Pilates Exercises can Help with Low Back Pain

Low back pain is one of the most common complaints from males over the age of 20. Many women also experience a number of different acute or chronic injuries to their lower back as well. Despite the multitude of recovery options available, ranging from medication to surgery, there is one method that has continued to prove successful. A prescribed core strengthening routine has relieved the average back pain sufferer of their pain while helping them prevent future injury also.

Strengthening programs designed to increase core muscle strength and endurance have been shown to effectively alleviate back injury and improve posture. In order to make my back pain go away I need to do more back exercises in the gym, right? Not so much. The real key to decreasing the stress put on one's low back is to develop a corset that supports our body. This corset is formed by strengthening what many refer to as the core muscles; mainly the transverse abdominis, multifidus, pelvic floor muscles, and obliques. These muscles help us to breathe properly, and maintain good balance and posture throughout our daily activities.

There are some different theories out there that try to explain the best way to improve core strength. Many different exercises and props have been developed to improve all aspects of one's core. A more recent development has been the inclusion of Pilates into an abdominal strengthening program. Pilates has been shown to successfully alleviate and increasing functional strength. Pilates emphasizes movement through the use of our core muscles, those closest to the spin. Instead of performing more reps, Pilates focuses on performing fewer, more precise movements that require concentration, control, and proper form. Due to its focus on developing the core muscles as well as postural awareness, Pilates is especially successful at alleviating back pain. By integrating the trunk, pelvis, and shoulder girdle Pilates enables you to develop a strong core.

Many physical therapists are successfully introducing some of the Pilates methods into their rehabilitation programs for patients with back pain. The most successful programs thus far have been those who creatively integrate Pilates with props, like the Swiss Ball, resistance bands, or balance disks, and with more traditional techniques. A prop such as the Swiss Ball is ideal for strengthening of muscles like those in the core because they challenge our balance which increases recruitment of the transverse abdominis.

Pilates also emphasizes proper breathing and body awareness in addition to core conditioning. Patients are able to develop their full set of core muscles that gives them functional strength to participate in their daily activities. Those who have given Pilates a try notice a greater ability to focus on their task and increased strength to take part in normal activity while maintaining good posture.

Experiencing low back pain can be frustrating. Luckily there are some options that have been proven to alleviate back pain and help us continue with our regular schedules. The integration of Pilates with more traditional strengthening methods, like using a Swiss Ball, has shown great results in helping those of us with acute and chronic back pain. Ask your local physical therapist if they have been trained in prescribing a Pilates core strengthening program.

Robert Tendick is a student preparing himself to earn a Doctor of Physical Therapy degree. His experience as an athlete with various injuries has given him insight into the common aches and pains that trouble many athletes and the need for core strengthening through mat pilates. He has also had the opportunity as a physical therapy aide to help heal a number of Los Angeles physical therapy patients through the use of cutting edge injury rehabilitation techniques.

By rob tendick

Lower Back Pain Exercise To Combat Pains

The pain in lower part of back is a common muscular problem.

It is of three types

• Acute- this is caused due to accidents or fall.
• Sub acute
• Chronic- this occurs due to course of time like ageing weakness in joints, etc

There are various exercises for curing lower back pain. These are classified under three heads :

1. Initial
2. Intermediate
3. Advanced

Initial lower back pain exercises

• Ankle pumps- moving your ankles up and down while lying on your back

• Heel slides- slowly bending and straightening your knee while lying on your back

• Abdominal contraction- lying down on your back. Tighten your abdominal muscles to squeeze your ribs down toward ground.

• Wall squats- stand while leaning against a wall. Bend both knees to 45 degrees but keep your abdominal muscles tight.

• Heel raiser- raise upon your heels and down.

• Straight leg raiser- lying on your back, keep one leg straight and other leg bent. Slowly lift straight leg up in air and bring down.

Intermediate lower back pain exercises

• Single knee chest stretch- lying on back, both knees straight. Bring one knee up toward your chest.
• Hamstring stretch- lying on back with holding one of your thighs in air.

Swiss ball lower back pain exercises

• Lying on your back, as your knees is bending upon the ball. Raise your arm over head and corresponding other leg in air.

• Sitting on the ball, raise your arm overhead and other corresponding leg up from ground about 2 inches in air

• Stand with wall, while ball is in between you and wall. Slowly start bending your knees to 45 degrees, and raise your both arms overhead

• Lying on stomach over the ball, alternatively raise each of your arm and leg in air one by one

Advanced lower back pain exercises

• Hip flexor stretch- lying on bed, holds knees towards your chest. Leave the knees one by one.

• Piriformis stretch- while lying on your back, cross your legs and pull opposite knees.

Keep yourself in one position at least for 10 seconds and repeat all the exercises for at least 10 times.

Ricky is the owner of http://www.reliefbackpain.net. Visit his site today for more information on the best back pain relief products.

By Ricky Lim

Adding a Foam Mattress Topper as a Way to Relieve Backpain

Foam mattress topper is used as addition to your existing memory foam mattresses. They help you get the same comforts and support which you can have from an original mattress. Over the time period, your foam mattress sags and the quality is reduced. Adding foam mattress topper pads to the mattress is the best way to relieve your pains and comfortable sleeping postures.

Foam mattresses are fast catching the people’s eyes and are major hit in the mattress industry. Memory foam mattress is very comfortable and has visco elastic material which is specially designed by the NASA’s experts. It conform your body’s shape and retains that conformity while sleeping on the mattress. This revolutionary foam mattress has change people’s lives forever. Memory foam or the visco elastic material has remarkable conforming characteristics and the capability to soak up heat. It will mould to your body shape whatever dimension and spread your body weight evenly over the surface of your mattress.

Swedish mattress company Tempur Pedic launched the first memory foam mattress for the general consumers, in the year 1991. It received a good response and thus in following years other companies launched the same material in the form of different brand names.

Though foam mattresses are durable and steady, over the years its quality and ability to reduce pressure on body joints, diminishes. Therefore, instead of buying new mattress you can top up your mattress with foam mattress toppers available in market. These foam mattress toppers give you the same results as that of original mattress. Foam topper pads can be easily embedded in your existing mattress and your old mattress will work like brand new one. You can add more than one topper pad to the mattress, depending on condition of the mattress. These foam mattress topper pads are available in all sizes and colors. Various different foam topper brands are available in market. Generally, 2” or 3” mattress sizes are used. The weight for standard foam topper pads is around 4lb.

These foam mattress toppers are temperature sensitive. The material used for creating these toppers is viscous and have a elastic tendency when temperature is changed. That is why it is also called as visco elastic foam toppers. As the temperature raises foam toppers melts, softens and takes your body shape accordingly. This ability is the reason for that ease melting feeling you get while sleeping on foam topper pads. This temperature sensitivity varies in different brands, and thus varies the comfort. Moreover, foam mattress toppers have cells, which have holes in them. As you sleep on the foam mattress topper, foam toppers deforms and conform your body mass. Foam cells compress completely and distribute air pressure to nearby cells. Because of these unique properties, foam topper pads give you that extra feeling and soothe you always desire.

Foam mattress toppers are much healthier. They are more sensible deal than buying costly new mattress or replacing coils of old fashioned mattresses. Therefore, foam topper pads are the best choice you have. There are numerous brands like HealthFoundation, A1 Mattress, TemperPudic and others, which provides foam toppers.

Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/fashion-articles/adding-a-foam-mattress-topper-as-a-way-to-relieve-backpain-464231.html

Why Qigong Practitioners Don't Suffer From Backpain

Practitioners who make qigong a part of their everyday routine seldom get backpain if at all, because qigong and back problems are a contradiction in terms!

If you suffer back spasms or other back problems, just one month of daily qigong practice will alleviate most of the pain. Six months of practice will eliminate most if not all of the problem, and 20 minutes of daily practice will keep backpain away.

Qigong, (a.k.a. chi kung) is a 5000-year-old Chinese meditative yoga that incorporates both still and moving forms. Integral to all qigong exercise are breathing techniques to help cultivate the vital chi energy, an intrinsic lifeforce that we believe is responsible for all life and health.

When we practice qigong, we generate healing chi energy that circulates through all parts of the body, realigning posture, healing wounds and injuries, detoxifying the body and gradually alleviating pain stemming from imbalances, injury and poor health.

Qigong also teaches correct posture in all positions, standing up, sitting down, and even in recumbent poses. Back problems may be due to all kinds of injury to the back, but the main reason why anyone would continue to suffer back spasms long after the injury is healed is poor posture and a weak back.

Poor posture creates little support in the back and puts all the weight in the wrong places, creating pressure on the spinal column. Misalignment makes the chi flow sluggishly, which further aggravates the situation.

On the other hand, when you practice qigong, you become sensitive to the generation and circulation of chi energy. When the chi energy becomes stuck and unable to flow properly due to blockages created from misalignment, pain results. In qigong, you automatically correct your posture, knowing that when the energy moves the pain disappears at the same time.

Even if you have never experienced back problems, practicing qigong will maintain a healthy strong back. If you ever look at some of the old qigong masters, even at eighty or ninety years of age, they have strong healthy backs that are not bent over with age!

There are several qigong positions you can assume to remedy back spasms and other back problems. The first position is a sitting position. Here are the steps:

1. Find a chair or bench to sit on that is the right height for your legs. For a chair to be the right height for you, you should be able to sit comfortably with your feet planted flat on the ground and your knees bent 90 degrees.

If the chair is not ergonomically correct, incorrect posture, inadequate support and resulting back problems will continue to give you varying degrees of backpain.

2. Sit on the edge of your seat, so that only your buttocks, not your thighs, touch the seat. Your back should be straight, not slouching forward or leaning back on the support of the chair. Though your spine is straight, it should not be ramrod rigid, but relaxed.

3. This far into the exercise you should already begin to feel your backpain easing. Plant your feet flat on the ground about shoulder-width from each other, toes pointing forward, knees bent 90 degrees.

4. If you are sitting properly, you can pat and feel the back of your thighs wobble like jelly.

If you are currently experiencing backpain and you try this qigong sitting position, your pain should ease almost immediately. If you have been suffering frequent bouts of back spasms or a recent back injury, it may be painful for you to sit up for long periods. Practice for brief periods, until your back grows stronger, then gradually extend your sitting time.

In fact, if your back is healthy, you can sit for hours in this position and not get backpain or feel fatigued, because your back is getting proper support, there is no undue pressure on the spine, and you are relaxed and aligned properly, so that the chi energy is able to flow uninhibited.

You can assume this position any time when you are working at your desk, eating or even watching television — in fact, any time you need to sit down. With practice, this position should become automatic every time you are sitting.

Try it for yourself and see what wonders it can do for your backpain. If you get used to sitting like this every day, you'll find much of your backpain will ease significantly within a week, even when you are not doing this exercise. By then, you should be ready for the next qigong lesson: providing support for your back in a standing position.

Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/wellness-articles/why-qigong-practitioners-dont-suffer-from-backpain-213730.html

Suffering From Lower Back Pain - Abdominal Pain Specifically?

Did you know lower back pain, abdominal area can be a sign of kidney disease? Aside from kidney infections, you may have caused damage to these vital organs with extensive use of pain killers, as well as protein shakes. Without a question, if you have pain in this area, it is vital to seek medical attention.

If you weight train on a regular basis, you may also be suffering from a number of muscular imbalances. For example, even though you may have a firm abdomen, all those crunches will not affect the core body muscles that give you power as well as massive muscle development. When you read core training guides, you will learn which exercises you need to do, as well as how often to do them.

Today, almost every body builder thinks that muscular development must also come with a great deal of pain. Interestingly enough, your body was made to be strong and powerful. You have only to consider the muscular development of the cave people to realize that working your core body muscles is very important. Typically, if you work these muscles in a consistent way, they will grow strong and lean.

Regardless of your age or current physical condition, lower back pain, abdominal region can indicate a serious internal condition. That said, once you know that your issues are muscular in nature, you can take steps to remedy the situation. Among other things, you can make sure that your workout focuses on the development and maintenance of core body muscles. Once your pain subsides, you may even begin to notice that your body looks trimmer and stronger. Without a question, you will also enjoy being able to move without causing all kinds of sprains to muscles that you had not been paying enough attention to.

Pat Faggins writes for popular blog HealthConditionHelp.Com. He writes informative content on a wide range of health problems, including lower back pain right side area and much more. Get free tips when you visit the site today!

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Pat_Faggins

Your Lower Back Pain and Weight Training

Many people believe that weight training is a painful form of exercise. In most cases, the pain is a symptom of damaged muscles. This damage occurs because you may not be making use of the right exercises. Luckily, many weight training exercises can teach you how to build powerful muscles in a way that is safe and virtually painless.

Did you know endless abdominal exercises can do more harm than good? When you add weight lifting to other harmful exercises, you may wind up with back injuries, abdominal injuries, and many other problems. In most cases, improving your "form" will not substitute for ensuring that each muscle group from shoulder to knees receive the right amount of exercise.

In most cases, you can use exercise to cure lower back and hip pain. Without a question, you can always benefit from exercises that will build the strength of your core muscles. When you hone them in relation to surrounding muscles, you will have a well sculpted body, as well as a strong one. You may even be surprised to find that you will quickly develop a lean appearance.

Even if you are not interested in becoming a body builder, you can obtain relief from lower back and hip pain. Typically, when you make use of an exercise routine that increases the strength and endurance of both minor and major muscles, your pain will go away. Fortunately, working core body muscles is an ideal way to achieve this goal. This is especially important to consider if you are sedentary for most of the day, or you have a habit of lifting or pulling things incorrectly. At the very least, when your muscles are stronger, it will reduce the damage to them, as well as your tendons and ligaments.

Pat Faggins writes for popular blog HealthConditionHelp.Com. He writes informative content on a wide range of health problems, including lower back leg pain and much more. Get free tips when you visit the site today!

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Pat_Faggins

Some Things to Know About Lower Left Side Back Pain

Did you know lower left side back pain can indicate the presence of colon cancer? Interestingly enough, as tumors in this organ grow, they have a tendency to press on a nerve that runs through the back lower left side of your body. In many cases, both doctors and patients may mistake this pain for lumbago, or even strain from exercise.

Even if you just started working out, or can think of some other "reasonable" excuse for lower left side back pain, you should ask to have a routine colonoscopy. Unfortunately, as people develop cancer at a younger age, it is even more crucial for you to insist on having this exam, rather than take a risk on any tumor getting further out of control.

Once you are certain that your pain is truly muscular in nature, you may want to try reading an exercise guide in order to learn how to get rid of pain naturally. In most cases, once you start providing proper exercise to each muscle, it will develop strength and endurance. You will also find that any extra fat you have in the abdominal area will vanish. Won't you enjoy having a washboard abdomen instead of all flab?

Each year, thousands of people needlessly die from cancer. If you have a specific type of pain, it is very important to see a doctor, and make sure that you rule out the presence of a colon tumor. As may be expected, once you know that you are in good health, it will be time to amend your exercise routine. In most cases, targeting core body muscles will help you achieve a leaner appearance, and also help get rid of your pain. You may even find that doing the right exercises will be much more enjoyable than doing the wrong ones.

Pat Faggins writes for popular blog HealthConditionHelp.Com. He writes informative content on a wide range of health problems, including lower back pain abdominal area and much more. Get free tips when you visit the site today!

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Pat_Faggins