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Exercise is a very important part of daily life, particularly for weight loss and weight management. However, when suffering from lower back pain, it can be even harder to exercise due to constant spine pain, back spasms, back aches and lower back pain. However, as our weight increases, the force through our spine and discs increases, oten leading to greater back spasms and back pain. So how do we beat this vicious cycle?

It is very important to choose the right type of exercise. Whilst many back injuries result it damage to a disc / ligament / joint / nerve, it is the resulting muscle imbalance that leads to most of the back spasms and lower back pain (see previous posts for longer explanations). Because of this, it is important to exercise the correct muscles, as the wrong type of exericses will only lead to a greater increase in the muscle imbalances.

For the sake of improving general condition, weight loss, weight management, gentle exercise and overall well being, walking is hands down the best exercise for someone suffering from back spasms or lower back pain and back aches. Walking is gentle and achieveable for most people. The average person will burn around 1000kj for an hours walking. It takes ~ 14,000kj to burn one pound. So by walking for an hour each day, you can help burn half a pound a week. May not sound like much, but as you lose weight, the force on your back decreases, allowing you to walk further and feel better. It is important to know that back exercises can be done across the day. If you walk for 10 minutes, 6 times a day, it will give you the same weight loss and benefits of walking an hour once.

Swimming is used by many people to assist with exercise, weight loss, back spasms and back aches. However, it is important to note that swimming is NOT a safe exercise for lower back pain sufferers. After a back injury, swimming can actually lead to greater damage and pain levels.

To help address the muscle imbalance that we discussed earlier, Pilates, Tai-Chi and Yoga are by far the best exercise options available. Investing the money into finding a certified and qualified trainer to assist you – don’t rely on buying a DVD or a book. Without someone watching you and making sure the back exercises you are doing are correct for your level, you are putting yourself at greater risk of further back injuries, back pain and back aches.

Following a back injury, there will be damage to the deep structures of the lower back. Regardless of whether the injury is to a disc / ligament / joint / nerve, the deep and stabilising muscles of the lower back will be switched off through Pain Inhibition. Pain Inhibition is a protective mechanism of the body, where the muscles of the lower back are switched off due to damage and pain of a deep structure.

Following the damage of the back injury, the more superficial back muscles will take over the load of the deep stabilising muscles. This leads to the superficial muscles working twice as hard, and eventually going into strong spasm. This muscle spasm will lead to the development of trigger points in the back muscles.

Muscles are like ropes, with lots of parrallel fibres lined up next to each other. A trigger point (or a muscle knot) can develop where some of these fibres contract and tighten, not allowing blood to flow into the muscle, and not allowing the muscle to work properly. All of this leads to strong back spasm and back pain. As the muscle of the back spasms, it is unable to get adequate blood and oxygen delivered, causing it to constantly scream out to the brain – leading to back pain.

In earlier posts we talked about Acupuncture helping in breaking down trigger points to relieve back spasm, back ache and back pain. It is the constant screaming out from the muscle needing oxygen that causes a back spasm to lead to back pain. Known as Spontaneous Electrical Activity, these constant signals from the muscle spasm will lead to constant lower back pain. Because of this, the muscles can continue to scream out long after the damaged disc / nerve / joint / ligament has healed.

The large muscles around the lower back and pelvis – known as the Gluteus Maximus will often spasm up and have manay trigger points in them. For this reason, a lot of lower back pain sufferers will also report buttock pain. These large and spasmed muscles can lead to strong back spasms and pain in the buttocks.

All of this happens at a microscopic level and is undetectable with MRI or CT investigation. Yet another reason why back spasms and back pain can not be effectively shown with MRIs or CTs.

Trigger points developing in the fibres of a muscle.

Many people are confused by the findings of a CT or MRI scan when it comes to their lower back. Whenever you suffer a lower back injury, it is common for your Doctor to send you for an x-ray, or CT or MRI to get a clearer picture of what’s happening in your lower back. But does this help at all? Do MRI and CT scans help address your back pain, aches and spasms?

Did you know that having an x-ray of your lower back after a back injury will actually increase the length of your rehabilitation time, not shorten it? So why is this? The main reason is that the actual reason for your lower back pain, ache or spasm is generally not able to be picked up by any current scanning techniques. Sow whilst your Doctor will send you off to have an MRI or x-ray, you only become confused or worried by what is showing up in the scans.

For many people, after have an MRI or CT scan they will be told the have a ‘disc bulge’, ‘slipped disc’ or a ‘torn disc’. But what confuses many people is that it is generally not your ‘disc’ that is the cause of your lower back pain. Sciatic nerve pain, muscle aches and back spasms are generally the result of chemical nerve irritations and muscle trigger points.

In fact, at the age of 60, the average person will have at least 3 disc bulges in their back. So does that mean that the average person is crippled by back pain, aches and spasms at 60? Of course not. Because like everyone else, whilst they have disc bulges, they are not causing them any back pain or muscle aches or spasms. Unfortunately, many people are unaware of this fact, and when being told that they have disc bulging are led to believe that they are destined to suffer crippling lower back pain and back spasms for the rest of their life.

The good news is that this isn’t true, and you can still lead a normal, active and pain free lifestyle with bulging discs in your lower back. To learn more about your lower back, click here

Last week I discussed Traditional Chinese Medicine and Acupuncture as a natural pain relief technique for people suffering lower back pain, back spasms, buttock pains or spine pain. Today we will delve further into a more modern technique for pain relief after back injury known as Dry Needling. A westernised form of Acupuncture, Dry Needling works to relieve muscle spasm, giving almost instantaneous relief from back aches, back spasms and buttock pains caused by muscle spasm after back injury.

Muscle Spasm: Following back injury, the muscles of the back will spasm to protect the injury site, causing many people to suffer from back ache and back spasms. Many of the muscles around the pelvis will spasm after a back injury, leading to buttock pain particularly, along with back aches and lower back pain that will not show up on an x-ray or MRI.

When muscle spasm increases, it can lead to trigger points developing in the muscles. These trigger points are the main causes of back pain, buttock pain and back spasm, along with a major cause of back aches. The technique of dry needling is effective in ridding the body of these trigger points and leading to pain relief from lower back pain, back aches and back spasms.

After a back injury, a major cause of back pain is often the muscle spasm and trigger points, as the underlying problem can often heal itself. This is why for many people, their MRI or x-ray will show nothing, and their Doctor will not believe the cause of their back pain.

Dry Needling is used to safely and effectively break up these trigger points through rapid and fast needling of the area. Unlike Acupuncture, Dry Needling is only done for 5 – 10 seconds, where as Acupuncture Needles are often left in for 15 – 20 minutes. I have found this technique very effective in removing back aches, lower back pain, back spasms, buttock pains and spine pain. By removing the trigger point as the major cause for back pain after back injury, pain relief can be felt almost immediately.

To find out more about how your muscle system leads to back aches, back pain and back spasms after a back injury click here.

Every day people ask me about Acupuncture for relief of their lower back pain and back injury. For many people, the thought (let alone the action) of an acupuncture needle into your body would only increase pain. Over the next few blog posts I will help to explain the effect of acupuncture on the body for pain relief, particularly relief from lower back pain, back spasms, back aches and buttock pain.

Firstly, what is Acupuncture? Acupuncture is just one part of traditional Chinese Medicine. Whislt acupuncture is thought of in the Western World as simply a needling process, acupuncture has many forms in traditional Chinese Medicine. Yin and Yang breathing techniques and herbal medicines are also parts of the process of Chinese Medicine.

Acupuncture has been around for 4500 – 5000 years now, and the Chinese were using Acupuncture for many things – not just pain relief – before steel was discovered. This means two main things for us – they were using ‘Acupuncture’ techniques for pain relief before the needle was invented (Thin bamboo shoots were used), and acupuncture was being used before scapals were invented. This means that the Chinese were using Acupuncture and needling techniques on each other sucessfully before they knew what was underneath the ‘needle’ they were placing in the body.

Traditional Acupuncture is based upon the belief of ‘Meridian Points’ in our body. Acupuncturists believed that these meridian points were energy channels that related to different vessels in our body – the Liver, Large Intenstine, Heart etc. These energy chanells run all through our body. The traditional belief in Chinese Medicine and Acupunture for pain relief, is that by tapping into these energy channels through the use of a ‘needle’, anything from acute to chronic pain, back aches, buttock pain and back spasms caused by these areas can be relieved. Because of this, the needle is often not placed anywhere near the actual point of pain.

In the case of lower back pain and back injury, traditional acupuncture has been shown to be effective in providing pain relief for both acute and chronic pain, back aches and back spasms. Acupuncture for lower back pain can assist in decreasing back spasm and chronic pain, along with assisting in decreasing the long term changes in the brain’s pain processing.

Over recent years, Acupuncture has become more accepted in Western culture for it’s use in pain relief for anything from headaches to back pain to pregnancy. With greater research into the actual process of needling and how it works, a westernised form of Acupuncture known as Dry Needling has become more widely used and accepted. In the next blog post I will discuss Dry Needling further and it’s effects on lower back pain and chronic pain. Dry Needling is particuarly effective in the management of back spasms, back aches and buttock pain.

To find out more about helping your lower back pain, click here.

The immediate management of an lower back injury is incredibly important and the correct management early can take weeks or months off your rehabilitation time. Self management of back aches and back injury is an important aspect of any rehabilitation, and the initial management of back injuries can have a huge impact in the length and quality of recovery. In the case of lower back pain, there are many different things that can be done initially to assist with management. One of the easiest things to do is to apply ice to the spine to assist with decreasing the blood flow. Although, many people prefer to use heat packs on their lower back as it feels better.

So which one should you use for your back injury? Firstly, we need to look at the benefits of heat and ice on the body so that the next time pain strikes, you know whether to head to the freezer or microwave.

Ice
Ice is most effectively used in the initial management of mechanical or forceful soft tissue injuries. Many people would have heard of the R.I.C.E (or R.I.C.E.R) regime. This stands for Rest, Ice, Compression, Elevation and Referral (to Physio / Doctor). Ice, along with rest, compression and elevation is used to help decrease blood flow to the affected area. With a decreased blood flow, swelling is decreased, reducing the effects of secondary damage, back spasms and promoting a better quality and faster recovery.

In the case of lower back pain and back injury, ice is always the best bet. Preventing excessive blood flow also decreases the likelihood of scar tissue formation, which has significant impact on the quality of healing and the length of the rehabilitation. Cutting down on the rehabilitation time will help prevent acute lower back pain becoming chronic.

The Problem with Scar Tissue
When a low back muscle is torn, you would expect that the body would repair the muscle and allow for full movement again. In reality, this doesn’t happen. The tear, or rupture, is repaired with scar tissue. Scar tissue is made from a very brittle, inflexible fibrous material. This fibrous material binds itself to the damaged soft tissue fibers in an effort to draw the damaged fibers back together. What results is a bulky mass of fibrous scar tissue completely surrounding the injury site. In some cases it’s even possible to see and feel this bulky mass under the skin around the bones of the lower back.

When scar tissue forms around an injury site, it is never as strong as the tissue it replaces. It also has a tendency to contract and deform the surrounding tissues, so not only is the strength of the tissue diminished, but flexibility of the tissue is also compromised. Using Ice will decrease the likelihood of scar tissue formation, improving the quality and integrity of the tissue and decreasing the likelihood of lower back pain.

Heat
Heat is effectively used to help decrease the intensity of muscle spasm, back ache, back spasms and tightness, generally associated with more chronic long term injuries. The application of a heat pack (and to a lesser extent heat based gel creams) can improve blood flow and muscle fiber flexibility, decreasing tension and back spasms and leading to an overall decrease in back aches and pain levels. Sufferers of chronic lower back spasms, back aches and neck pain will often find the application of a heat pack allows for greater freedom of movement and decreased aching.

As mentioned before, ice is used to effectively manage swelling in an acute injury. For the first 72 hours, the use of ice is very important, just as importantly is the avoidance of heat. As discussed in the previous paragraph, heat helps to promote blood flow, and heat in the initial 72 hours will further increase bleeding and swelling. However, after these initial stages, heat can be used to effectively manage swelling and other symptoms.

Following acute soft tissue injuries, no matter how much ice used, you will generally notice a localized area of swelling around the damaged tissue. This swelling is generally a waste product following the damage of the original injury. Whilst there is still swelling around an injured area, new fresh blood flow to the area, full of important nutrients and oxygen, is hampered. The use of a heat pack on the lower back can help increase the overall blood flow. This increased blood flow will help to remove the waste products with each cycle around the body – removing the swelling and improving the availability of fresh blood. Fresh blood brings with it fresh nutrients, improving the quality of rehabilitation and decreasing scar tissue formation as discussed as above.

Picture your lower back injury like a car accident (for many people, lower back pain is like a major car accident). Multiple things occur immediately following injury to the lower back. In many cases, the initial injury is only mild to moderate, but the other issues of muscle spasm, pain inhibition, swelling and scar tissue formation lead to longer and more chronic lower back pain.

When we initially suffer a back injury and cause damage to our lower back, if we do the correct things (such as ice) then excess blood flow, swelling and secondary damage is prevented. Pain inhibition of the muscles is decreased and secondary protective back spasm is decreased. If we try and work through the pain, more systems become involved in the process, more damage is caused to an already unstable joint, more swelling occurs preventing fresh blood flow to the area, more muscles will spasm to protect a greater area, and consequently more lower back pain and suffering is felt.

Longer term, heat packs do help in decreasing back aches and back spasm and assisting in increasing blood flow and removing swelling, thereby decreasing lower back pain temporarily. However, this will generally provide short term relief only and is akin to shutting the gate after the horse has bolted.

This has been an excerpt from the book What My Doctor Didn’t Teach Me About Lower Back Pain But Probably Should Have. For more information or to purchase your downloadable copy click here.

Snoring is a world wide problem, that is not only dangerous for the person, but snoring also casues stress in the realtionship. Sleep apnea is the result of snoring, where for extended periods of time, your breathing stops, making it very dangerous. But did you know you can stop snoring and avoid sleep apnea by changing the posture of your spine.

Sleeping postures are ingrained from a young age, but small changes can make big differences. Sound sleepers may hold a static posture for up to 6 hours, greatly increasing strain in certain areas. Sleeping on your stomach is particularly bad as it forces you to face a different direction to your body for hours on end. This means that the neck is rotated 90º from the rest of the spine for the whole night. With the neck twisted, there is a great risk of sleep apnea and snoring as the lungs are obstructed by a twisted throat.

So, to stop snoring and decrease the risk of sleep apnea, make the following changes to your bedroom. Buy a firm mattress and a proper pillow. Contoured and latex pillows provide significantly better support for your neck and a firm mattress will keep your spine supported all night. A supported neck is much safer, limiting the risk of sleep apnea. Sleeping on your side with a pillow between your knees offers much better support for your hips and helps to keep your spine aligned. If you are a back sleeper, avoid placing a pillow under your knees.

The Bonus:
A happier partner. Sleeping on your side leads to a decrease in snoring in males (and some females), allowing your partner to sleep longer as well. And we all know that a happier partner leads to a lot less stress and headaches!

For more information on how to stop snoring or other tips on improving your posture, visit http://www.betterhealtheducation.com/wellness/ or click here

Depending on which study you read, the exact numbers will vary slightly, but the statistics are none the less alarming.

• 80% of people will suffer at least one episode of crippling back pain in their lives.
• Only 25 – 33% of these sufferers will be pain free within 4 weeks.
• More than 40% will still be suffering lower back pain in 2 – 3 months.
• At least 50% will still be suffering limitations to their activity levels and function after 3 months.
• 60 – 80% of these original people will suffer a recurrence of their back pain within 1 year.

• 67% of people have suffered from lower back pain in the past 12 months.
• 25% of people will be suffering lower back pain at any time.

That means that ¼ of all people in the world are suffering from lower back pain right now.

When we look into the statistics further, the greater financial costs can be seen. In Australia, it is calculated that Lower Back Pain alone costs businesses and workplaces $27 billion – every year. And that number is growing. Australian statistics show that 10% of lower back pain episodes will result in greater than 6 months away from work.

• The lower back accounts for 30% of all workplace injuries.
• 6 months away from work results in only a 50% chance of ever returning to work.
• 12 months away from work – and you only have a 10% chance of ever returning to any kind of work.

Everyone is at risk of lower back pain, no matter what your profession or how fit and healthy you are. In fact, being fit and healthy can actually increase your risk of lower back pain. The greatest risk of getting lower back pain is having had lower back pain. Greater knowledge of how to look after your lower back with the right exercises and posture is essential to everyone.

There are many causes of back pain, back injury and back aches. Muscle spasm leading to back spasm is a major cause. This is an exceprt from the book What My Doctor Didn’t Teach Me About Lower Back Pain But Probably Should Have. To find out more click here

Manual handling at work is just as important as lower back care at home. Poor manual handling and lifting is a major cause of back pain, back injury and back spasms. Until recently, there were many hard and fast rules for how to lift correctly to avoid back injury or back injuries. Mainly based around the stipulation that you must bend with your knees and not your lower back. This is incorrect, for a few reasons. Firstly, taking the entire load through your knees is better for you back, but horrible for your knees. Secondly, just because you are squatting down, doesn’t mean your lower back is in the correct posture. You can squat with a straight back and a flexed back. Simply squatting won’t solve the problem, and will not alone stop back injury.

Thirdly, squatting places your legs in their most weakened position. It is a little too complex to get into right now, but basically muscles are strongest in the mid range of the joint. So when we squat down, we are at the end of our ankle, knee and hip range of motion and therefore, the weakest position for all of the major muscles in our legs. Whilst the leg muscles (Quads, Hamstrings, Calves etc) are far stronger than most of the lumbar spine muscles, they are very weak in this position. As a result of this, we often need to use our lower back (which is in a mid range and strong position) to gain the initial lift before our legs can be used. This leads to to extra load through our back muscles, and an increased risk of back injury and back spasm. Using a lunge position rather than a full squat will keep our legs in a more mid range and strong position, and will also keep the load closer to your body to decrease leverage.

To find out more about how to care for your lower back and avoid back pain or work injuries click here.

The body undergoes many changes during pregnancy and many of these can lead to lower back pain and injury. There are the obvious changes in your body size and the center of gravity of your body being moved forward. Both of these places increased load on your spine and lower back, leading to increased pain and injury. But it is something less obvious that leads to greater back pain and problems after pregnancy.

During pregnancy a hormone called Relaxin is released into the body to help to change the shape of the pelvis and create room for your new child. But unfortunately, this Relaxin effects all joints in the body and leads to much greater risk of lower back pain. Relaxin can change the shape of your feet, your hips, your hands – all joints really.

Ligaments are used in the body to hold two bones together to form a joint. Many episodes of back pain are caused by the ligaments being weak and the joint being unstable. Relaxin is released by the body to relax ligaments, which makes them looser, and the joints they support less stable. In the lower back, it is especially important that the ligaments hold stable, as the muscle systems are damaged during the birthing process.

Relaxin can stay in the body for up to 12 months after pregnancy, so it is important to see your Therapist for the correct exercises to strengthen your core muscles and avoid lower back pain or injury. If you wish to return to sport after pregnancy, again, be aware that not only have the ligaments in your hips and back changed, but also all through the body – increasing your likelihood of injury.

Back pain is a worldwide curse, and particularly prevelant during pregnancy. For more information on your body during pregnancy click here.