One Big Health Nut

Chronic back pain can be caused by a variety of triggers.  Some chronic sufferers are victims of an injury.  Some may suffer from muscle spasms.  And others may have chronic health conditions that result in back pain.  Whatever the cause, generally the pain is produced by a similar physiological response.  Back pain generally occurs with a muscle contraction.  The muscle contraction can reduce the blood flow to the area and inflammation can occur.  The result is back pain. 

All of these events are related to the nervous system.  And the nervous system is connected to the brain.  So the pain can conceivably be caused and controlled by triggers related to the brain.  In other words, instead of feeding into the pain and letting the pain control you, try controlling the pain.  If your brain is connected to the nervous system, and arguably, controls the nervous system, then you may be able to control the pain with your brain. 

When you are experiencing a painful back spasm, you may find that you are tensing your muscles to cope with the pain.  Creating tension in your muscles may exacerbate the pain.  Instead, try to relax the muscles.  Breathe through the pain.  Take deep, slow breaths in and out.  Try holding each breath for a count of ten.  Concentrate on the breathing instead of the pain.  The emotional stress could be contributing to the severity of the spasm.  By reducing the stress, you just might reduce the pain.

Another option to combat back pain is to strengthen the back muscles.  If your back is strong, you will suffer less.  Yoga and Pilates are excellent for this.  Both will improve flexibility and strength.  Yoga concentrates primarily on stretching.  Stretching the hamstrings has been proven to alleviate back pain.  Pilates strengthens the body’s core, improving the fluid movement of the body as a whole.  If you have a habit of using muscles, like the back or upper legs, incorrectly you could be causing or increasing the pain. 

And of course diet plays a big role in all body function.  Back pain is worse when blood flow is limited.  If you eat a diet high in fat, you could be restricting the blood to your nerves, muscles, and other areas.  The restricted blood flow will increase inflammation.  And inflammation will increase pain.  So stick with a low fat diet.