All about Back Pain, and How To Fix It

A life with back pain puts a damper on all future activities. This is a dismal outlook for those with action-packed plans for the future and who rely on conventional back-pain treatments. These treatments come with side effects and often don’t lead to complete recovery. In this article I share my understanding of back pain, and some exercises and equipment I've found really helpful in alleviating my own back pain.

Ducking and Diving can Cause Injury to the Back

The lower back is prone to injuries, more so with sports people. Unfortunately, twisting too far in sport or even lifting something the wrong way with day to day activities can cause injury to the back and put you out of action. A tennis player for instance, who is ducking and diving to reach the ball, can so easily put strain on the back. With tennis injuries rife, it becomes important to prepare for the risks involved with strain and pain.

In preparation for the pressure we put on the back, it’s important to learn a simple approach that will strengthen your core and protect the spine. If you’re trying to prevent- or fix that debilitating back pain, strength exercises are absolutely essential.

Diet and Exercise to Support the Back

Top tennis players like Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic know this too well. They practice their game intensively and are at risk for low back pain. Their back muscles need to support those sudden forward and lateral movements during a game.

This is precisely why tennis instructors are used to teach proper form. They instruct players on diet and exercise to avoid back injuries and back pain. In every sport, strong core body muscles are essential, and an exercise program to increase core muscle strength helps with preventing lower back injury and pain.

One of the best natural alternatives for back-pain relief includes simple exercises that can be done at home. Regular exercises will help strengthen your back and core muscles – so important for preventing injury and relieving back pain.

In an effort to prevent back pain, fitness experts tell us that there are simple exercises and stretches we can do at home, or anywhere else really.

5 Back Strengthening Exercises

Here are my 5 favorite exercises to do at home to strengthen the back and prevent injury to that area.

Bridge Pose

Cat Stretch

Knee to Chest Stretch

Low Back Rotation Stretch

Shoulder Blade Squeezes

Make Sure Your Back is Supported

When sitting, one thing you should check is that your chair has the proper back and lumbar support. There are many good ergonomic office chairs, and lately I've been using a kneeling chair as well from time to time to switch things up. You can read about and find some good ones here. I've found with a kneeling chair my back is automatically in a good, upright position, and it also seems to work my core as I sit.

Be Proactive about your Back

What my recent experience with nagging back pain has taught me is to be more proactive, both in terms of exercising and to watch my posture when sitting for long periods of time. Don't neglect your back- or any part of your body for that matter- prevention is always better than the alternative.

Green stretching frog statue gift for animal lovers

A matt green stretching frog statue to brighten the day of any yogi

This adorable statue measures 2 inches by 3.25 inches, and can be placed outside in your garden, or in doors on a desk for example. Get one or additional statues strutting different poses to form an enchanting collection.

Nothing brings a smile quicker to a yoga lover's face than a cute frog doing the quintessential cobra pose. It's strangely relaxing and comforting.

One of the most challenging postures in Bikram- for me

As yoga practitioners, each of us have challenges that are different from the person next to us, based on our fitness level, flexibility, BODY mechanics etc. In Bikram yoga (the style I'm currently undertaking), there is a posture called Utkatasana, or Awkward style. This posture has emerged for me as the most difficult, while a quick glance around the studio seems to indicate I'm in the minority here. Utkatasana is when one bends his/her knees so their thighs are perpendicular to the floor while standing on your toes, your arms extended forward parallel with your thighs. Here is an image illustrating the pose:

For me, I simply cannot hold this pose for longer than a few quick seconds before my legs start to wobble and collapse, like the ground is shaking violently beneath me. Frankly it's rather embarrassing when most people seem to have no issues with it. Hmmm.

Yoga Mat spray for the hygenic yogi

A great spray to keep your yoga mat smelling fresh

The cleaner kills any germs while releasing a citrus smell that soothes and calms your nerves. Infused with essential oils, it contains no harmful chemicals and is 100% biodegradable to give mother nature a break as well.

After an intense session of sweating, what often gets neglected is the mat, as evident in the odor that builds up. That's why I always carry something like this and put it to use after each workout.

Yoga and Pilates Mat Holder gift

Anyone that does Yoga or Pilates will love this mat holder

The tote bag features magnetic snaps and fully extended zippers for quick access to the contents inside. The large container space can accommodate even big exercise mats and still have room for your other gear.

For me, traveling to my hot yoga studio always involves bringing along the following items- a mat, bottle of water, large and small towels, and shampoo. This container is the only one able to carry everything inside all at once, freely up my hands completely.