As I have always been saying to one of my friends who is currently suffering from lumbar pain caused by disc herniation- Choosing the right stretching exercises are very important in healing the lower back. Firstly, due to the injury condition of our lower back, there are many types of stretching exercises are not suitable for us because the pain we have to endure can be severe.

Secondly, it is unavoidable to perform any exercise without any pain, hence choosing the right set of stretching exercises that can lower the pain to the minimum point is what a lumbar pain patient really needs.

I was once a herniated disc and sciatica patient. I’ve been through a lot of types of treatment over the years. Honestly speaking, there isn’t any treatment is as effective as performing the right stretching exercises when it comes to healing the herniated disc condition.

Here are a few simple stretching exercises I’ve been doing a few years back when my condition was chronic:

• Face down and let your stomach, chest and hips face to the floor (prone position). The low back is gently placed into extension and propping the upper body up on the elbows. Try stretching your back muscles bit by bit until you feel the pain. Get back to the original position and repeat these movements until you’re tired.
• The second exercise is quite similar to the first. Remain the prone position, straighten your hands and push your palms to let your body to form an obvious curve. If the pain is severe, try do it slowly and lightly. The important thing to note is that you are stretching your lumbar muscles where the disc herniation happened. It can cause you lots of pain initially but once you get used to the exercises, you’ll feel a lot better the next time you perform the exercise.
• Next is another exercise you can perform every morning when you wake up or before you sleep- Raising your legs straight. This will be tough if your condition is serious. Hence, you can try asking your wife or children to help pushing your legs upward when you performing it. Or, if raising both your legs is quite impossible at the moment, try lifting one of them and switch to another. If you can’t even lift one of your legs, try lie your back on the bed, bending your legs with your feet touching the bed. This should be a simpler exercise than the previous one.

These exercises were exercises I used to perform few years ago and had worked very effectively on me. Obviously, initially you will feel intense pain as that’s the normal reaction your body would react. After trying for a few days or perhaps weeks, you will feel recovering the strength of your back again.

Remember, self-discipline plays a very important part in healing your lumbar herniated disc problem. If you want to recover fast, doing these exercises consistently is a must. I would say perform them a few times a day if possible.

One of the most common causes of back pain is poor posture. The body gets used to being held in a certain position, one that puts a lot of pressure on one part of the spine, typically the lumbar spine, and, over time the strain develops into a musculo-skeletal problem resulting in acute pain.

By the time back pain becomes a problem, the postural problems are most probably in a chronic phase. The body’s muscle memory has got so used to holding the body in that poor posture that the body thinks that that is a normal state to be in. You might even think that that’s a normal state for the body and spine to be in, having got used to it over a period of years.

The body’s muscles need to be re-trained to hold the body in the correct posture, and this correct posture will relieve a lot of back pain because a correctly aligned spine will be carrying the body’s weight the way it was designed to.

Regular practise of Taijiquan helps to relieve the stress on the spine and its supporting muscles. Relaxation and correct alignment re-train the body’s supporting muscles. Emphasis is placed on alignment and relaxation. Both are needed to start the process of re-training the body to hold itself correctly. Relaxation allows the back and spine to be more mobile, thus relieving pressure on the vertebrae and discs which helps prevent discs from slipping. The muscular relaxation also prevents muscles from becoming over-stressed from having to carry too much tension.

Once the body starts to relax, the body can then change its alignment as the added range of motion will make the muscles and skeleton slightly more malleable allowing the spine to move into the correct shape to carry the body.

Taijquan form is very slow, gentle and low-impact, so the gentle flex and twists in the form will gradually work the large supporting muscles of the core, perturbing them as it were and allowing them to relax temporarily as other muscles take over the job of supporting the body whilst you are doing the form. The body will naturally relax in stages, because relaxation in one part of the body must be accompanied by adjustments everywhere else. Practitioners of Taijiquan typically report the process of relaxation taking place over a period of months or years. This stands to figure as the body cannot let go of the tension built up over a period of years in a matter of weeks.

It is important to note that relaxation of the big supporting muscles of the body allows more of the muscles of the core to work together to help support you, thus resulting in a lower weight load for each muscle on average. It is this that will allow you more flexibility in your spine and more range of motion, which will allow you to achieve better alignment and relieve yourself of back pain.

Massage and chiropractors are good solutions to acute back pain, but if the body is not somehow re-trained to support itself properly the misalignment and poor posture will remain, and this will inevitably cause more back pain in the future.

Regular practise of Taijiquan, even just 10 minutes a day is sufficient to begin this process. Regular practise is proven to me much more effective than concentrated bursts of an hour once a week. This is because the body needs to develop new supporting habits and new ways of coordinating itself, and regularity is the way to develop habit.

One does not need to be a Taijiquan master to relieve one’s back pain. I managed to get some very good results just knowing the first section of the Yang Taiji 24 form. For a long time that was all I really practised, because I was getting such good results and back pain relief.

So, if you can set aside 10 minutes a day to practise a bit of Taijiquan form, you can help your back heal. This process is also like pushing a snowball, it will accelerate the more you practise because relaxation begets more relaxation and healing.

Standing Meditation is also a great and easy way to start healing your back, and you’ll find some links below to a quick video guide on how to do it!

Back pain can be, well a real pain in the backside quite literally. Much of the population, seven out of 10 suffer lower back pain at some stage of their life. Sometimes it is simple to rid sometimes more difficult. Although back pain is a very common condition it can be rather uncomfortable but not generally serious.

It is useful when trying to understand reasons for back pain to have good notion on the parts and functions of the area.

The structure of the back consists of: 24 Vertebrea (small bones) which support the body weight and form a protective canal for the spinal cord. Intervertebral discs which cushion the bones and allow the spine to move. Ligaments which hold vertebrae and discs together Tendons which connect muscles and vertebrae. Spinal Cord, which is a nerve signal carrier between the brain and the rest of the body Nerves Muscles

Pain in the lower back is usually thought of as a symptom of stress or trauma to ligaments, muscles, tendons or discs. A well known and common pain is called Sciatica. Sciatica is a general term as is Lumbago for lower back pain. This is where a nerve in the back is pinched or irritated. Pain can radiate down the buttocks, thighs, side of the knee, down to the foot and toes. The lower down the body the pain or nerve discomfort is the found the more serious the trauma or trap to the nerve.

There can be many reasons for lower back pain, such as slipped or prolapsed disc, minor trauma and even arthritis. Back pain usually lasts between a few days and six or seven weeks. On most occasions lower back pain will be self rectifying. If a sufferer has concerns then they should consult their medical practitioner straight away. Sometimes pain can persist for several months or longer (chronic back pain)

There is another condition affecting the lower back that can have serious consequences on the sufferer and it is important that once symptoms of are found that the medical condition known as Cauda Equina Syndrome is ruled out by medical professionals as soon as possible. Cauda Equina, is so named because the area of nerves look like a horses tail.

The condition known as Cauda Equina develops when the nerves in this location suffer trauma, when this happens it is known as Cauda Equina Syndrome.

The following are known as Red Flag Symptoms:

Bladder dysfunction

Bowel dysfunction

Weakeness in both legs

Numbness in the saddle area (around the anus)

Sexual dysfunction and sensation

Severe pain.

Red Flag Symptoms demand immediate medical attention Unfortunately many of our medical professionals are unaware of this urgent medical condition. Once symptoms present it is expected that the sufferer has a maximum of 48 hours to have corrective treatment, failure may result in permanent damage.

The medical world does little to inform and advise of the dangers of Cauda Equina Syndrome. It is of paramount importance that Red Flag Symptoms are thoroughly investigated and ruled out. There are far too many instances of Clinical Negligence for Cauda Equina Syndrome.