Ways to Relieve Lower Back Pain

Treatment of back pain has undergone a recent sea change. Experts now appreciate the central role of exercise to build muscles that support the back. This Special Health Report, Back Pain: Finding solutions for your aching back, helps you understand why back pain occurs and which treatments are most likely to help. This report describes the different types of back problems and the tailored treatments that are more likely to help specific conditions. End of story. I have a few questions starting with what kind of exercise? What about furniture and long hours seated in front of computers or watching YouTube videos? Laying in bed seems to be one recommendation that makes sense. However, as some total body health experts explain - man was not meant to sit down for long hours every day. Think about it. Do people who make a living standing up or moving about throughout the day experience less back pain? Lifting with the legs and not the back has always been recommended. Maybe there's just a history of lower back pain or an injury resulting from playing sports or running. So many causes, it difficult to settle on any one recommendation. Stretching is what I do to keep my back strong and pain free. Stretching. Try it.

For years, my father complained about lower back pain. It wasn't until I saw the recliner in the living room where he sat watching TV with no back support that it all made sense. This was an old recliner before ergonomically-designed furniture was available and purchased by some employers for their office workers. Putting a pillow behind your lower back also helps alleviate back pain.

According to HealthBeat, an online service by the Harvard Medical School, stress, anxiety, and negative emotions have all been linked to a higher likelihood of developing back pain. The reasons for this are not completely understood. Chronic pain and depression share some of the same biochemical features. Imbalances in the neurotransmitters serotonin and norepinephrine, for example, play a role in mood disorders such as depression and also are involved in producing the sensation of pain. This could explain why people suffering from depression tend to experience more severe and long-lasting pain than other people. Thanks for listening.