Low back pain is one of the most common ailments people suffer from and approximately 8 out of 10 people will deal with back pain at some point in their life.

That’s a lot of people… are you one of them? Out of all of the various forms of back pain, lower back pain is by far the most common and there’s a good explanation for this. Any idea why? It’s not car accidents, it’s not work-related injuries, and it’s not a lack of prescription medications either.

Lack of movement and use is the number one cause of back pain! I bet your orthopedic specialist or chiropractor didn’t tell you that, did they? It’s the lack of movement in various muscles over years that leads to muscle imbalances and uneven wear and tear on your body, especially the spine.

For example, how many times a day are you bending, leaning, or twisting. Here’s what the typical person’s day is like: – Wake up – Eat breakfast (hopefully) – Drive or ride to work – Sit at desk – Eat lunch – Sit at desk some more – Drive or ride home – Eat dinner – Sit on couch and watch tv – Go to bed Notice the trend here?

That’s an awful lot of sitting and not moving. Well, this is what leads to serious muscle imbalances and so what do we do, we go to the gym and perform exercises that only make the imbalances worse!

The key to eliminating back pain (nearly any ache, pain, or injury for that matter) is to identify the muscle imbalances that are pulling the spine, bones, and joints out of place and then stretch the tight muscles while strengthening the weak muscles. How do I know this? Well, as certified personal fitness trainer and post-rehabilitation specialist, I have worked with hundreds of individuals with back pain and the conditions that ranged from sciatic pain, to bulging discs, to spinal fusion, and others.

In working with these individuals I discovered some startling facts

1. Many people who seek professional help are often mis-diagnosed and end up following a treatment plan that fails to eliminate the cause of their back pain.

2. Nearly all of the individuals I worked with were able to eliminate their back pain, or significantly improve their condition even though all of the traditional treatments failed them (physically therapy, chiropractic care, cortisone injections, anti-inflammatory medications, surgery, etc). Even more amazing is the fact that most of these individuals were able to eliminate their back pain in a matter or days or weeks simply by performing a handful of exercises and stretches! These weren’t your basic exercises or the standard back stretches and stomach exercises most “experts” recommend – these were specific exercises and stretches prescribed based on the individual. Many of these people had suffered for years and years with aches, pains, and stiffness and lived inactive lives because of their back pain.

3. Most treatment plans offered only address the symptoms and don’t address the cause, which usually delivers just temporary relief for the individual. In addition to helping hundreds of others eliminate back pain, I also have had personal experiences with back pain and other various conditions such as tendonitis, muscle strains and sprains, and more. In every single situation the traditional treatments did nothing but treat the symptoms (often times not successfully) and the only approach that gave lasting improvements and relief was targeted stretches and exercises.

Have you tried traditional treatments and found little relief for your back pain? I am not saying these treatments are not effective at temporarily reducing the pain or inflammation, but I am saying nearly all fail to get rid of the underlying cause of the problem. So how do you identify these muscle imbalances? Well, it isn’t easy but with a basic understanding of how your body works you can at least start looking at your situation and find out which muscles are over worked and too strong and/or tight and which ones are too weak and stretched out.

It also helps if you can find a qualified health professional who specializes in identifying muscle imbalances. Unfortunately, there are still few professionals who use what I call the “common sense approach.” However, your best bet is to look for a personal fitness trainer that is trained and certified in post-rehabilitation, a manual physical therapist, or an osteopath. Also, don’t be afraid to ask questions… you need to take charge of your health care and be sure to quiz them to find out what type of an approach they take in treating back pain. I also recommend to you my video, “Lose the Back Pain” here: http://www.losethebackpain.com.

It’s shows you step-by-step, how to identify the true cause of your back pain and what specific exercises and stretches you need to do to correct it.

I wish you the best and remember the key to a healthy back is movement!

Article by Jesse Cannone of http://www.losethebackpain.com. Jesse is a certified personal fitness trainer and post-rehab specialist and he has helped hundreds of individuals get relif fromback pain. Visit his site now and be sure to sign up for his free email course on eliminating back pain.

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Piriformis syndrome is a condition in which the Piriformis Muscle irritates the sciatic nerve, causing pain in the buttocks and referring pain along the course of the sciatic nerve.

For information on the symptoms, causes and effective treatments of Piriformis Syndrome, you should read the following article by Jesse Cannone. Jesse is a qualified personal trainer and post rehab specialist, who’s excellent Lose The Back Pain Exercise Program has helped thousands of back pain sufferers end their pain once and for all.

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Low Back Pain is caused due to many reasons including ligament sprain, slipped disk, joint problems, muscle spasm or strain.

The most common reason for Lower Back Pain is your back muscle participating in activities involving the lifting of heavy objects like furniture of strenuous activities like yard work.

Another bad outcome of strenuous activities is the slipped disk, which involves the bulging of disk between bones and its subsequent pressing on the nerves.

The best way to relieve your Low Back Pain is to lie on you back on the floor, your feet on the chair and keeping pillows under your knees, with knees and hips bent.

This position takes all the pressure of your back; this sort of rest is prescribed for a period of 1-2 day for those resting a hurt back. Other measures for Lower Back Pain relief include heating pads, ice packs and massages.

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Low Back Pain is common among people and can be caused by a number of reasons.

Improper use of the back muscles lead to back Pain. If you sit on a chair for longer periods, say in front of the computer, poor posturing, where the left side of the back is under constant strain, can lead to Lower Back Pain.

Low Back Pain is part of the larger Back Pain condition, which affects people mostly. The reason why the back suffers can be attributed to our sedentary life style. An office job in the pre-computer era was not as strenuous for the back as it is now. In those days, people would keep shifting weight and position in their chairs to allow rest to the back.

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Back Pain and Low Back Pain in particular, is the third most common reason for visiting a doctor after the common cold and flu.

One of the primary reasons that you are suffering from low back pain is because of irritation to the root nerve that sits near the base of the spine.

When this nerve gets ‘pinched’ or ‘inflamed’ it can cause the muscles in this area to go into spasm. This is the main reason that people suffer with low back pain.

The actual cause for eighty percent of all back pain cases, according to sufferers remains shrouded in mystery, as many of them are unaware of a particular instance that caused their injury, yet researches have proven that strenuous activities, sudden movements, injury, or lifting heavy objects are the leading causes Low Back Pain.

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