Why do we all have back pain?
Back pain became the curse of the century.
Nowadays: Everybody has back pain from teenager to the oldest. Having back pain is normal and we get operated from our sciatic like we would remove a cavity: it’s 「normal」 procedure.
Slipped disks, compression, sciatica: everyone has it’s own and try to find the remedy with neighbors, colleagues, and friends. To feel better, we take painkillers, multiple visits at the physician and if necessary let's get the surgery!
Today I'm telling you to endure repetitive back pain is not "normal", remedies exist and the causes have to be determined.
1- The reasons –
We tend to point out wrong factors, either we have trapezius, middle back or lumbar pain, we accuse mattress, pillow.
From changing your entire bed to taking painkillers, it ends up pricey, useless and sometimes dangerous for your health. Indeed from soft canape, to comfy chairs: this fake comfort just make the situation get worse and hide the true causes of your pain.
We forget the most common and obvious factor: daily life posture.
The more we look for 「easy」 comfy stuff like lying down in a soft canape or chair, the less we develop right strength and back efficient posture. The vicious circle has started, your muscles support decrease and your vertebrae disks get compressed, while looking for 「relax」 you in fact make impossible the development of an adapted back & girdle muscles support.
Bad sitting positions will lead to chronic back pain situations.
We spend a lot of time either stand up or sitting down: both of these positions are really tricky for the back.
The curse has begun!
We go to chiropractor and osteopath, get mechanical manipulations, but without treating the cause and find a good and 「permanent」 way to get rid of these pains.
2 - The positions at risk:
Stand: Standing is a very difficult position because we all tend to compensate due to different angles of the joints in this posture. The challenge is against gravity and the standing require some girdle.
Sitting: The worst and most dangerous position for the back.
And that fact itself should explain why more and more people suffer back pain. Instead of being active, building the rights muscles in the back with standing and moving, we sit in offices sometimes FOR HOURS. That quickly can be a disaster if in a wrong posture for your back. Relaxation get you slumped in your chair, disks are compressed, nerves pinched. Either you push against the chair and you have back bending, shoulders go to the front, back goes to the front (chest to pelvis), then belly goes out, organs push forward. Either you try to sit straight and you in reality arch. In both cases you create back tensions.
Solutions:
Yawn and stretch
Have you ever pay attention at a cat? Well, you should!
Animals and cats particularly spend their time yawning and stretching while going from one position to another one. Indeed, they activate and alternate the hyperextension & flexion, then yawn. Yawning will have a good impact on diaphragm with a bigger engagement, and powerful but soft action on your back.
The right posture
It is important to adopt the right posture in every position and every situation; it can be easier to say than do but comes the game changer. It becomes natural after a while when you start understanding body' mechanic.
1- Asymmetry: since childhood, we step with one feet more than the other one, we carry heavy stuff same side, we run, climb stairs and others always the same way. Balance with appropriate gesture, reinforcement and stretches will help this natural compensation and get an appropriate musculature from the other side.
2- Aging: Naturally with age, back is bending to the front. You have to build the right muscles support especially into the core and trunk: back and abs to support against gravity.
3- Sedentary lifestyle: Whereas we used to do a lot of physical jobs, we now sit for your hours. Most of my students, businessmen and women, sit in a plane, in a car or in front of a computer. Sometimes the entire day of sitting. That can easily becomes big pain for the back.
4 tips and stretches to relieve back pain
1- Abdominal breathing
It might be the best way and yet underestimated way to treat, prevent and get rid of chronic back pain. Adopt the right breathing and train to understand abdominal 『correct』 breathe.
2- Correct sitting
At work, home, restaurants, else, practice self extension of the spine 「taller」 process. While getting your spine straight point in two opposite directions: tailbone and lower back bone pushes to the floor whereas head and neck pushes to the ceiling.
Don’t:
-push against the back rest of your chair (that are always too much to the back)
-cross your legs (always the same way) that get asymmetry in your pelvis
-put a pillow under your but that will exaggerate the arching.
Do:
-Put a books or anything under your feet to keep your angle 90°C hips-knees
-Put a pillow (small) under your back to sit straight.
3- Right stretches
Don’t:
-Arch Back
-Break the neck
-Put body weight on the upper part of the back / shoulders.
Do:
-Push in opposite direction while breathing out
-Engage abdominal belt, keep the organs and visceras up and toward the spine
-Keep body weight to the back.
4- Standing
Nice and tall against a wall: feet parallel in front of the wall, wide of your hips. Stand up, push against gravity push top of your head to 「the sky」 while pressing lower back region against the wall. Engage pelvic floor to feel the lower abs contraction and lower back extension; It’s a big relief if made correctly.
5- Standing back extension
Don’t:
-Fall down into your shoulders
-Break the neck
-Let the back curve.
Do:
-Flat back
-Keep one-line angle from backbone to top of your head 90°C to the legs.
-Press and push in opposite directions while breathing out Micro bend the knees if it’s you feel too much stretch in your hamstrings.
為什麼我們都會遭遇背痛?
背部疼痛已經成為本世紀的魔咒。
現在，老老少少，幾乎每個人都會背部疼痛。有背部疼痛是正常的，我們對坐骨神經的壓迫就好像齲齒對於牙的消耗，這是一個正常的過程。
神經壓迫、坐骨神經痛：每個人都有自己的問題，常常和周圍同事朋友討論試圖找到療法。為了感覺更好，我們服用止痛藥，找醫生，最後如果可能那麼就接受手術吧！
今天我告訴你忍受重複性背痛不是「正常」，是有治癒的方法的。
1 - 原因
我們總會指出錯誤的因素，我們要麼有斜方肌疼痛要麼有中間或腰椎疼痛，然而我們卻指責床墊和枕頭。
從改變你的整個床上用品到服用止痛藥，昂貴的，沒有用的，甚至有時還會對你的健康產生威脅。事實上，從軟沙發到舒服的椅子：這虛假的安慰只會讓情況變得更糟，造成了隱藏你痛苦的真正原因。
我們忘記了最常見、最明顯的因素：日常生活的姿態。
我們尋找「容易」舒服的東西，躺在軟沙發或椅子上，我們越來越少開發有強度和有效的姿勢。惡性循環繼而開始。你的肌肉支持減少、你的腰椎磁碟壓縮，在尋找「放鬆」時，實際上你不可能鍛鍊背部和肌肉支持。
日常生活的姿勢、習慣，重複不好的坐姿經常會導致慢性背部疼痛的情況。
我們花了很多時間站立或坐著：這兩個位置對背部非常棘手。
魔咒已經開始了！
我們去按摩師那裡，或者接受機器按摩治療，但卻沒對症下藥。
2 - 危險的動作：
站起來：站是一個非常困難的動作，因為我們都傾向於互補不同角度的關節的姿態。站起來面臨的挑戰是抵抗重力，需要腰部力量。
坐：最糟糕和最危險的姿勢。
這應該能解釋為什麼越來越多的人遭受背痛。相反與處於活躍狀態、在站立和運動中建立正確的背部肌肉。我們需要好幾個小時坐在辦公室裡。這很快可以為你的背部是一場災難。肌肉的放鬆會使得你癱在椅子上。要麼你依著椅子，但造成背部彎曲肩膀前傾，含胸貼背，腹部靠後，推動器官，神經擠壓。
解決方案：
打哈欠和拉伸
你有沒有注意過貓呢？一定有吧？
動物，尤其貓，特別會花時間打呵欠和拉伸，從而從一個姿勢到另一個。事實上，它們是在激活和改變身體的伸展和彎曲，然後打呵欠。打哈欠對隔膜有好的影響，使其對背部有一個更大、更有力但卻柔軟的接觸。
正確的姿勢
採用正確的姿勢是很重要的；說比做容易，但這就會改變整個遊戲規則，或許當你開始了解身體技工，就會發現這很自然。
1- 不對稱：從小，我們一步一步學走路，我們攜帶沉重的東西於同一側，我們走路、爬樓梯等總是以同樣的方式。適當的手勢、強化和延伸，這之間的平衡將有助於這種自然的身體互補，也從另一方獲得一個恰到好處的肌肉組織。
2- 自然老化：隨著時間的推移和生活，我們傾向於彎曲。疲勞使我們對抗重力不活躍，沒有一個正確的姿態校準和背部臀部肌肉建設，我們的脊柱可能很難保持好。
3- 久坐不動的生活方式：我們過去常常要做很多體力工作，現在更傾向於久坐不動，甚至花 數小時 坐著。我大多數的學生都是商人，他們經常旅行，花幾個小時坐在一個地方，在車裡，在電腦前，甚至一坐一整天。很容易造成背疼。
4種技巧和延伸來緩解背部疼痛
1- 腹式呼吸
這可能是最好的方式，但被人低估了，預防和擺脫慢性背痛。採取正確的呼吸和培訓，了解腹部的正確呼吸。
2- 正確坐姿
在工作、家庭、飯店或其他地方，實踐脊柱自我擴展的過程。而讓你脊柱直接點在兩個相反的方向：尾骨和腰骨觸地，而頭部和頸部推到天花板。
不要：
-推動對後面的椅子(對背部負荷過大)
-交叉你的腿(總是以同樣的方式，使骨盆不對稱。
-在下面墊一個枕頭，雖然會加劇彎曲程度
要:
-放一本書或任何東西在你腳下，保持臀膝90°
-一個（小）枕頭在你背下，以坐直。
3- 正確的延伸
不要:
-拱背
-崴了脖子
-把重量全放在背/肩膀的上部
要:
-呼吸時，朝相反的方向推
-維持腹帶，保持身體內部其他器官向脊柱靠攏
-保持體重向背
4- 站立
靠牆站立：雙腳與牆平行，兩腳距離與臀同寬。站起來，克服重力，造出把你的頭頂往天上推的感覺，而下背部區域靠在牆上。用盆底感覺腹肌收縮和背部擴展：如果做得正確會有很大的紓解。
5- 背部伸展
不要:
-下降到你的肩膀上
-崴了脖子
-讓背部彎曲
要:
-保持背部平展
-保持背部一直線和腿90°
-在相反的方向上下壓和推動，如果你覺得腿筋壓力太大，可以在呼吸時稍稍彎腿