Lower back pain can be quite agonizing, affecting many otherwise mundane aspects of daily living. Without a reliable and pain-free lower back, every moment spent up-right is a challenge, leaving us hopelessly wondering if the pain might ever improve or go away completely.
If you're worried that your lower back pain will always be with you, there is good news. Unless caused by severe trauma, such as a break, lower back pain can usually be lessened or eliminated entirely by postural adjustment and a specialized exercise regimen.
The one thing that most people do not understand is that lower back pain is from poor posture. Just by sitting up straight and exercising can eliminate a lot of the pain you are suffering from each day.
Your spinal cord probably has the hardest job in the body on an everyday basis other than your feet. This is because the spine is used on just about every move you make, and there are a lot of other parts of the body that are constantly putting pressure on it. Your head, neck, shoulders, and even your arms put constant pressure on the spine, and not only is the pressure severe, but it is required to carry a lot of weight, and at the same time be maneuverable.
The spine maintains the needed stability by its two natural arches. An arch is an incredibly stable structure featured quite heavily in architecture. One need only look to the stability of early Roman aqueducts and bridges which are still standing today to appreciate how effective arches can be.
With that said, the arch in the spine is maintained by hundreds of muscles and the tension and relaxation in them. Every time you sit with poor posture or lean in a specific direction you are putting the vertebrae out of alignment. What happens is when the vertebrae comes out of alignment; the arches of our spine go away, which will then cause you a tremendous amount of pain.
As our postures become less and less efficient, our muscles must work harder to keep us vertical. As we work harder, we tire further and slouch more. This in turn causes us to work even harder, thus tiring more and perpetuating a vicious cycle. Ultimately we find an unhealthy equilibrium, but this imbalance causes chronic back pain.
The best thing for you to do right upfront is to do some research on the correct ways to sit with good posture. Once you've done that, you can do other exercises to strengthen your back so the spine will be taught how to sit up straight again.
Learning these methods aren't easy because you body is so used to sitting in a way that is bad for it that it will feel uncomfortable sitting with good posture. Learning how to sit isn't the only thing you have to do to correct this, because you body need to re-learn how to sit with good posture so you will need to incorporate it into your daily lifestyle.
Good posture can do more than eliminate back pain. It inspires confidence as well, both in yourself for having made the change, and in others who see the new you. Think of the last person you've seen 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 gains are so much greater than the work you'll contribute.
