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Low back pain is thought to affect 80% of the population at some times in their lives. This means that all of us at some point may experience some level of back pain. This may be aggravated by certain activities or happen because of an accident. What happens is the stress on your spine becomes concentrated which puts enormous stress. This stress will fatigue the soft tissues and muscles making them become stiff and hurt. Many people are turning to massage chairs as a convenient method to reduce the stiffness and pain associated with low back problems.

Prevention of low back pain is important to help avoid problems down the road. There are a number of things to keep in mind to prevent back pain from occurring. Prevention requires that you take action before the symptoms of low back pain appear. One of the first items to be aware of is how to protect your back when undertaking various activities. The most often overlooked areas are lifting, sitting and standing.

The first areas of prevention are making sure you use correct posture when standing, sitting and lifting. These 3 activities constitute the highest percentage of injuries to the lower back. If you stand, for example, you should hold your head up high and your shoulders should be back. No slouching. If you slouch then the weight is being concentrated in the lower back which fatigues the muscles.

Another area of prevention is your posture when sitting. We spend a lot of time sitting and if we do not sit correctly, then it impacts the health of your back negatively. For instance, if you slouch forward, then this places more strain on the upper back to compensate. This can be corrected instantly by putting your shoulders back and sitting upright. This prevents the concentration of force which through time can help to misalign the back.

Another area to monitor proactively is lifting. Lifting involves additional weight and movement. Because of the extra weight, using proper lifting techniques is very important. The main change that is needed is to let your legs do the lifting and not your back. Most people bend over and let their lower back take the brunt of the weight. The proper way is to bend your knees and pick up the object by extending your legs straight again.

Another proactive method for back pain prevention is the periodic use of a massage chair. Massage chairs can be used to reduce low back pain, but also can be used as part of the warm up and warm down activities to prevent back pain. Massage chairs come with a variety of therapies to help the body. In addition to numerous massage therapies, massage chairs also have heating elements, traction systems and music players.

A massage chair can help adjust the spine with the use of a rolling massage. A rolling massage uses the rollers to go up and down the spine. As the rollers pass each vertebrae, they apply a slight traction that flexes the soft tissues which helps to make them more flexible. This is especially relieving when they are tight and stiff.

One excellent therapeutic program on many massage chairs is the Shiatsu massage program. The Shiatsu technique originally comes from Japan and uses acupressure points as well as certain pressure techniques to relax the body. This massage is invigorating and provides soothing relief for the whole body.

One excellent feature of massage chairs is a stretching system. The stretching system is used to elongate different parts of the body. Some stretching systems target the lower body while others can do the arms and shoulders. The rolling massage provides for traction of the spine. In some cases, most of the body can be stretch with the functions of the massage chair providing needed relief.

Prevention of back pain is the best way to avoid low back pain. By taking some simple precautions, many types of injuries can be avoided. Massage chairs can be a great investment in this respect. Use a massage chair to warm up before activities and to warm down after activities. If you feel pain in a given area, you can target a massage for relief. A massage chair can be a versatile partner to keep your spine in top health.

Millions of back and sciatica sufferers seek medical help every year. In a recent study, conducted in the United Kingdom and reported in the British Medical Journal, it was reported that seven percent of the population presented for medical treatment due to back pain and sciatica in a single year. Given the same kind of numbers in the United States, the number of actual patients presenting with back pain is staggering. Given the current population of the United States, at 306,028,200 (census.gov), probably up since the writing of this article, that’s an incredible 21,000,000 plus individuals annually presenting with back pain in the United States. That is, of course, if the numbers carry over, and why wouldn’t they? The question, raised by researchers in the above mentioned study, had to do with recovery rates for patients initially examined and then followed until the cessation of pain, or the cessation of visits to the doctor’s office. In other words, were patients ceasing to visit their medical practitioner because they were no longer in pain? The commonly held belief within the medical community was that the back pain and sciatica sufferer had indeed recovered, no longer in need of medical assistance.

The objective of the study was to determine if the ninety percent (90%) of back pain and sciatica episodes that had apparently resolved themselves within a month’s time were in fact resolved, pain free. The study looked at all patients, two hundred and three men and two hundred and eighty-seven women, consulting their medical practitioner during a one month period. The patients, 6.4% of the practices in the study group, were then followed at increments of one week, then three months, and finally at one year. At three months following the initial consultation, a very small number of patients had indeed recovered. The majority of patients were either in the same amount of pain or worse. Additionally, at one year the number of back pain and sciatica sufferers had not improved significantly. In fact, as was the case at the three month increment, many were in greater pain and disabled. The fact that so few patients had actually recovered underscores the persistent, recurrent nature of this complex pain issue. Probably the most perplexing finding was that nine out of every ten back pain and sciatica sufferers stopped seeing their
physician by three months.

The study debunked the notion that back pain and sciatica sufferers ceased seeing their medical practitioner because they had recovered. Of the four hundred and ninety patients, two hundred and seventy-five men and women (59%) visited one time and stopped, another one hundred and fifty (32%) continued to three months and ceased to visit their physician, and after one year only one in four (25%) had recovered and were pain free. The findings validate the interpretation that back pain and sciatica sufferers stop seeking medical treatment within three months of the initial visit to their physician but remain in pain. Not only do the patients continue to have pain, the level of pain often increases, as it did during the one year study period. Ultimately, the findings from the study demonstrate the fact that the majority of back pain and sciatica sufferers do experience varying degrees of pain, and even disability, after seeing their medical practitioner. The findings raise the following question: Can treatment, instituted early enough in the pain complex and consistently followed, improve the final outcome, hence reducing the recurrent, and often cumulative effect of back pain and sciatica with its medical, economic, and even social consequences and considerations? The study is suggestive and it seems apparent that early, consistent, and prolonged treatment may, in fact, be the best strategy for the patient suffering from back pain and sciatica.

Back pain and sciatica affect millions of Americans every year. Half a million Americans undergo life changing surgery as a result of the pain, only thirty to thirty-five percent of individuals undergoing surgery reclaim anything approaching a normal, pain-free life. It is important to understand the causes of back pain and sciatica, how to effectively treat the causes, and to know when to see a medical practitioner. The cause of back pain and sciatica to be discussed in this article is obesity. It must be noted that there a myriad of causes, some requiring immediate medical intervention, others requiring a systematic program for recovery, we will discuss the others in future articles. Significantly, the solutions to many of these problems are not that much different, we will explore some of them here.

Obesity has long been recognized as one of the principle causes of back pain and sciatica in adults. Remarkably, as our society gets heavier and obesity reaches epidemic proportions, children are also affected, expressing many of the same symptoms of back pain, and even sciatica, as a consequence of early onset, childhood obesity, and in record numbers. However, it is adults we are primarily concerned with here, and there is a clear and demonstrable link between obesity and back pain among adults in our society. According to the American Obesity Association (AOA), approximately one hundred and ninety-six million adults are considered overweight or obese in the United States, that’s a staggering sixty-four percent of the population, up from forty-six percent (46%) between 1976 and 1980. In addition to back pain and sciatica directly, obesity may also be a contributing factor in a number of other diseases affecting the spine, diseases such as spinal stenosis, degenerative disc disease, osteoarthritis, osteoporosis, spondylolisthesis, and there is even the suggestion of a link between rheumatoid arthritis and obesity in adults, and children.

The spine is divided into four sections or regions, these regions have what are called curvatures, either primary or secondary curvatures. The primary curvatures are the thoracic or mid-chest region, and sacral or “tail bone.” The secondary curvatures are the cervical or neck and the lumbar or lower back. The curvatures are either set prior to birth, as in the case of the primary curvatures or develop in the first year of life, as in the case of the cervical and lumbar curvatures. The spine is meant to support the body as we stand upright, the neck and lower back being the areas at greatest risk due to their natural, weight bearing curvatures and responsibilities. When too much weight is loaded, the back is forced to carry the additional burden, this leads to structural failure and damage, as in the case of herniated discs or even crushed vertebrae. At the very least, the muscles meant to support the back, some quite small and not meant to carry such a heavy load for long periods, are compromised, leading to strain and, in the low back or lumbar region, sway back or lordosis. Imagine putting on a backpack, face front instead of on your back, now load that backpack with bowling balls, one at a time for every ten pounds of extra weight you are carrying. It’s not something you would want to have to carry around all day; and yet, that is exactly what you are doing when you carry extra weight.

Lack of exercise and conditioning, often associated with overweight or obese back pain and sciatica sufferers, leads to an entire complex of consequences. Increased lordosis or sway back, combined with poor flexibility and weak, atrophied or shrunken muscles in the back, primarily the lower back, the hips, thighs, and even calves, leads to improper load bearing and a feedback loop that contributes to more pain, which contributes to more inactivity, which leads to more pain. You get the picture, I hope? This pain complex, with its associated consequences, can increase the secondary curvature of the lower back or lordosis, and may even cause the hips (pelvis) to tilt too far forward and down, causing additional pain. This pelvic tilt, combined with the lordosis or sway back, is detrimental to proper posture of the individual and, as posture disintegrates, other curvatures of the spine, the neck for instance, may become increasingly painful.

Many back pain and sciatica sufferers attempt to downplay the etiology or cause of some or all of their back problems, disorders, and diseases as a natural consequence of aging. It is true that with age-progressive phenomena exist and take place in and on the spine and related musculature. However, much of this is an adaptive response to weakening muscles, muscles that can and should be exercised in order to avoid atrophy and a whole series of problems associated with obesity and aging. There is one thing that is an absolute certainty, if you are carrying extra weight, whether overweight or obese, chances are you have, or will have, back pain and sciatica.

I know you are tired of discomfort during your pregnancy so here are so here are 5 tips relief for the lower back pain during pregnancy.

The most important thing during pregnancy is the good night sleep, and if you sleep in a very uncomfortable position, it can make your back pain even worse. Therefore, when asleep you can use the maternity back support belt, which works great to help you to support your belly, so your lower back wouldn’t have to carry all that weight alone.  Most women don’t get this and tend to ignore it, but the weight is still there even when you are a sleep.

Some women also like to wrap pillows just below their bellies to help them while asleep. On the other hand using pillows is a very good idea. Use as much pillows as possible to make it more comfortable.  Some women sleep with 10 pillow around them. Why not, as long as it gets you comfortable and pain free.

Pain in your feet can also cause the pain in your lower back so the tip number 3 is to wear low-heeled shoes or the athletic ones, forget about the high heels for now. High heals can cause some major issues for the life time.

But even with this, you still might feel some pain in your feet, and the best is the massage. There are numerous appliances that you can use for foot massage, and the best way is to ask for your significant other.

The next tip is some light and safe workout. You can choose a light walk each day, or soft exercises. With the combination of exercise and light stretching each day, your back pain will be reduced or maybe completely gone. The fact about these exercises is that they help your body to cope with the constant change and with carrying a lot more weight than before. If you stretch your muscles, you will not only avoid the back pain but leg cramps as well.

Tip number four is to avoid carrying anything heavy! This is a MUST! You’ve got enough to carry already. So avoid carrying and standing for a longer time, if possible try to move, but do not stand or sit on the same place for a longer time, and avoid slouching while sitting.

If possible, always keep a rolled up towel behind your lower back. And finally tip number five is to have plenty of sleep. Bed rest really works for most pregnant women, and keep in mind that the bed rest is not recommended all day long and in every kind of posture, it is best to sleep on your left side, and use plenty of pillows, with a pillow between your legs and a very thin one under your abdomen.

To fix this problem and get a relief of the lower back pain during your pregnancy, you have to try all of these together. One thing is not going to make it go away.

We have a preconceived notion that pain in the back is usually associated with bad posture, poor muscle strength and sedentary life style. As a result we forget about proper back pain diet and try to search for the solution in exercises, yoga, and massages before giving up ultimately to medicines. By doing all this, we are overlooking one of the most important causal factors- Our Diet. The food that we eat provides nutrients to our body. Some of these nutrients play a crucial role in spinal health. To avoid back-related problems, proper back pain diet is required.

This checklist will allow you to determine how good your diet is for your spine.

Vitamin A - It is an essential component of bone formation. It aids in effective utilization of proteins in the body and is therefore vital for tissue repair and tissue formation. Good food sources include Liver, fish oil, eggs, milk fortified with vitamin A; red, yellow and orange fruits and vegetables, many dark-green, leafy vegetables. However, if taken in excess, Vitamin A is detrimental to bone health. So never take supplements as a back pain diet without a prescription. Natural food sources are, however, not generally harmful.

Vitamin B12 - It mediates bone metabolism and osteoblast activity. Low B12 is associated with osteoporosis. B12 supplementation reportedlyremineralizes the bones. It is found almost exclusively in animal foods such as liver, kidney, meat, fish, shellfish, milk products and eggs. Bacteria are the only creatures that manufacture this vitamin. The bacteria present in our body produces vitamin A but that is mostly insufficient. For vegetarians, Milk remains the only source.

Vitamin C - It plays an important role in collagen formation. Collagen, in turn, is required for cell formation to repair injured tissues, ligaments, tendons etc. It is found in almost all fresh fruits and vegetables. Fruits of the citrus family such as orange, kiwi, lime, lemon are especially rich sources of vitamin C and considered as good back pain diet.

Vitamin K - It is required for proper utilization of calcium. It helps keep the bones strong and healthy. The best food sources of it include green leafy vegetables such as kale, parsley, spinach and broccoli. Smaller amounts are found in milk and other dairy products, meat, eggs, cereal, fruits and other vegetables.

Iron - Iron helps in the production of myoglobin, which is required for healthy muscles. It also strengthens the cells as it supplies oxygen to them. Iron is found in a large variety of meats and vegetables; however, it is absorbed much more efficiently from meats.

Magnesium - It is used in building bones, manufacturing proteins, releasing energy from muscle storage and muscle toning. Foods rich in magnesium include unrefined grains, nuts and green vegetables. These natural food supplements are considered as essential back pain diet.

Calcium - It is the most essential nutrient for bone health. Calcium is responsible for maintaining the necessary level of bone mass throughout one’s lifespan. Calcium deficiency can cause osteoporosis. While many foods contain calcium, dairy products are the most significant source of it. Some green, leafy vegetables - including broccoli, collard greens, kale, mustard greens, turnip greens and Chinese cabbage - are good sources of calcium. Canned salmon and sardines, shellfish, almonds, Brazil nuts and dried beans are also good dietary sources of calcium.