Lower Back Pain? – Sleep on Your Side

Does your lower back ache more often than not? Have you taken a close look at the positions you get your body into when you sleep at night? That may have something to do with the pain emitting from the lower portion of your spine.

You know what sleeping position you start in when you first go to bed and what position you wake up in. Of course, you don’t really know what position(s) you get yourself into while you sleep, but you can still improve the potential for lower back discomfort by starting out in the right position.

Seeking: Pain Free Sleeping Position:

What you want to find is the sleeping position that will cause you the least amount of discomfort, or preferably the most pain free position possible. If your lower back does not always cooperate with you, every position for sleeping is not ideal for your level of comfort.

Here is something you can try for a lower back that will not behave – try sleeping on your side. According to health experts, sleeping in this position puts less strain on the spine than sleeping on your back or sleeping on your stomach.

The reason that sleeping on your side is beneficial is because it causes fewer curves in the spine than other positions do. To further support your lower back, having a firm mattress to spend your nights on is very helpful. Another way to make your spine feel even more comfortable is to place a pillow between your knees and tuck your legs up a little bit. A small pillow would work best.

Other Suggestions for Back Issues:

To keep your back as strong and resilient as possible, keep it limber with exercise. Regular physical activity increases blood circulation to the spine and helps to prevent injuries from occurring. Remember that your spine is the support and structure for your whole body. Anything that you can do to keep it strong and flexible will benefit every part of you. Back-saving exercises are a must.

To have a strong and healthy spine, you need to feed it good food. Grapes are particularly good for the spine because the chemical compounds found in them are believed to be protective of the cartilage in your back.

Researchers theorize that it is the resveratrol in grapes that makes them a helpful ally for your back. Resveratrol is an anti-inflammatory compound that protects cartilage and has also been shown to yield heart-healthy benefits.

Resveratrol has the ability to hinder the degeneration of intervertebral disks. These disks are a part of the spine that is often connected with pain in the lower back. While studies are ongoing, it is believed that this compound, known as proteglycan, helps with the production and the build-up, of connective tissue in the disks.

Eating a handful of grapes every day, whether you prefer green, red or purple, can do your back cartilage a world of good! The protection it offers could be truly amazing!

Samantha

Read Full Post »

Back Pain Problems?- Visit a Chiropractor for Relief

If back pain is causing you a problem then take the alternative route and visit a chiropractor.

Chiropractors offer treatment for back pain that is safe, non-surgical, non-invasive and drug free. It is also a very mild form of treatment that can prove to be very effective, depending on the problem.

Spinal Manipulation

Spinal manipulation is the name of the chiropractic game. Spinal manipulation refers to a spinal adjustment that improves the balance of the body, the posture (which is more important than most people realize) and puts the body back into the proper alignment. The belief that underlies chiropractic treatment is that when the spine is healthy and moves as it is supposed to, this contributes to improving a person’s overall level of health. A healthy spine including all the nerves, joints and muscles can contribute to a happier human being!

A chiropractor will adjust your spine because it is possible that the source of your back problem is that one of the bones of the spine is misaligned. You might experience little or no pain because of it.

What is an Adjustment Anyway?

In case you are wondering exactly what an adjustment by a chiropractor is, it is a precise and highly skilled movement that is applied to a joint using the hands. Having an adjustment serves to loosen the joint and from there renders it more functional as complete movement is restored.

Sometimes when a joint is adjusted a popping noise will be heard. This is often the case when the chiropractor works on the joints in the neck. This popping sound is not a cause for concern and is actually a good thing. The lack of the popping sound would not be a good thing! The popping phenomenon is due to the escaping of a gas bubble. It is most readily noticed when the neck is worked on because it is so close to the ears.

Why Seek Out Chiropractic Treatment?

As many as eight out of 10 Americans will suffer from back pain at some point in their lives. For some people back pain can become a chronic problem. Remember that your spine supports your entire body. A problem in the back can cause pain in other areas of the body such as the arms or legs and can often be the cause of headaches.

Wellness care is a common reason that many individuals choose to undergo chiropractic services. It is also common for groups such as senior citizens to look to chiropractic treatment to help them to remain as mobile as possible and to have the range of motion that can guarantee them a good quality of life.

There are a variety of reasons to seek out this type of alternative treatment. For example the wear and tear of everyday life can cause strain on the back, as can work, accidents, sports injuries and household chores. It is important to note that chiropractic services are not just for those who suffer from painful joint and spinal problems but for everyone who is looking for the maintenance they need to enjoy proper joint function and a healthy spine. Back pain problems need be a problem no longer thanks to the work of a trained chiropractor!

More information on relief from back pain here.

Samantha

Read Full Post »

Hypnosis for Back Pain- Put an End to Your Suffering!

Hypnosis for back pain can be an effective alternative means of reducing and eliminating pain that you are tired of living with!

If you are suffering from back pain the first thing you must do is see your doctor to determine the cause. Pain is a sign that something is amiss in your back. In this way it is a warning message to you that a problem has arisen that needs a solution.

Once it has been ascertained by a professional that your back pain is not due to a dangerous medical condition you can then look for a beneficial way to manage or completely eliminate the pain. This is where hypnosis for back pain can come together.

Hypnotherapy can help a person to obtain the necessary relief from pain while it can also alter how a person perceives the pain they are experiencing. Both of these points are very important.

Did you know that both acute back pain as well as chronic back pain can benefit from hypnosis? They can. Keep reading …

Acute back pain is treated by way of suggestions that are geared at reducing the level of pain and the level of anxiety it causes the individual. This is done by diminishing the importance of the pain to the person who is suffering.

On the other hand, chronic back pain is taken on through hypnosis by zeroing in on the pain and dealing with it exactly as it is, no holds barred. Both the physical as well as the psychological effects are dealt with in bringing relief to the individual.

Hypnosis for back pain as it relates to chronic pain can be summed up in two words- regression therapy. The person first comes to understand the reason behind the pain they are suffering. This helps illuminate the cause and bring it out of hiding. It is then necessary for the person to become desensitized to the problem that they are experiencing.

The desensitization process takes the power away from the pain and reduces the negative response that the person has to it on an emotional level. This can then lead to a more positive and uplifted state of mind which then acts on the pain to push it further and further away.

You do not have to learn to live with back pain. Learn about the benefits that hypnosis holds for your pain and then put hypnosis for back pain to work to bring you the relief that you deserve!

Samantha

Read Full Post »

Seeking Out Yoga for Back Pain

If you have back pain and cannot find relief, then it is time to consider yoga for back pain.

Yoga for back pain is a viable alternative option as it is effective at reducing and relieving many types of back pain. It is important that you first go see your doctor in order for the source of your back pain to be diagnosed. There are a multitude of causes for back pain and it is essential that you first determine if medically yoga is safe for you.

Practitioners believe that yoga for back pain works because it improves balance, flexibility and strength when it is done on a regular basis. The movements performed in yoga start at the most basic for beginners and build to higher levels. This allows the body to gradually learn how to distribute weight evenly on both sides. This also serves to improve posture in a natural kind of fashion.

Stress on the back is often caused from too much pressure being placed on one side as opposed to the other. In particular, this can happen to the sacroiliac joint. Yoga balances out the movements of the body and helps to realign weight distribution so your left side carries the same amount of pressure as your right.

In the same way, many kinds of back pain are caused by tightness in the back and muscles that are weak. Not to worry- yoga for back pain can help with this! Yoga works to counteract tightness that often comes from sitting too long at work and/or not sitting in an ergonomically friendly chair. It also helps those who tend to slouch and therefore scrunch up their back muscles. Weak muscles often arise because of muscles that are not used very often in day-to-day activities. Yoga for back pain can work to improve this problem and have your back feeling much better in no time!

There are many different types of yoga poses. For a student of yoga, the poses are aimed at making them more aware of their bodies and how they move before then teaching the repositioning of the body.

To learn some beginner yoga poses that can improve the health of your back, visit http://yoga.about.com/od/yogaandbackpain/ss/backpain01.htm.  If you are more at the intermediary level of yoga and want to learn ways to prevent back pain in regards to flexibility and strength then visit http://yoga.about.com/od/yogaandbackpain/ss/backpain02.htm.

Yoga and back pain can help you to improve the overall health of your spine. Participating in yoga on a regular basis can give way to a more supple and graceful form that is less prone to injuries.

Samantha

Read Full Post »