Back Pain

General Muscle Pain

The Quick Prescription

Feel a twinge or crick from overdoing it in the gym or in the garden? Follow these osteopathic rules for overcoming minor back pain:

• If it hurts when you wake up in the morning, get moving with easy (nonbouncing) stretches, a swim or a leisurely walk. This situation suggests that your muscles need more use to work out the tension.
• If the pain develops over the course of the day, rest is the prescription. Within a few days, the pain should begin to subside.

Better Abs for a Better Back

According to experts on back pain, many lower-back injuries result from weak abdominal muscles. The lack of strength in the abs makes the back do more work than it's supposed to­leading to mild pain and posture problems that can develop into an injury. Abdominal crunches (sit-ups performed slowly-hands crossed on chest, knees bent-25 per day minimum) will work the set of muscles that should be bearing the brunt of the work, instead of your lumbar spine.

Also try pelvic tilts to loosen and strengthen lower abs:

1. Lie on your back with knees bent and together, feet flat on the floor.
2. Suck in your stomach while pressing your lower back into the floor.

Try to complete 15 repetitions, building up to three sets as you become stronger.

P. T. for the Time-Pressed

Here is a do-it-yourself physical therapy regimen: Stand up straight, put your hands on the small of your back for support and lean back. This easy movement neutralizes stress on lower back muscles and gives quick relief for minor aches and pains. It can (and should) be performed at least three times a day, according to physical therapists.

Hot and Cold Healing

To ice or not to ice, that is the question. According to some experts, you can successfully ease muscle pain by doing both at the same time. Wet a T-shirt with hot water. Wring it out and place it on your back. Now put an ice pack on top of the warm T-shirt. This technique keeps the skin and muscles from being frozen. Keep the hot! cold pack on the area for 20 minutes, then remove it for 40 minutes before beginning the treatment again if necessary.

Have a Ball-Or Two

Pulled your back muscles straining to hit that overhead net shot on the tennis court? Well, put away that racquet for a while, but hang on to the tennis balls for a therapeutic self-massage:

1. Put two tennis balls in a sock, and knot the open end.
2. Lean with your back against the wall-placing the sock between your back and the wall.
3. Move your back up and down, rubbing your muscles against the tennis balls, applying pressure that's comfortable.

You can also lie on your back on the floor, placing the balls beneath a pressure point, such as the lower back or the upper shoulders. Then, use your weight to work the point.

The Door Stretch

After a long day sitting at a desk, your back can feel cramped, tired and pinched. A good upper-body stretch can alleviate some of the muscle tension and provide relief.

1. Open up a sturdy door that will bear your weight.
2. Place your feet together six inches from the edge of the door, facing it.
3. Put a hand on each knob and lean back, letting the upper body muscles stretch and relax.

Hold the pose for 10 seconds, and repeat three to four times.

Two Back-Saving Stretches

You don't have to take yoga classes at the health club to benefit from back stretches. The first, the Cobra, is done while lying face down, palms at shoulder level:

1. Lift your head slowly, then your shoulders, and chest, as if in a half push-up.
2. Arch your back, again very slowly. Hold this position for five seconds.

The second stretch is done while lying on your back, with arms at your sides:

1. Slowly and steadily lift your legs up and back over your head until your knees are bent near your ears.
2. Hold for a few counts, and slowly release.

Doing these stretches just a few minutes a day can relieve stiffness. Note: These yoga stretches are good preventive moves, but may be too much if you are already suffering from acute back pain.

How a Juice Fast May Help

When back pain is caused by stress or tightened muscles, and not from bulging disks or bone disease, some naturopaths and other alternative health practitioners recommend to patients a (temporarily) lighter diet or a juice fast. Both back pain and tightness can be a result of congestion in the lower torso-from the intestines or other organs pressing toward the back.

A three-day fast, medically supervised and supplemented with glasses of fresh fruit juice, vegetable juices or spring water four or five times a day, has been shown to bring marked pain relief. According to naturopaths, fasting prods the release of toxins from the kidneys, colon, bladder, skin, sinuses and lungs.

If You Can't Stand the Seat...

One solution to moderate bouts of back pain, often overlooked because it is so simple, is a 15­minute walk. Physical therapists at Kaiser Permanente Health Care point out that after sitting in one spot for hours, all the upper body weight has been pressing down on the vulnerable lower back muscles. It's not enough to walk to the water cooler, microwave or espresso cart. A 15-minute walk (25 minutes is even better) promotes healing by encouraging blood to circulate all through the vertebrae and lower torso, nourishing tired, fatigued muscles and tissues. You need blood pumped through the area to outsmart "office backache." If you're worried about the boss missing you, take a memo recorder with you and do some work as you stroll.

A Handy Solution to Heavy Loads

Now that commuting often means lugging around a briefcase and a 10-pound computer case (with accessories), many people put undue stress on their backs. One way to counteract the lower-back strain and pressure of carrying too much weight is to hold the handles of the cases with just your thumb and last three fingers. This physical therapists' trick leaves the index finger "floating," but, more important, it usually results in better, more erect posture while lugging a load. Why? Because there's less compression on the lower vertebrae.

Caution: This is not advised if the load is truly weighty, as with heavy luggage, because you'll be sacrificing too much strength by not using the index finger.

Don't Sit Tight, Sit Right

As we age, maintaining the back becomes ever more important, and words such as "ergonomic chairs" begin to take on greater meaning. The fact is, sitting is not good for the spine. So if you have a choice, at certain times during the workday or at home, stand rather than sit. If you must sit, do it correctly:

• Use a chair that supports your lower back and enables your feet to rest flat on the floor.
• Keep your knees at or above hip level.
• Use footrests, such as phone books or firm foam pads, for 15 to 20 minutes every hour.
• Use armrests when you can.

Finally, get up and move around at least once an hour, stretching a bit here and there.

Back Belts-Not Just for Weight Lifters

In recent years you probably have seen more and more workers wearing flexible, lightweight back-support belts. Do they really work to prevent injury? The answer appears to be good news for those interested in sound midlife back care.

A six-year study of 36,000 Home Depot employees (men and women) showed that those who wore fabric back belts for support had one-third fewer injuries to their backs than those who did not wear the belts. The study also found that the belts helped both men and women who perform any kind of lifting on the job. The belts cost from $20 to $40 and can be purchased at most sporting goods stores.

Get Your Hips and Hamstrings into Play

Both serious and weekend athletes have known for years that strong abdominal muscles can help prevent backache. The reasoning is simple: The more stress and weight your stomach muscles can handle, the less pressure is exerted on the lumbar spine. But less common is the knowledge, gleaned from athletic trainers and physical therapists, that flexible hamstrings and hip flexor muscles can also prevent back pain and injury.

To work the hamstring muscles (back of the thighs), perform a skier's stretch:

1. While leaning your back against a wall, slowly bend your knees, as if you are about to sit down on an invisible chair.
2. When your knees reach a 90-degree angle, hold the position for 20 to 30 seconds, being careful not to bend the knees further.
3. Slowly rise and repeat 10 to 12 times.

To work the hip flexors:

1. Begin by sitting on the floor, your legs should be straight and splayed out, forming a 60­degree angle.
2. Bend forward, attempting to lower your torso down to the ground (slowly!), reaching out to touch the ground between your feet. If you are tight, try putting a pillow or two under your buttocks to free up your lower back.
3. Sit up slowly and repeat 10 to 12 times.

After performing these helpful exercises three to four times a week for a few weeks, you'll be at a lower risk for serious back injury.

Lower-Back Problems

Acupressure for General Relief

Acupressure, like its ancient Chinese relative, acupuncture, promotes healing throughout the body by stimulating channels of energy known as meridian points. But where acupuncture uses thin, sterile needles, acupressure relies on the fingertips to do the probing.

Sometimes you can even provide your own massage relief. For lower back pain:

1. Stand and place your hands on your waist, with thumbs in back and fingers to the front.
2. Next, find the cordlike bands of muscles about two inches off from the center of the spine. Press the outer edges of these muscles with the thumbs, directing the pressure toward the spine.

A few minutes of acupressure should be sufficient to trigger better blood flow and the body's release of painkilling endorphins.

Note: Such acupressure is not suited for certain back injuries, including herniated disks. Discuss this treatment with your doctor.

Safer Sitting

Is your desk job exacerbating existing lower back pain? Physical therapists suggest sitting with a support, like a small pillow, in the curvature of your lower back. This simple lumbar support trick helps to maintain the correct curvature of the spine and to take pressure off the lower back, alleviating tension and pain. Specialty stores such as The Better Back Stores, 303-442­3998; Relax the Back, 800-222-5728; and medical supply stores sell lumbar supports in a wide variety of sizes and prices.

A Quick, Easy, Effective Stretch

Get a leg up on lower back problems. Tight hamstring muscles can pull on your pelvic bone, resulting in abnormal movement patterns that put stress and strain on the lower back. To prevent lower back strain, try the following stretch:

1. Lying on your back, bend your right leg at a 90-degree angle, with your left foot flat on the floor.
2. Clasp your hands behind your right knee and bring it to your chest.
3. Attempt to straighten your right leg as much as you can, and hold the stretch for five counts. Return your right leg to the floor.
4. Repeat three times on the same leg, then switch legs and repeat the entire process.

The Yogi Berra Squat Solution

While baseball catchers might squat so frequently during a season that it puts a strain on the lumbar section of the back, some Chinese medicine practitioners and chiropractors recommend five minutes of squatting per day for people with nagging lower back pain. Place your feet about hip-width apart and slowly drop to a full squat, resting your weight on your heels. Rest your arms on your knees, though you might have to use them to keep your balance until you become accustomed to the position. Gradually work your way up to five minutes per day.

Muscle Spasms

Pheasant Tail Relief

Take it from rain forest healers of Central America: Much in nature can help relax the back and, in particular, back spasms. One of the better botanical medicines is a plant known as pheasant tail, plentiful in Belize and found in ethnic or other herb shops in the US.

Mix boiled pheasant tail leaves and water into a leafy compress. Apply directly to the skin to help relieve sore back muscles.

Make a mash from the center vein of the leaf, and apply it directly over tight muscles.

Shoulder and Back Pain

Stretch It Out at Your Desk

When your back or shoulders hurt from too much computer work, try this stretch to loosen up, once every couple of hours:

1. Raise your forearms from the keyboard, hands toward the ceiling.
2. Push your arms back, join and lock hands behind your head, and try to squeeze your shoulder blades together. Hold the position for five seconds, relax and repeat a few times.

Bend Them, Shake Them

This move is embarrassingly easy to perform, but tough to do in front of an audience, such as a dozen office mates. Start by standing, then dropping your hands to your sides. Relax and take a few deep breaths. Then shake your arms and shoulders for five (what seem like extremely long) seconds. Relax and repeat a few more times, until your shoulders and arms get a little bit rubbery. If you simply can't do this exercise at your work space, do "the shake" during a bathroom break.