subject: Conquering Back Pain [print this page] Conquering Back Pain Conquering Back Pain
Back pain is one of the most debilitating medical conditions there are I know, I've experienced it four times in my lifetime and I never want to endure it ever again. People who have never experienced back pain have no idea how excruciatingly painful it is it completely immobilises you for weeks at a time. It's absolute agony walking around with your back feeling like a tower of jelly, ready to collapse at any moment. When your muscles become inflamed they can push your spine to one side, causing you to hover around in fear of even the slightest twinge. For a normally energetic and independent person it's devastating to see yourself walk around at a snail's pace and rely on others to help with simple tasks such as dressing yourself and using the bathroom. It can take up to a hour to get out of bed in the morning because moving a fraction of an inch in the wrong direction can send rippling pain throughout your body. As a healthy person it's easy to take our mobility for granted but once we become injured we pay the price for a complacent lifestyle.
Both my father and brother-in-law have experienced extreme back pain and they have provided me with valuable advice which I feel is worth sharing. These tips do work but unfortunately when it comes to altering your diet, not everyone has the discipline to strictly adhere to it and change their habits permanently.
With back pain, there is no magic pill that can take your pain away so, to quote Benjamin Franklin, an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.
Back pain tips while you're in pain:
1. The only thing you can do once you've injured your back is rest and recover. Donot engage in any form of exercise, it will only make your condition worse.
2. Wrap a towel around a heat pack and apply it to the affected area.
3. Eat well. Cut back on coffee, refined sugar and processed foods. You want your body to mend and these will hamper the healing process. Increase your intake of vitamin C and calcium (rich sources are almonds, broccoli and tahini)
4. Add Hatcho Miso to your diet. This is a wonder food. Chop it up and add it to your vegetables. It was recommended to my father by a friend who had chronic back pain to the extent that his discs actually fused together. Doctors told him not even surgery could help him but eating Hatcho Miso in combination with a healthy diet did.
Hatcho Miso is a soy based product, rich in protein, amino acids and vitamins. Kaku has been producing it in Japan for 18 generations and it is so potent that it was given to people after the Chernobyl disaster to help treat the effects of radiation sickness.
Back pain tips after the pain has subsided:
Once the pain has eased and you are becoming more mobile again, it's vital that you take the necessary steps to ensure it doesn't happen again. The initial cause of your back pain was a result of your bad lifting, bending and overall lifestyle habits.
1. Strengthen your muscles. You need to make your body strong again and keep it strong. People who suffer from back pain often have weak stomach muscles so it's important to do abdominal exercises too. Sit-ups, leg raises and crunches are the best ones.
2. Do bar exercises. Hang from a bar and raise your knees to your chest. This may not be easy to do at first but with consistent effort you should be able to work your way up to three sets of 15 repetitions.
3. Ensure you bend down and lift things the correct way i.e. bending your knees close to the object you're picking up. You must get it right every single time because if you persist with lazy habits, all it takes is to bend down and pick up a piece of paper to put your back out again. Make no mistake, the bad habits do compound until you are left crippled in agony once again.
4. Eat well. Make sure the body is fuelled with enough nutrients to take care of the internal as well as the external stuff.
5. Visit a chiropractor to get some structural support
