Lower back pain can be incredibly painful, affecting many otherwise mundane aspects of your daily life. Without a sound lower back, every moment spent out of bed can be challenging, leaving us hopelessly wondering if the pain might ever improve or go away completely. Pain with an unknown cause is also quite stressful. If we can't identify its cause, how can we ever hope to make it stop?
There is a light at the end of the tunnel, however. Unless caused by serious trauma such as a break, most lower back pain can be lessened or eliminated completely, simply and naturally by a good postural program and a regular exercise routine. No need for drugs or complicated surgeries, just a bit of dedication and effort.
The lower back must support a large amount of weight. During every moment spent up-right, the head, shoulders and even the arms apply vertical pressure on the lower back and spine. This support is maintained by hundreds of tiny muscles working together efficiently to promote a great deal of maneuverability in areas we may not even consider as being related to the back.
Much of this support and maneuverability is derived from the lower back's inward arch toward the body. Arches are stable structures capable of efficiently supporting heavy loads and, in a classic case of function following form, feature heavily in modern and ancient architecture.
A correct arch is more than sufficient for the body's structural needs. Unfortunately, we often unknowingly compromise this natural support in many ways that feel completely relaxed. We do things that pull our vertebrae out of alignment, thus reducing or eliminating the natural arch. If the vertebrae are improperly aligned, back pain develops.
They simply aren't toned enough to relieve some of the pressure that is being put on your arches. You have to change this if you plan on being successful in relieving this pressure. If not, then just continue doing what you've been doing and deal with the pain.
It's obvious that most people want to correct the problem themselves, but many times it only makes things worse. Sometimes you just need some simple relaxation in order to get the posture that is needed to alleviate the lower back pain.
A proper postural program must teach exercises that promote this balance. Correct posture requires some muscles to remain tense for long periods while encouraging others to relax. This precision is responsible for maintaining the arched structure key to a pain-free back.
It's going to take some time to do this though. Seriously, how long has it taken you to get to this point? In order to reverse the effects you're going to have to get into a good posture program. When you take advantage of it you'll gain confidence, strength, and determination to get rid of it once and for all. Just remember that some of the changes will make you uncomfortable. Don't worry though, the feeling is natural, and eventually it will become normal.
Good posture can do more than eliminate back pain. It's key for inspiring confidence as well, both in yourself and in others. Think of the last person you watched striding boldly into a room, head held high, shoulders straight. A good, inspiring and pain-free posture only takes a bit of effort and persistence, but the associated payoffs are so much greater than the work you'll put in.
