Back Pain Explained

Back Pain explains what back pain is and how it can be treated and prevented.

Basic Anatomy:

• Back Pain Home
• Anatomy for Beginners
• Types of Pain
• Finding Acute Relief
• Intervertebral Disc
• The Spinal Ligaments
• The Sacrum
• The Vertebra

Causes of Back Pain:

• Backache
• Prolapsed Disc
• Sciatica
• Spinal Stenosis
• Scoliosis
• Spondylosis
• Spondylolisis
• Spondylolisthesis
• Sacroiliac Joint
• Ankylosing Spondylitis
• Piriformis Syndrome
• Coccydynia

Back Pain Exercises:

• Benefits of Exercise
• Simple Exercises
• Core Stability
• Swiss Ball

Proper Posture:

• How Good is Yours?
• Posture in Depth
• Sitting Posture
• Standing Posture

Types of Therapy:

• Complementary Therapy
• Massage
• Reflexology
• Acupuncture

Surgery For Back Pain:

• Introduction
• Laminectomy
• Lumbar Discectomy
• Nerve Root Block

Posture, How Good is Yours?

Why is posture so important?

Maintaining good posture has several benefits to humans. The most obvious is aesthetic! We look so much better and not only look better, but also feel better. Those who are posturally aware have greater confidence and improved sense of well-being.

Here's a simple experiment. I take it that you are currently sitting in front of your computer reading this article rather than standing up. As you sit there, just slouch completely and relax. Feel those shoulders sag and how effortless it is to just sit there. Good, notice how you are feeling. Now, do the opposite and straighten up, hollow your lower back. Open your chest out and sit tall. Feel the difference? The majority of people would feel better sitting up, though it requires some effort. You not only look better, You also feel more alert in an instant. You can also get more air into your lungs when sitting up and that helps get oxygen into the body and provides numerous benefits.

So looking good is great, but what is posture doing to my back?!

Well, let's start with what most people do. The most common posture adopted by people is the one shown in the diagram. The spine rather than having a lovely S-shaped profile now looks like a big C!

The natural S-shaped curves are there for a reason, and that reason is for support. When we turn the S to a C, we lose the support and stress is increased on the back.

Here we rely on our muscles and ligaments to support us. This places great stress on these structures. To illustrate this, simply take one of your fingers and gently bend it backwards until you feel a light stretch. Now maintain this stretch and after a few moments, the stretch will develop into an ache, then onto a pain! This is what you are doing to your back, for hours, every day, every week and possibly for years! What a beating your spine is getting! No wonder back pain is one of the main medical complaints in the Western world!

Get an idea how to sit correctly and to stand correctly by clicking on the link.