Upper And Lower Back Pain Relief Treatment Exercises Information

Back pain is one of the world's most common problems, and it is estimated that more than 30 million Americans are suffering from back pain on any particular day. Not only is this pain debilitating, it's expensive. It is estimated that in the United States alone, more than $40 billion is spent dealing with the effects of back pain. While there can be diseases and other medical reasons for back pain, there are ways to keep back pain from occurring frequently and medicine-free ways to reduce pain.

One of the biggest reasons why people suffer from back pain is simply because they don't exercise enough and carry too much weight on their body. The more fit you are, the less likely you are to suffer from back pain. Of course, you might feel as though this is a Catch-22. You want to exercise, but you are in pain and are worried about further hurting your body. Even if you are suffering from some pain, light exercise can be a good way to keep muscles loose and lessen inflammation. So at least go for a low-impact walk, even if you are moving slowly.

When you have good posture, you also are less likely to experience back pain. So remember to stand up straight and hold in your stomach as you stand during the day. Fit stomach muscles help to support your back and holding the muscles in helps firm them up a bit. In addition, your work chair should support the lower back while still keeping you in a straight, upright position. Make an effort to sit as straight as possible during the day and spend a minute or two every hour walking around and doing a stretch or two. This warms up the muscles, reduces stiffness and lowers your risk of a strain.

Another problem that often causes quick onset of back pain is picking up something heavy. We've all been there, we bend over and pick up a heavy item and pain shoots through our back. Lifting by using the knees and stomach and holding an object close to our body can help prevent this type of injury to our back. This also means we need to exercise to strengthen the leg and stomach and arm muscles to make lifting and squatting down properly easier.

While it might seem easy to just take a few ibuprofen or another medicine to handle the pain, it's not good to rely on painkillers for long term pain relief. Using natural alternatives such as visiting a masseuse or chiropractor can be a good option. You also can apply ice to a sore muscle to reduce swelling. Placing a physiological hybrid shape to the affected area is another medicine-free alternative to reduce back pain.

Physiological hybrid shapes often are used by athletes to allow them to continue exercise even with a muscle strain or pain. These specially designed shapes are much easier to use than tape and provide the support of a brace without limiting your mobility. The center of the shape adheres to the sore area, and the arms of the shape reach out to nearby muscles, tendons and ligaments using these body parts as a source of power in place of the sore muscle. This allows you to move around with less pain and in turn increases circulation in the sore area, which speeds up healing. You can wear a shape for up to five days, and they stay in place using a medical-grade, hypoallergenic adhesive.