3 Common Back Pain Questions Answered

Millions of people struggle with back pain and fail to get lasting relief and the primary reason is a lack of knowledge and understanding about back pain.

In our work with over 20,000 back pain sufferers here at The Healthy Back Institute, we have identified several questions that are common among nearly all, back pain sufferers. And unfortunately, for many, these people continue to struggle with back pain because their questions never get answered or they get the wrong information.

So the purpose of this article is to educate and inform anyone suffering from back pain by answering these common questions and by giving specific recommendations and actions to take.

Question #1 � Is my excess weight causing my back pain?

While excess body weight is a factor, it by itself typically isn�t enough to create a condition that would cause back pain.Excess body weight in the form of excess body fat can worsen apre-existing condition and can also make recover more difficult.

Also,it�s important to understand that if you are overweight it�s verylikely that your muscles are out of balance. When your muscles are outof balance, it forces your body to function and move in an unbalancedway and this places uneven pressure, strain and wear tear on your body.And it�s this process that is responsible for creating any conditionsor physical dysfunctions that are causing the pain. Unfortunately, mostpeople aren�t even aware when this is happening with their body.

Action to take:

Don�t worry so much about your weight right now. First focus on eliminating your back painby identify the muscle imbalances that are throwing your body out ofbalance and work on improving and correcting them. Then, once your backis feeling better you can focus more on losing weight.

Question #2 � I�ve tried everything but nothing has worked, what should I do?

Firstoff, while it may seem like you�ve exhausted every possible treatment,it�s not likely that you�ve tried everything. So unless you�ve given upand plan on living the rest of your life in pain, you need to make thedecision to be open-minded and continue to identify and experiment withother available treatment options. But, before you try any othertreatments, it�s important that you understand why what you�ve alreadytried hasn�t worked.

The reason nearly all back pain treatments fail to deliver long-term relief is because they treat just the symptoms and fail to address the actual, underlying cause. For example,let�s talk about back surgery. While removing a piece of a herniateddisc may, if you�re lucky, reduce or eliminate your pain, the fact isit didn�t deal with what caused the disc to herniate in the firstplace.

In fact, a study published in the June 2004 issue ofSpine, an international journal for the study of the spine, found that40% of people who underwent back surgery had no decrease in their paineven though their doctor/surgeon had assured them of the results.

So in order for you to get long-term, lasting relief you need to identify and address the underlying cause of your pain.

Action to take:

Identifythe underlying cause of your pain by identifying the muscle imbalancesthat are creating your physical dysfunctions and conditions. Make sureany treatment you are given or perform addresses both the symptoms(condition and pain) and the cause (muscle imbalances and dysfunctions).

Question #3 � My doctor not to exercise, what should I do?

Find a new doctor. Too many research studies have shown that people with back pain who avoid exercise and activity, end up suffering longer and have a more difficult time getting relief.

Whileyou may need to rest for a few days initially to let things settledown, after that you will get better results by staying active becauseby continuing to move you keep your blood circulating and your muscleactive, which will prevent them from getting weaker.

But that�s not enough.

Eventhough staying active may help; it�s not enough to get rid of theunderlying cause of the pain. In order to do that, you must identifyand address your imbalances and dysfunctions.

And the generic exercises that almost every back pain sufferer receives from their healthcare professional, may or may not help� it can even worsen the condition. And the reason is, these exercises do not address the specific muscle imbalances and dysfunctions that are responsible for their pain.

Action to take:

If your doctor or healthcare professionalhasn�t taken the time to educate about the effect of muscle imbalancesand importance of performing targeted and specific, correctiveexercises and stretches, it�s time to look elsewhere.

Unfortunately, the number of healthcare professionalswho are educated and trained in the art of identifying and addressingmuscle imbalances is small and finding one can often be difficult. Ifyou have trouble finding someone in your area, please feel free tocontact us here at The Healthy Back Institute by calling 800-216-4908and we�ll do our best to help you.

Conclusion

If you�re a back painsufferer, you well know that these are just a few of the many questionsthat you may have. The fastest way for you to get lasting relief from back pain is to become an expert on it and your body and you do that be educating yourself.

I strongly encourage you to learn as much as you can about back pain, how it develops and the various treatment options that are available. And lastly, stay focused and don�t give up.