Well, we are supposed to move, run, jump, climb, roll and continue doing all of the cool, fun things we did as young children.

But most of us do not. 

So, we get back pain.  Why?  Because we are no longer using our muscles in a balanced way.  We use the same 60 or 70 or so each day and the rest of the 600 muscles are ignored.  When those muscles get unhappy, you get pain.

Walking is a perfect exercise and movement to help heal back pain.  Unless you were born with a disability that prevents you from walking, you were born to walk!

Walking uses your whole body.  It’s all attached and when you walk, your hips joints move.  Your shoulders move.  Your spine sways from side to side.

I like to tell the story of my friend, Rosalie.  She got rid of hip pain (she could only crawl up the stairs) and neuropathy (numbness from diabetes) in her feet AND she doubled her lung capacity.  Her pulmonary (lung) doctor was amazed!  She got all of these benefits just from walking!  (<– click here.)

My friend, Glenn, didn’t get much help from his doctor or the physical therapist (in fact, he quit therapy.)  But he got tremendous relief from walking. He could not go far at first (only 20 or so feet) but at his back relaxed over time, he was able to go farther and farther.

When you walk correctly–as you were designed to do–it helps your body regain its muscular balance.  In turn, that will help you with your back pain.

Some folks clomp their feet.  They no longer roll their feet when they walk.  They jar their joints.  (Is that you?)  Or they use their back pain as an excuse not to walk.

Some people have gotten into poor postural habits.  This is not too hard to do when you use only those 60 or 70 muscles each day instead of all of them.

Getting a strong back (<– click here) will help prevent and eliminate back pain and strain.  Walking can help you regain the fluid movement that will help you get rid of your back pain.  And eating healthy foods, drinking enough water and getting enough rest in a comfortable, supportive bed will also help you become pain-free.

If you take the simple, natural steps that your body wants you to take, you can have back pain relief.  Walking is a “step” in the right direction!

Bodies are really logical.  And smart, too!  But sometimes they need a little help.  From you, of course.

If you have muscle pain in your lower back or neck, you might be crooked.  You may have a tilt.  You might be able to figure it out or you may need someone else to ‘eyeball’ you.

Here’s how your logical body works:

When one shoulder is high, that means the other side is down.  It has to be.  Equal and opposites. Bodies are logical.  Not always anatomically symmetrical but logical.  If one hip bone sticks out farther, the other has to be farther out in back.

How can you tell?

You might be able to assess your body in your mirror.  Place both feet at the same place and line up your toes, point them forward, hip width apart, and look really hard in the mirror. (It does take lots of practice to get good at observing like this.  If you can imagine straight lines running through your body, that may help you see.)

• Is one shoulder lower than the other?
• Does one hip stick out to the side more?
• Does your waist look even? Or is it flatter on one side?
• Does one hip bone stick out farther in front than the other?

Those are all clues.

What do they mean?

They mean that you now have to figure out the next step.  It may be a lift in your shoe, a therapeutic massage for the short, tight areas or changing the way you sit.  There can be lots of causes for being “out of balance” (asymmetrical.)  That means there are lots of natural cures, too.

Lots of folks will tell you, “Oh, no one is perfect,” or, “No one is symmetrical.”  But the truth is some people are symmetrical.  LOTS of people.  But some of us aren’t.  And that can cause muscle pain.

You have a smart body.  Your back pain is a message.  Your body is telling you that it is not happy about something that is happening.

There are a lot of causes for back pain but most involve your muscles.  Muscles move joints, bones, disks in your spine and press on nerves. Muscles rule!

My client Sharon said, “My mom’s been having a lot of back pain lately.  She tried one massage and hurt more afterward so she’s afraid to try again.  She’s going to have hospital tests next week.”

I called Lisa and asked her about her back pain.  (Pain is a symptom – your body is telling you something.)

I listened while Lisa told me where it hurt, how her symptoms had been growing worse and what her doctor said.

She even told me what she suspected caused her back pain.

I told her she was probably correct about the cause of her pain.  It sounded logical to me and bodies are logical.  When she drove her car, she would “hover” her foot over the brake pedal in case she needed to respond quickly.

That put a lot of strain on her emotionally and it put a lot of strain on her muscles, too.  Tight muscles can press on nerves.

Her doctor had told her to “just wait it out.  It will go away on its’ own.”

I told her that was wise of her doctor.

I explained why doctors do so many fewer surgeries now for back pain.  In many, many cases there was no relief.  (That’s because they were chasing a symptom rather than actually taking care of the cause.  The cause may well have been muscular.)

I also explained how a nerve needs only a whisper of anything pressing on it to cause symptoms.

Take that barest of pressures off the nerve, and it will settle down.  Sometimes it’s as easy as changing positions.  I suggested a relaxation position which would take pressure off Lisa’s back.  I told her about other people I knew whose back pain had healed naturally.

We made an appointment for Lisa to see me the following week.  But when I walked into the waiting room to get Lisa, she wasn’t there.  Sharon was there!

Sharon said, “My mom hasn’t had any pain in four days so I came in her place.”

She continued, “My mom said the strangest thing.  She said, ‘I don’t have to have pain for the rest of my life‘.”

One of the things I told Lisa and that I am telling you now is that you DO NOT have to have back pain (<– click here) for the rest of your life.

Our bodies are wonderful machines, designed to be healthy and last for years and years.  They are designed to heal.

Bruises heal, cuts heal, broken bones heal, even surgeries heal and those are BIG injuries.  Your body is designed to heal!

You do not have to have back pain for the rest of your life.  You can feel better. Click on that link and discover much more about your body and your back.

Will it take some work on your part?  Perhaps a few changes in the way you do things?  Maybe strengthening your back and doing movements to improve your posture?

Yes.  But you are worth it.  You really can get rid of the pain in your back.

When you were born you were curled into a rounded-back position.   In a little while you began to stretch your arms and legs and rolled over and arched your back in the opposite direction of that birth position.  You pushed up with your arms and lifted your head.  Why?

You were getting the muscles around your spine and torso ready to walk!  You were creating the natural curves in your back that you needed.

So now you have back or neck pain but bodies heal all the time.

It’s important for you to know this.  Bodies are always changing and they CAN and DO change for the better!  And you might have all the equipment you need right now to make this happen.  You have MUSCLES!

I saw an advertisement for a product that was designed to help people get the natural curves back into their spines.  It’s called the Posture Pump.  You might want to look at the ad just to see how your spine is supposed to move and how the curves should be.  It has some good pictures of unhappy spines.

The ad talks about using the pump to hydrate the disks in your spine.  That means the disks will be more fluid-filled and healthier.  And when your posture is better, you will have less neck and back pain.

But…

Since you have MUSCLES…and you were built to USE those muscles…here’s another option.

Lay in bed, on your back, and “lift” your waist toward the ceiling.  That moves the spine, disks and muscles; it helps relax the soft tissues and hydrate the disks.  Lift your waist in a rhythmic way, as you inhale.  Lift, inhale.  Relax, exhale. Get a rhythm going as you do this over and over.

If you pay close attention, you will discover that your head is gently rocking as you lift your waist.  What does that mean?  It means your cervical spine–your neck–is also moving.

Lifting your waist creates movement in your whole spine and everything which is attached to it.  (Which is all of the rest of your body!)

And, simply breathing–filling your lungs–will cause your chin to tilt up and down.  This won’t have as much of an impact on your lower back as lifting your waist will, but breathing in a deliberate manner helps relax the muscles and soft tissues of your neck.

By using these simple ways to move your spine, you can start to get the natural curves back in your spine.  This will help you improve your posture and help relieve your back pain and neck pain.

Here’s an article that goes into more detail about the benefits of stretching.

http://www.wordcures.com/HealthyLivingDIY/2009/03/stretching_is_just_too_much_wo.html

You may not remember but when you were a baby you were stretching all the time.  If you watch a cat or dog, they stretch often.

And, you?  Do you still stretch up and out and back like you did when you were a baby?  If not, this is a good time to start.

So what will stretching do for you?  It will move your blood and lymph fluids.  It will help your body “wake up.”  It can get rid of the causes of your back pain and help get your body back “in balance.”

If you’d like even more information on ways to get rid of your back pain, go to http://BackPainNaturalRelief.com

Muscles are the most frequent cause of back pain.  And that’s good news!  Why?  Because muscles can be “released” or treated and get back to their normal healthy state.

Here’s more about muscles:

• Muscles move bones.
• Muscles can get “trigger points.”

Your muscles don’t usually act all by themselves; they pull all the other parts of your body into the act.  Why?  Because all of your parts are attached.  That means ALL of your body should be assessed to figure out WHY you are having pain in your back.  If you’ve had your back pain for more than just a couple of days, the CAUSE of your pain is most likely NOT where it hurts.

You have to get to the cause to get rid of the pain.

Sometimes back pain is caused by other issues, like gall bladders or infections, but most often the cause is muscular.  And, if you have a chiropractic adjustment and it doesn’t hold–well, it’s your muscles pulling your bones back out of alignment.

Remember:  Muscles move bones.

Here’s another cause of back pain:  Trigger points are crabby areas of muscle that “fire” into other parts of your body–they cause pain elsewhere.  That’s why sometimes you try to press or massage where it hurts but it won’t relax.  It CAN’T relax because the cause–the trigger–is elsewhere.

Important:  If you lose the ability to control your bowels or bladder along with your back pain, get to the emergency room or your doctor right away. Otherwise, you can look to your muscles as the cause of your pain.

Nerves can be pressed on (they hate being pressed on!) by bones OR by muscles.  Since muscles move bones, it’s possible to get rid of both nervy pain (sciatica) and muscular pain by treating the muscles.  If you release or relax the tight muscles or the muscle that’s in spasm (contraction) that allows pressure to be removed from the nerve.

You will discover lots more about natural ways to get rid of your back pain by visiting  Back Pain Natural Relief (<– click here.)

When you understand how your body works and why you have back pain, you will have a very good chance to get rid of it with do-it-yourself treatment.

You have a smart body; it wants to be well.  It just needs a little (or a lot) of help from you right now.

Learn what you need to know.  Do what you need to do.  Get rid of your back pain.

At the same time, the muscles in your back get overstretched and so they complain.  (They hate being stretched too far!)  They give you pain to call your attention to the fact that something is wrong.

Collapsed posture also causes lower back pain, headaches and migraines, constipation and lots and lots of other problems.  It’s a primary cause of “old age.”

You had wonderful posture when you were very young and with a bit of help from you, you can have it again.

Watch this whole video through to the end before you try this movement.  At the end, the teacher will demonstrate how to come out of the movement.

You can use a towel rolled into a tube and folded towels for supports for your head.  If you need to adjust the size of your “tube” it’s easy to just unroll the towel a bit.

Today a client told me that she had a great weekend stretching and straining and balancing on a ladder to trim, prune and clean up her yard.  She said it looked beautiful!  And she felt fine until she sat down.

When she tried to get up, her back from hip bones to shoulder blades went into spasm and tightened up!

She tried to press into her muscles to relax them the best she could but basically she had spent the last two days in bed.  She was very uncomfortable.

I warmed, massaged and pressed into the tight muscles along her spine for a while.  They were very tender but they didn’t seem to be releasing or getting better even though she said a few times, “I think you’re on the cause!”

So I suggested we work on the muscles on the front side of her body.  The right side of her abdomen was fine; no pain and no referrals.  The left side of her abdomen was “on fire” when I stretched the muscles on the soft abdomen.  Her ribs were “on fire” when I pressed into the muscles that ran up from her belly.

For whatever reason, the muscles on the left side of her abdomen had spasmed or “tightened up” and they were causing her back pain.  Even though the release was quite uncomfortable, the abdomen muscles did relax.  You can tell when they relax because they become less tender when pressed on.  When that happened her back muscles also were able to relax.

When an area of muscle causes another area to hurt, that is called a trigger point.  In this case, the trigger points in the belly were causing pain in the back.

Back Pain Natural Relief is a helpful site that may give you just the information you were looking for to get rid of the pain in your back.

I will always believe that massage is the best thing to help muscles relax but stretching is the next best.  So, here’s something that’ll help you get “unstuck” and relieve your stiff back.

Are you familiar with the stretches called “cat” and “dog?”  I’ve also heard them called “camel” and other variations.  Sometimes they are done on all fours, on the floor, but I’m going to share a seated version with you.  If you are so stiff that it’s hard to get on the floor, you will appreciate this version.

These are good movements because they get your spine moving from front to back and your ribs moving.  These movements warm the muscles of your back and whole torso, or trunk.  They get your circulation going and can help to strengthen your back.

Here is the seated version:

• Move to the the front edge of a firm, solid chair or seat.
• Sit with your feet flat on the floor, one in front of each hip, toes pointing straight ahead.
• Point your thumbs forward and rest your hands at the side of your chair, hanging your hands near your hips.
• Lift your chest.
• Slowly squeeze your shoulder blades together while you “stick your butt out” and lift your chin toward the ceiling.  This movement should make your back be a “C.”
• Move slowly and thoughtfully.
• Pause there for a second and then start to reverse the move.
• Allow your chin to tuck toward your chest and your back to round outward (in the opposite direction of where you were.)
• Hold in your stomach while you move forward, too.
• You can continue doing these “C’s” and “reverse C’s” in a sequence, one after the other.
• Always pay attention to your body and move slowly and thoughtfully.

Please note: If either move causes real pain in your back, just  flex only to that point.  With practice, it will become easier and you will gain more movement.

There are many ways for your back to round outward.  You might notice that you can cause your upper back to curve, near your shoulder blade.  You can also curve the middle of your back.  Your lower back can also curve outward.  What does this mean?

Your spinal bones give you flexibility.  That’s how they were designed. When you move, move as many different ways as you can.  Try to get as many different joints and muscles moving as you can.

These 2 moves flex your spinal bones and will help strengthen your whole upper body, too.

We are all supposed to be able to move like this.  You could when you were little.  With some help from you, your body can become more flexible again.  Doing these movements thoughtfully will help you become more comfortable and function better and will help relieve the stiffness in your back.

Sometimes your back pain is caused by something that you do.  Other times, it’s caused by something you DON’T do.  Okay, I’ll be totally honest:

There are a LOT of reasons for chronic back pain. It could be caused by:

• Foods that causes inflammation (swelling in your muscles and soft tissues.)
• Additives (chemicals & toxins) that are in your food.
• Vitamin & mineral deficiencies.
• Artificial sweeteners (chemicals & toxins) (Oops!  Did I already say that?)
• Muscles that are “out of balance.” That means muscles on one part of your body are not in balance with the muscles that oppose them.  Some of your muscles are “too tight” and some are not strong enough to keep you where nature designed you to be.  This creates muscle strain.
• Injury to a muscle or area of soft tissue from incorrect use or an accident.
• Anger and sadness; strong negative emotions.

Let’s just stick to muscle strain here.  We can talk about the other causes at a different time.

Can muscle strain can be caused by doing things over and over?

Yes, and especially when the same movement is done over and over again incorrectly.

Here’s an example:

I was at the airport and I was watching the men who unload the luggage from the belly of the planes.  I’ll call them “Fred” and “Ed.”

As each bag came down the belt toward the baggage cart, Fred would bend, lift and twist to get the bag off the belt.  Then he would heft and jerk the bag onto the cart.  Every move he made looked like an effort.  I mean, the man was working!  (Lifting and twisting at the same time is a common cause of low back spasm.)

Ed, on the other hand, looked like he was dancing.  He watched the approaching bag, and when it was just at the right height for him, he comfortably caught it.  It appeared that he used the momentum of the moving belt to continue the move to the cart.  Ed’s moves were smooth and effortless.

Who do you suppose went home with a chronic backache?

Perhaps you’ll say to me, “Yes, but maybe Fred was moving like that because his back already hurts.”  And, that could be true.

But, when we “stiffen up” to protect muscles that are already uncomfortable, we run the risk of further injury.  A flexible body that moves smoothly is a lot less likely to develop chronic back pain.

By the way, lifting with your stomach held in will help prevent back muscle strain.

The best things you can do to reduce your back pain are to educate yourself about the causes of back pain, learn how muscles work, and learn what self-help measures to take.

Therapeutic massage might be one of the tools you use and so might yoga or another movement therapy.  The people over at Back Pain Natural Relief can give you lots of good ideas, too.