Whether it comes as the sharp pain of sudden injury, an
occasional twinge, or a constant daily ache, back pain can
interfere with your life. Four out of five people suffer
back pain at some time in their life. It can be serious
torture because most of the pain receptors in your back are
found in the muscle tissues. “Your back muscles are
approximately 20 times more sensitive to pain than any
other muscles in the body because they’re complex and
they’re located so close the spinal cord” says Art
Brownstein MD. author of the book Healing Back Pain
Naturally.

Fortunately, despite how it feels, most back pain isn’t
serious. The 140 muscles attach to the spine are far more
often the key to backaches than the structural problems
(slipped discs) that are frequently blamed. The pain that
creeps into your back as you stand waiting in line or
driving your car for hours frequently comes from one of
these muscles going into spasm, a sudden involuntary
contraction. What causes a muscle spasm? Performing any
number of activities when your muscles are tight, such as
lifting, bending, or twisting. Mental, or emotional stress
can also be a major contributor to back pain. If you
constantly tighten your muscles with tension, they’ll soon
begin to contract on their own.

As the muscles contract continuously, they squeeze off
their own blood supply and deprive themselves of oxygen. A
vicious circle begins, where the reaction of the muscles to
continuous spasm and oxygen deprivation causes more spasm
and therefore more pain. The lower back is a prime spot
for these spasms, since these muscles are among the most
over-contracted, overworked in the body.

Unlike the common cold, the solution to many back problems
is simple: you stretch and strengthen the muscles of the
back. Stretching muscles counteracts the pain-producing
contractions, and elongates muscle tissues, improves blood
flow, and speeds delivery of oxygen and nutrients to the
back. Stretching also helps decompress the vertebrae (the
24 movable bones that make up your spine), which press on
the disks, the cushion like pads between them.
Strengthening the back muscles helps to prevent poor
posture and over-worked muscles.

In my classes we do this simple stretch you might want to
try at home. Lie on your back. Slowly bring your right
knee in toward your chest, only as far as comfortable.
Clasp your hands over your shin. Hold this position for
10 to 20 seconds, then slowly release and repeat with your
other leg. Repeat five or six times in the morning before
you rise and in the evening. This can help even if your
pain is so severe that you can’t get out of bed or off the
floor. Go slowly, avoid straining and listen carefully to
your body’s guidance system gradually increasing the
stretch as your back begins to loosen up and heal.

If you’ve strained, sprained or injured your back, your
best bet is often to rest or seek the care of a physician.
Otherwise finding a qualified instructor to teach you a
series of exercises focused on stretching and strengthening
the muscles of the back may be the answer. Your spinal
column regulates your entire system, anything you do for
your back affects the rest of your body. “A healthy spine
means a healthy body.”

Lori Chandler