., with a much shorter hiatus next time).

Sometimes back pain is due to weak abdominal and back muscles. As a consequence, many physicians recommend, rather than prolonged bed rest for back pain, light physical activity, sometimes in conjunction with pain relief medication and other proactive treatments.

While what is appropriate depends on the cause and severity of your condition, physical activity may not only provide pain relief, but may also help prevent future injury. Along with pain relief medication, many physicians and therapists tailor individualized exercise routines to treat patients who suffer from various types of back pain.

A typical program may involve a variety of strengthening  and stretching exercises, as well as endurance training and targeting flexibility in problem areas.

The potential benefits of an exercise program for back pain may include immediate, short-term pain relief; stretching of tight, contracted muscles; strengthening of weak muscles; the reduction of mechanical stress on the back; stabilizing the back; increasing the ease and efficiency of body movements; and improving posture — all of which may help prevent future injury and future back pain.

A Basic Exercise Program for Back Pain Relief

A very basic exercise routine for coping with back pain involves strengthening not only the back, but the supporting muscles as well. If you have any other health problems, such as osteoporosis, a recent injury, arthritis or any other troublesome condition, start the exercises only after consulting with your primary physician. Even then, we suggest you begin as slowly and as gently as possible. (Note that when you exercise, it is very important to learn how to distinguish between pain and exertion. Pain is a signal from your nervous system that a certain activity is wrong or harmful for you in your current condtion. If you experience such pain when you're exercising, including back pain, you should stop and only try again with milder exercises that you find comfortable.)

These are mostly for lower back pain as that's the most common, but can sometimes help with many other, related problems.

Exercise #1 For Back Pain Relief:

Abdominal contractions: Find someplace comfortable, flat and firm. A carpeted floor would do fine. Lie on your back and bend your knees.  Place your hands below the ribs and tighten your stomach muscles. This is meant to squeeze the ribs toward the back. Be careful not to hold your breath, and try to keep your muscles contracted for about five seconds. Release and relax for about ten seconds. Repeat this exercise about ten times if you're up for it.  Otherwise, work up to that as you can.

The purpose of this exercise is to gently stretch your back muscles.

Exercise #2 Prevention of Back Pain:

Most health experts recommend you continue an exercise routine to keep your back strong and flexible even if you no longer have back pain. You will wish to choose exercises that align your body properly and thereby help to improve your posture. This is to prevent your back pain from recurring, or at least to reduce the risk or frequency of it recurring. One commonly recommended exercise that can help improve your standing posture is to "curl" against the wall: In a standing position, place your back against the wall with your heels about six inches away from the wall and bend your knees as you drop your head and shoulders.  As you pull your stomach muscles inward,. slowly roll up — envisioning in your mind that you are doing it one vertebra at a time — until your back is again flat against the wall. Repeat this exercise a few times, but do not work beyond your comfort level.

Exercise #3 Prevention of Back Pain:

Exercises that work the abdominal muscles are frequently a vital part of a physical therapy program designed to prevent back pain. One example, diagonal crunches, not only strengthen such muscles, they will also keep your tummy from sagging (if that sort of concern is important). Again, find someplace comfortable, flat and firm and lie on your back. Place your hands behind your head and bring your knees slowly to your chest. You want to cross your feet at the ankles and keep your knees at right angles relative to your waist. Exhale slowly while raising your trunk, first moving your right elbow as much as you can (without straining too much) toward the left knee. Then slowly lower your trunk. Repeat with the left elbow and the right knee. Repeat this exercise about ten times if you're up for it, or else try to work up to it after a few days.

Additionally, to improve your overall fitness, you may want to include some exercises for building stamina, such as aerobics. Make sure you have some conditioning and some flexibility before you start, and start slowly, and only after consulting with your primary care provider. This type of exercise can be rigorous and there is a significant risk of further injury if you are not careful. Be sure you always warm up your muscles cool down afterward. This is true any time you are preparing to exercise, and especially so for this more demanding type of exercise. Walking, for example, and bicycling, and swimming are all relatively safe and can provide excellent aerobic conditioning. But we do not recommend jogging. Unless you are of a very light build, it can damage your joints.

A variety of other exercises, therapies and programs, of course, are available to help alleviate, reduce and prevent back pain. Some of these programs are:

• Tai Chi Chuan

This is a gentle martial art form. It focuses on concentration for the mind while exercising the body. The movements tend to be slow and steady and relax muscles and ease tension. Some people with back pain find this technique very helpful.

• Yoga

Although already discussed in other posts, it bears repeating here. This is an ancient Indian tradition and it involves a very wide range of exercises that include postural and breathing exercises as well as mental discipline and meditation. Many yoga postures focus on increasing spinal strength and flexibility, which can provide back pain relief. According to some researchers, regular yoga practice can also stave off certain types of chronic back pain. Further, many yoga practitioners, including our founder, experience a feeling of deep relaxation and mental well-being after a good workout.

• Chi Kung

Also known as Qigong, this is is an ancient Chinese system. It focuses on breathing and posture as well, and also emphasizes the the mind, i.e., concentration.

• Feldenkrais Method

The goal of this technique is to improve the ease and efficiency of body movements by increasing your awareness of your body and your movements, as well as teaching you how to recognize and correct muscle tension.

• Buteyko Breathing Technique

This is a Russian therapy that involves slow breathing and holding the breath. Its practitioners claim that this technique can reduce muscle tension and thereby provide back pain relief.

We'll try to cover these techniques in more depth in a future post, but that's about it for now.

In summation then, exercise can be a vital component of an effective treatment program for back pain. Finding what's right for you and your condition should be your paramount concern. Consistently and safely strengthen your back, improve your stamina and fitness, and you may just discover one day that the pain is gone.

Although given the camera angles, this video is probably more meant to be sexy entertainment than to help those with back pain, the movements shown do appear to be valid. Please be sure to consult with your primary physician first though about your condition before trying.

For those who may be interested, we thought we'd post this as a potential informational resource from our founder (click on the image to go to the site). There is a fair amount of information that is available for free, a free report, and an ebook that is reasonably priced.

This looks like pretty good advice. Just be careful! And don’t even try it if your pain is severe — at least not without medical advice and supervision!

Designed by a chiropractor, this natural back support system uses your body’s own weight to apply controlled pressure to the spinal vertebrae. As you lie on Spine-Worx, your spine is pressed firmly against the length of its two unique padded and contoured rails, injection-molded to fit the natural shape of the mid- and lower back. The vertebrae in the spine are gradually and gently encouraged to realign into their natural positions, which helps to relieve back pain for many.

If you are not prepared to make the leap just yet, keep an eye out for our future posts as we hope to be posting more about other similar devices and if we can, will hopefully be able to do some comparisons and give our visitors a little more guidance as to which device (if any) might be best for differing conditions.

Spine-Worx Back Realignment Device

Dr Scholl’s Back Pain Relief Orthotics, Women’s Sizes 6-10, 1 pair, at Amazon

Dr Scholl’s Back Pain Relief Orthotics, Men’s Sizes 8-13, 1 pair, at Amazon

Also, much of the discussion, essentially, is that much of your experience of back pain resides in your psychology, and the book pretty much ignores many other factors which have been scientifically proven to be very significant, i.e., diet, nutrition, etc. This argument (that it is all in your head) was the prevailing one before modern medical science began to better understand the spine, nervous system, and the brain, and no doubt many who suffered probably suffered more after having been told their condition was merely psychological. Many who have back pain have demonstrable physiological injuries. Further, the best neurologists we are aware of will tell you that even now the brain and the nervous system are not understood well enough to make such sweeping claims about how much of a person’s pain may or may not be due to psychological factors. So to sum up, we’re not too sure how much of a service Dr. Sarno is doing for back pain sufferers by reviving this old idea.

But with all that said, the book does explain why conventional treatments for this type of pain don’t work, which is useful, yet the author then proceeds to claim this is the major cause of pain in the back, neck, and shoulders.

Hmm. Maybe. No doubt it will help some. Our founder hasn’t found the book all that useful, but he thought we should post it for those who might. It is informative, and it may very well help you better understand and discuss your pain issues with your physician, but it’s not definitive in terms of self-help. In fact, this is not really about self-help, nor even about healing back pain, not all that much anyway, but it may contribute to your understanding of the (sometimes major) role the mind can play, and like many others apparently have, you may find it far more helpful than we did.