What is back pain?

Back pain is a common problem that can range from mild to severe. It can be temporary or ongoing, and it can occur anywhere in the back.

Common causes of back pain include:

• Stress or muscle strain. This type of back pain usually goes away with time and home treatment.

• Sprains and strains (injury to ligaments). These are common injuries that can happen when you overuse your muscles or strain them by moving improperly. They often get better in 2 to 4 weeks with home treatment and physical therapy.

• Osteoarthritis (degeneration of joints). This type of arthritis occurs most often in people older than 50, but it can also affect younger people who have joint injuries or other conditions that cause chronic inflammation. Back pain related to osteoarthritis may be constant or come and go as the disease progresses slowly over time. It often responds well to treatments such as exercise, medications, physical therapy and weight loss if needed.

• Spinal stenosis (narrowing of spinal canal). This condition occurs when discs lose their fluid content making them smaller and harder than normal, which narrows the space around the nerves in your spine allowing them to press on nearby nerves causing pain up into your arms.

Back pain treatment

Back pain is a common health problem in the United States, with nearly 1 in 10 Americans suffering from it at some point in their lives. Most people recover from back pain on their own with a combination of self-care steps and time. But when symptoms persist, you may need additional help.

Back pain treatment can be divided into three phases: home treatment, physical therapy and surgery. You may be able to treat your back pain at home with over-the-counter medications and rest. If your symptoms don’t improve within a few days, see your doctor for an evaluation.

Physical therapy is often recommended by doctors as a way to strengthen your core muscles and improve posture, two things that can help reduce your chances of developing chronic low back pain. Your doctor may recommend exercises such as yoga or Pilates to help improve flexibility, strength and balance.

If you try conservative therapies without success or if your back pain is severe enough that it interferes with your daily activities for more than three months (chronic), surgery might be an option. The goal of surgery is to remove pressure on nerves or disc material that’s pressing against them, which causes irritation and inflammation in the surrounding tissue (spinal stenosis).

General Tips for Stretching to Relieve Back Pain

Stretching is a great way to relieve back pain, but it’s not for everyone. Here are some general tips for stretching to relieve back pain:

Don’t stretch if you have a muscle strain or sprain. Stretching can make these injuries worse by increasing the amount of stress on the injured tissue.

Don’t stretch if you have joint instability or a history of dislocations or fractures in that joint. Stretching can weaken ligaments and increase the risk of injury.

Stretching should never be painful, but it might be uncomfortable for the first few times you try it, especially if you’ve never done stretches before. If you feel any discomfort while stretching, stop immediately and don’t resume until your muscles feel less sore or tight.

Stretching is a simple, effective, and non-invasive way to relieve back pain. Here are some general tips you can use to stretch your back:

1. Before you begin any stretching routine, it’s important to warm up your body by doing a few minutes of light cardio exercise. This will help increase circulation throughout the body and help prevent injury.

2. Stretches should be done slowly and gently — no sudden jerking or bouncing motions! Hold each stretch for 15-20 seconds at a time before gradually increasing the time as you become more accustomed to the exercise.

3. Make sure that every muscle in your body is stretched evenly so that you don’t overstretch some muscles while understretching others. This can lead to muscle imbalance and cause additional discomfort in your back.

4. After completing your workout, try doing some gentle stretches lying on the floor (or other flat surface) for about 5-10 minutes before getting up slowly from the floor (or bed).

Neck and Shoulder Stretches

Neck and shoulder pain can be caused by a number of factors, including poor posture, repetitive motions, stress and injury.

Here are some stretches that will help relieve neck and shoulder pain:

1. Shoulder Rolls – Stand tall with your feet hip-width apart, knees slightly bent and arms relaxed at your sides. Roll your shoulders forward 10 times then backward 10 times. Repeat this exercise several times throughout the day.

2. Chin Tucks – Inhale deeply as you tuck your chin toward your chest for two seconds, then exhale as you relax your head back to its normal position. Repeat this exercise 10 times.

3. Neck Rotation Stretch – Look straight ahead with both eyes open then slowly rotate the head from side to side five times each way until you feel a gentle stretch in the muscles along either side of your neck.

4. Shoulder Blade Squeeze – Sit up straight with both feet flat on the floor and arms relaxed at sides with palms facing down toward thighs. Squeeze shoulder blades together gently for two seconds then release them back to start position and repeat 10 times each way (20 total repetitions).

Stretches for Low Back Pain

Stretching is an important part of relieving low back pain. By increasing flexibility and range of motion, stretching can help decrease pain and improve mobility.

Here are some stretches to try:

Standing Hamstring Stretch

To begin this stretch, stand with your feet shoulder-width apart and bend forward at the waist with your hands on your knees. Next, place one foot on a chair or bench and keep your other leg straight with your heel on the floor. Slowly lean forward until you feel tension in your hamstring muscle, but do not strain yourself by leaning too far forward. Hold this position for 15 seconds, then switch legs and repeat. You should feel a gentle pull in the back of your thigh as you do this exercise.

Kneeling Hip Flexor Stretch

Kneeling hip flexor stretches are good for relieving tight hip flexors that can cause lower back pain when they are overused or become injured. To perform this exercise, kneel on all fours with palms flat on the floor directly under shoulders and knees underneath hips (heels lifted off floor), then slowly shift weight forward onto hands until body is resting on forearms.