Don’t have a Backache? You will soon!
If you do not suffer from backache you will soon. You might wonder how I can say that, but statistically it’s simply a fact. Unsurprising really when you consider just how complex your back is. Thirty three small bones, separated by shock absorbing discs, held together by groups of ligaments and supported by interrelated groups of core muscles. Muscles that often become wasted and or overworked due to our sedentary lifestyles that often involve small repetitive movements. Sounds contradictory? Just think about sitting at your desk, the muscles supporting the lumber area of our spine might be relaxed due to the lumber support on our ergonomic chairs, but the muscles supporting the higher thoracic and cervical area may become overworked supporting our hunched shoulders. No wonder according to national statistics 80-90% of adults between 30 and 50 years of age suffer from some form of backache.

The Cause of Pain and Sorrow
Pain and sorrow; this is certainly true for back problems: once you have them even breathing can cause pain, while finding a comfortable position to sit or lie becomes impossible. There are numerous reasons that people develop back problems. For many ‘unspecified’ back pain comes from overworked muscles going into spasm and causing pain or where weak or fatigued muscles have left the spine unsupported and vertebrae have compressed their disks to the point that they bulge out, narrowing the space between vertebrae and placing pressure on nerves. At this stage even lying down may not ease the pain as even in this position there is pressure on the nerves from the ligaments and muscles*2 acting like rubber bands and pulling the vertebrae together.

Prevention is the Best Cure
This kind of back pain can be prevented with a few easy modifications to your weekly routine. Its fairly common knowledge that chairs, desks and workstation should be setup with correct heights to encourage good posture and reduce the risk of problems. Moving around and gently stretching every hour will also help to reduce the risk of muscles going into spasm. Obviously it may be inappropriate to do splits on the office floor(!), but a simple things like twisting your upper body slowly and gently from side to side, shrugging your shoulders and stretching your arms to the front of you can work wonders and can be done while sitting at your desk.

Recipes for a Healthy Back
I’m sure almost everybody knows someone who has had such a bad back they could only crawl on hands and knees from the bed to toilet! Possibly the most important thing you can do to reduce the risk of being a ‘toilet crawler’ is to strengthen your core muscles, as weak back muscles make you susceptible to injury from simple everyday tasks such as cleaning your bath with the eco friendly elbow grease.

Now I’m not suggesting just pumping iron here. Your core muscle groups can be broadly classified as ‘local’ or ‘global’ muscles. The local muscles are close to the spine and generally only contract involuntarily to help maintain posture and stabilise the spine, so ‘pumping iron’ or using the fixed resistance machines at the gym does little to strengthen them. As well as stabilising the spine these local muscles have a key role to play in movement as they are the first muscles to activate, even before any obvious movement has occurred. By ensuring the muscles supporting the spine are strong we reduce the risk of injury from everyday activities.

Strengthen Your Core
Although core muscles can be strengthened by practicing such disciplines as Pilates and specific routines with a gym ball, one of the most effective exercise regimes uses a FLEXI-BAR Pro. A long, fibre-glass rod with a rubber hand-grip in the centre and 2 fixed end weights that vibrates when shaken, the FLEXI-BAR Pro was originally designed by German physiotherapists around twenty years ago. By shaking the flexi-bar Pro, all of the muscles supporting your spine, including the local involuntary ones, are made to contract and relax at least 290 times a minute. This results in stronger, more efficient core muscles that keep the back stable and strong. While the exercise in itself can help with pain caused from muscle spasm a strong core reduces the chance of future muscle pain. Unlike most forms of exercise using the FLEXI-BAR Pro for as little as 10 minutes 3 times a week can produce excellent results as it is so effective at working the muscles.

Encourage Healthy Disks
Ever notice that you need to adjust the rear view mirror in your every morning and evening after a day’s work? Even with a good exercise regime, gravity is working against you. Simply being upright places pressure on the disks between your vertebrae that can result in the loss of up to 1.9cm during the day. Only one thing you can do for that; hang upside down by your ankles! No, I’m serious; hanging upside down by your ankles results in a gentle stretch that elongates the whole back and increases the distance between the vertebrae (*3) Of course hanging upside down by your ankles is not to be recommended unless you have the right gear and by that I mean gravity boots or an inversion table. When I originally researched inversion tables safety was an issue for me, but I was impressed by the levels the Teeter manufacturer took to ensure their tables were super safe. I have to say while hanging upside down, clamped only by my ankles, it is nice to know that the structure holding you has passed the specification for Medical Equipment in a Clinical Setting! It is actually amazingly relaxing too.

Conclusion
Decreasing your potential to develop back problems does not require a huge lifestyle change or lots of time. Remember to move and stretch at work, spend a fraction of your week to exercise your back with a FLEXI-BAR and use an inversion table and you should significantly increase your chances of being in that lucky minority group who are free from back problems!

© Pete Mulford 16/11/07
For more information on the products mentioned visit: http://www.teeter-inversion-tables.co.uk/

Document References
http://www.patient.co.uk/showdoc/40001073/
2 Nachemson, A and Elfstrom, G; Intravital Dynamic Pressure Measurements in Lumbar Discs. Scandinavian Journal of Rehab Medicine, supplement, 1970)
3 Kane, M, et al: Effects of Gravity-facilitated Traction on Intervertebral Dimensions of the Lumbar Spine. Journal of Orthopedic and Sports Phys Ther. 281-288, Mar 85

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