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.