Suffering from Back Pain?

Many Americans over the age of 50 suffer from some sort of back pain—it is usually caused by our current lifestyle. Let me try and describe the typical work day: drive to work—a minimum of 30 minutes at least five days per week; sit and work at a computer at least four hours; drive home the same distance; sit on the couch and relax when we get home for an hour; sit in front of the computer another hour or two. Unless you're an athlete that has destroyed your body, it may be the sitting that is creating the pain, and how can you maintain a great—or even a satisfactory—sex-life with back pain?

We know that back pain may be excruciating or debilitating.

Let's investigate the human spine, the vertebral column. The vertebral column consists of 24 bones, the sacrum, and the coccyx. The small links that make up the spinal column are called vertebrae. These vertebrae provide support, bearing the weight of the skull and other skeletal features. It is further subdivided into regions five: cervical, thoracic, lumbar, sacral, and coccygeal. Seven cervical vertebrae constitute the neck, twelve thoracic vertebrae form the midback, and five lumbar vertebrae for the lower back—usually the point of pain for most people. We'll call the sacrum and coccyx negligible for this article.

Between each vertebrae are disks; these disks are made up of a gelatinous substance, called the nucleus pulposus, which provides cushioning to the spinal column. The annulus fibrosus is a fibrocartilaginous ring that surrounds the nucleus pulposus, which keeps the nucleus pulposus intact when forces are applied to the spinal column. The intervertebral disks allow the vertebral column to be flexible and act as shock absorbers during everyday activities, such as walking, running, and jumping.

Not only are the disks involved in absorbing shock, but the curves in the spine also act at shock similarly to impact. The problem begins to evolve when you start taking the natural curves away from the spine. The straightening of the lumbar curve or the cervical curve are the most common suspects; this change sends signals through the nerves in the spine to the brain alerting the brain of adverse movement and discomfort.

If you were to drop a plumb-line (a straight line) at your body's profile, it should bisect your ear, your mid shoulder, your hip, and through your ankle. If you stand in this posture you most likely will not suffer back pain. If you deviate from this line or the aforementioned body parts are in front of or behind the line, you are a candidate for back pain. The line is also a great indicator of what type of back pain you are suffering from, why you are in pain, and how to treat it. Bad posture will cause sciatica, piriformis syndrome, lordosis, kyphosis, scoliosis, degenerative disk syndrome, spinal stenosis, and a myriad of other back problems.

One of the most immediate remedies you can engage in is strengthening your core muscles.

However, I would not recommend crunches without first consulting a professional. I have written and developed several core training programs to help strengthen your midsection to get you out of pain. Contact me to get a program specifically designed for you.