What causes back pain and how to get relief from back pain

Back problems come very high on the list of why so many people visit the doctor, the osteopath, the chiropractor or the physiotherapist. Neck and shoulder pain come a close second. There are many causes of back pain, but what might be causing pain in the lumbar spine in one person may be a very different reason than someone else who presents in a similar way. So, it is important to find out exactly what is causing the pain. X rays or scans may reveal alarming results to the lay person who then totally focusses on the diagnosis and psychologically feels defeated on account of this information, as they search on the internet for further information making invalid conclusions that may be way off course! Did you know that because you have a scoliosis or wear and tear in your cervical spine, lumbar spine or indeed a bulging disc, that all these conditions are not only manageable but with correct understanding and appropriate  exercise for the  condition, the pain can become a thing of the past? Similarly, with rotator cuff injuries or a slap tear which orthopedic surgeons will tell you can  only be cured with surgery. I had this condition diagnosed last year due to a previous car accident that had dislocated my shoulder, and was told that if I did not have surgery I could lose the use of my arm! I turned to my yoga and with the understanding from Yinyoga, Viniyoga, and the magical Kundalini yoga which is literally “inspirational” in making”in roads” into the physical body I was able, with the  assistance of conscious connected breathing, to discover  much intuitive information, to assist my painful condition. I am pleased to reveal that I now have very strong back muscles, less tension in my shoulders, learning that my thoughts and emotions were controlling spontaneous tension around my upper back and across my heart centre, without any realization that this was happening. My shoulder condition is now totally under control and pain free with the correct management.

This week I have been working with someone with low back pain who has suffered for years. In going back into his history it would appear that the problems started with a cycling accident 20 years ago, but as I delved more deeply I was convinced this was not now the cause of the low back pain. A very intelligent, sensible guy, he began to bring me up to date with how he had abandoned osteopaths and chiropractors in search of a more long term result, although these practitioners certainly were helpful with any chronic pain condition, but not with lasting results. So what was going on? I had observed him during the course of our one to one yoga week and noticed he was indeed very flexible and had enjoyed the yinyoga which seemed to be assisting his painful sciatica. However, after a cycling trip on uneven ground, following surgery for varicose veins and having had a deep vein thrombosis, he decided to go on a volcanic walk 2 days later, again on uneven ground. The next day he was complaining of a stiff back and had to take pain killers. I decided to really peel back the onion and look more closely. What I had suspected became confirmed by a series of exercises I asked him to perform. I was keen to know about his core stability which by the way is not just the stomach muscles but the major muscle groups in the back and psoas muscles in the side body. He told me he did a lot of core stability exercises in the gym.Please show me what you do, I said. Well, what followed completely endorsed my diagnosis. Recruiting upper back to compensate for “not so strong” core muscles causing very locked and stiff upper back. These were not appropriate stomach exercises recommended by his personal trainer to strengthen this client’s stomach muscles. Quite the contrary! More fitting for a fit young 30 year old dedicated to achieving the perfect  six pack! So this was not serving the lower back at all. Overload of tension and tightness in upper back was something he did not need with sciatica going on in the lower back. I then looked at his feet. A strong pronation in the left foot where there was swelling in the lower leg and ankle (previously where there had been DVT] was causing huge overload in the left side, so the right side had become stronger. As I asked him to bring his feet parallel under his knees as he was lying down I notice the left foot automatically was not in alignment with his right but he felt as though it was so when he lifted his hips off the floor his right hip was not in alignment with his left and as he lowered the hips you could clearly see the problem of instability through the hips and the weaker left side. Hence the continuing back pain putting pressure on the left sciatic nerve. To further endorse my diagnosis when he finally came to a standing position I noticed he came up via his right leg, the stronger side and had probably be doing this  for years. What a revelation! I am sure he will now be on the road to recovery as he understands his problem and how it has come about.