Greetings!!
This blog will help you understand how one can cure lower back pain by practicing these simple steps! Let me put a disclaimer that it is my personal
experience and following the below mentioned steps on a regular basis
has helped me improve my condition. You could definitely try these
postures but I request you to avoid them if it starts aggravating your
situation.
Sitting at a single
place for long hours, bad posture, walking in a wrong orientation or sudden
jerks to the body are the major causes of lower back pain. Many people do face
this problem in some phase of their life (mainly in the age range of 35-50
years). But as it is said that age is just a number, I fell a victim to lower
back pain at the age of 22!
Let us understand our backbone
first. Spinal cord is a long tubular bundle of nervous tissues and supporting
cells which extend from the Brain to the lumbar region (Lower back). It is the
main support system of our body. This spinal cord is
protected by a rigid column known as Vertebral column. Vertebral column has 26
individual vertebrae which are joined end to end in a similar fashion.
Vertebral column is
classified into 3 main divisions,
- Cervical Vertebrae (7) – It supports the neck and allows its flexible movements.
- Thoracic Vertebrae (12) – It helps in the attachment of the ribcage to protect vital organs.
- Lumbar Vertebrae (5) – They allow significant flexibility as well as side bending.
Sandwiched between the
vertebrae are the shock-absorbing discs called as ‘Intervertebral Discs’. Intervertebral
discs have a unique structure which allows soft movement of the interconnected
vertebrae along the vertebral column.
There are 2 major
components of these discs,
- Inner gel-like substance called as ‘Nucleus Pulposus’. It is a mucoprotein gel which acts as a shock absorber.
- Outer ‘Anulus Fibrosus’ which surrounds the above mentioned gel.
Sacrum and Coccyx are
the remaining two components but they have a different structure as they
consist of fused vertebra. Sacrum anchors the spine whereas the coccyx is a
vestige of the mammalian tail.
During my masters, I
sat continuously in any manner without caring for my lower back. I didn’t even
exercise much which had an adverse effect on my flexibility. I used to play
sports like Cricket or Football occasionally which gave my body sudden jerks.
Eventually, I started feeling pain on the left side of my lower back during my
final semester examinations. But life gives you stress when you don’t want it
and you got to take it. You know why? Because you don’t really have a choice!
I thought the pain
would disappear if I sleep properly at night. I tried that for some days but
all in pain! (Pun intended). Now as many people tend to do, I did the same.
Procrastination!
I thought I’ll recover
in some days but my condition worsened. Now I couldn’t even sit, walk or sleep
properly. I had excruciating pain in my left leg. I realized finally that this
problem was way too serious. After some days I got numbness in my left foot
followed by a tingling sensation. Due to the numbness I couldn’t balance my
body weight when I tried walking.
I decided to go to my
family doctor and he gave me some anti-inflammatory medicines. I took the
medications for 5 days and it did not show any significant effect. So finally
on my Doctor’s advice, I did an X-ray of my lower back and got an idea that the
distance between my L4-L5 discs had reduced due to Disc Damage. The L4 and L5
are the two intervertebral discs in the last part of Lumbar region. Due to damage
or possibly a herniation, the distance between the two discs had reduced and
the inflammation gave rise to severe pain in the lumbar area.
So finally I had to
approach a Physiotherapist who can relieve me from this pain. But honestly
speaking, being a Biotechnologist, I do my homework before I go to the doctor. So
I searched for similar problems on the internet and found out that one of my nerves
would be pinched at the lumbar area.
Until I got my
appointment date, I was at my native place. The pain was increasing day by day.
So as any individual would’ve done, I contacted an MD at my native. He gave me
anti-inflammatory medications which gave me relief for a day at least. But the
flare ups did not stop. They kept showing up every day. So I decided to contact
a friend of mine who was pursuing Bachelors on Physiotherapy. She told me that
I have Sciatica. Sciatica is a condition in which your longest nerve in the leg
(Sciatic nerve – Which extends from the lower back to the foot) gets pinched.
She sent me some photos depicting lower back exercises. I did it on a regular
basis but the approach gave results only for a short time. I required some really
long term beneficial results.
So when I came back to
my City (Mumbai), I instantly got an appointment with the Physiotherapist and I
explained him my entire problem. He informed me that one of the nerves was
getting impinged. He gave me medications for 2 weeks and told me to focus only
on getting enough rest and do some simple stretching exercises. And as every
Doctor, he advised me to sit up straight at all times (Worst Advice Ever). He
even told me to stop bending forward, place a pillow below my thighs and always
get up from sideways after waking up.
I did what I was told
and in 2 weeks, the numbness in my leg had reduced considerably. I was quite
happy that finally I could walk without any pressure on my left foot. Though many
weeks went; the pain in the lower back was still there. So once again I went to
the Doctor and this time, he was least interested in understanding my problem.
The only thing he was iterating was to get an MRI (Magnetic Resonance Imaging)
done. I told him that I get pain in the lower back mainly when I get up after
sitting and apart from that, I was feeling much better. The reply I got was, “Do
an MRI immediately or else perform the same exercises”.
The second meet was
quite unsatisfactory. So I decided to get into the details of spinal column and
improve my condition instantly. I will mention my approach and it has worked
brilliantly for me.
STEPS
I TOOK TO MINIMIZE LOWER BACK PAIN:
STEP
I: The most important thing when you suffer from a
lower back pain, is to always be in a good posture
(Whether you are Sitting/ Sleeping/ Standing).
Many a time people
follow the technique of sitting up straight. Even I tried that but it doesn’t
really decrease your pain. On the other hand, it might increase it. Your intervertebral discs are in a lot of
pressure when you are standing or sitting without a support for your back.
So I researched a lot
regarding the structure of spinal cord. And I finally understood one simple
loop hole in this entire problem - ‘Shape of Spinal Cord’. It is written
everywhere that our spinal cord is an ‘S’ shaped structure. Though it’s not a
complete S but it shows quite a similarity. So based upon the structure, I
adopted some key changes in my posture.
a)
Sitting: Instead of simply sitting
straight, I kept a small pillow or a folded towel (White Gap in the picture
below) exactly at the inner curve of the lumbar region. This was mainly to keep
a soft support and do not let the spine misalign while sitting. The thoracic
region was completely resting on the chair whereas the cervical region had to
be in proper curve. (Keep your head straight). I kept my legs in a perfect
alignment depicting the structure of an inverse ‘L’.
Things to Avoid:
Keep an extremely comfortable pillow. The pillow should be small enough to
align your back and your abdomen should not lean ahead. Basically don’t overdo
it.
b)
Sleeping: Sleeping is the most important
aspect in improving the lower back condition. When I slept straight, I took 3 pillows
– one supporting the cervical region, one supporting the lumbar region and the
last on below my thighs.
When
I slept on either side, I kept a pillow between my legs. This avoids misalignment
of your back and prevents further inflammation and pain of the corresponding area.
Things to Avoid:
Do not sleep on your stomach. It has an adverse effect on the spine.
c)
Standing: Standing puts a lot of
pressure on the spine. In order to reduce the pressure, maintain the ‘S’ shape
precisely. The head, thoracic region, buttocks and ankle are in a straight line. I
stopped bending my lower back and started to bend my knees to do any kind of work.
Things to Avoid:
Never bend sideways as it can aggravate your pain.
STEP II) After integrating the ‘S’ shape theory into my mind, I
started focusing on some stretching exercises. Since lower back pain is
extremely painful, doing some intense workouts will lead to intense pain. So
doing various stretching exercises is more reliable as it also strengthens the
core muscles.
But first I understood
‘When’ I was feeling the pain. And I would recommend you to follow the same. I
was feeling immense pain only when I used to bend forward. So I made a basic equation,
PAIN WHILE BENDING
FORWARD – Damage is on the Posterior (Back side) part of the intervertebral
disc. So we need to perform back stretches which would ‘Pull’ the disc back at
the center.
PAIN WHILE BENDING
BACKWARD – Damage is on the Anterior (Front side) part of the intervertebral
disc. So we need to perform front stretches which would ‘Push’ the disc back at
the center.
STEP III) So depending upon the above mentioned condition, you need to
do stretches. I’ll show you all the stretches that you can perform but avoid it
if it adds up to your pain. Stretches with proper breathing have a vital role
in curing lower back pain.
a)
Cat-Camel Stretch: This is one of the
most easiest and useful stretches. It will allow an individual to align his/
her spine. This is the first stretch I do on a regular basis.
b)
Quadruped Arm / Leg raise:
This is the second stretch which I prefer. It provides a proper elongation of
the spine releases all the stress which has been collected. You can modify this
stretch by just doing leg raises at the rear end.
c)
Press Up:
d)
Straight Leg Raise: Actually this is a
test undertaken by doctors to check whether you have a herniated disc.
Initially I couldn’t even lift my left leg to 30o. But after regular
stretching and taking care of my back, I can now lift up to 60o.
e)
Hip Bridges: This was the most helpful
of all. It allows you to strengthen your lower back. Do it very slowly and
effectively. You can modify by raising legs after performing a hip bridge.
f)
Knee to Chest: It tightens the buttock
muscles.
g)
Wall Slide: This strengthens the
quadriceps and the buttock muscles. It has a key role in relieving pain from the
lower back. Proper breathing is required.
So these are the
exercises or stretches that I follow on regular basis along with maintaining
the ‘S’ shape of my spine. Apart from the ones mentioned above, as I have less
pain now, I’ve shifted to a slightly more intense exercises like Planks, Side
planks, Jump rope, Lunges, Calf raises, Push-ups etc.
So depending upon the
severity of your situation, you can start from above mentioned techniques and
then graduate to any level of work out. Maintaining your posture would do 80%
of your work. The remaining 20% would be your stretches.
I have written this article
for the people who just don’t think about their medical condition and just jump
at the Doctor’s clinic. People just need pills for instant treatment. They
don’t want to understand what their body is indicating and how to understand
those indications.
I am not against
Doctors nor am I someone with a high intellect. I am a layman who tries to
understand biology and make more people aware of it. Follow this approach and
remember one thing – Don’t overdo it. Do within limits. Glad if I could help
anyone!
