Back In Action

What to do about low back pain.

You reach over to pick up a magazine, open a door or pick up the baby. A twinge strikes your lower back. In minutes, the searing pain spreads and you're incapacitated. You wonder what you did to bring on such crippling pain.

Low back pain is a common complaint. Up to 70 percent of us will experience back problems during our lifetime. Some physicians believe back pain is an inevitable result of upright posture. It can strike suddenly, often when you're doing something routine, or it can be a chronic, low-grade pain that limits activity.

The underlying cause of both types of back pain is a breakdown of the normal biomechanics of the spine after months or even years of poor posture, inactivity, muscle weakness and improper lifting techniques. The spine and its supporting structures function together much like a Slinky or a snake.

A strong, balanced and flexible back is created and maintained by the synchronized effort of back, abdomen and trunk muscles, which stabilize pressure and counteract tension placed on the spine by outside forces. If an imbalance from muscle weakness or poor posture occurs, the chain does not function smoothly, resulting in uneven areas of wear, weakness and spasm.

An Ounce of Prevention

Back pain is one of those problems for which the proverbial ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. Anyone who has battled a severe back spasm will tell you to do whatever it takes to avoid one. And after that first spasm, it's often a battle to prevent low back pain from becoming a chronic condition.

Most low back pain will respond to conservative treatment within one or two months. But that doesn't mean ignoring the problem and hoping it will go away. You may need to make substantial changes in your lifestyle and learn proper techniques for strengthening and stretching your back.

What causes all this low back pain?

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Foreword: Billie Jean King

Comments by Barb Harris
Editor in Chief,
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