How To Stop Siatica & Back Pain - The Basics
I know from personal experience that siatica and back problems can really wear you down. It can also be difficult making sense of sciatica and back pain, because the symptoms and pain can be unpredictable and unrelated to anything you may think you have done to your back.
To help, we've put together a range of resources - some free (sign up for the Back Health and Exercise course if you haven't already done so) and some you can buy e.g. the Better Back System .They are all designed to help you:
1. Learn about back health, and
2. Understand what you can do yourself, especially exercises for back pain (and the selection of back exercise videos).
We also suggest purchase of the Better Back System as a fantastic resource with a set of exercises anybody can do to stop back pain and sciatica.
(Oh, and of course sciatica is the correct spelling, but you will also see it spelled siatica).
Exercise - Who Needs It?
You do probably! The reality is that if you're an average person in an OECD country e.g. US, Canada, UK, Australia, Germany, France etc you are not exercising enough.
The modern sedentary lifestyle is bad for you and bad for your back.
If your core muscles are weak and the rest of your body is unfit and inflexible, if and when you do get a back problem, it's going to hit you much harder.
At the end of the day it's your choice what you do - you have to weigh up the pros and cons - the effort of exercise vs the potential benefits.
The Bottom Line #1
Treat Yourself Right I'm not offering any magic pills, potions, machines, surgery or whatever to fix your back.
If you think those are a good long term solution, I suggest you look elsewhere.
To generalize, in the long run regular, moderate exercise of the right type and a good diet and are two of the keys to a long healthy life and a healthy back.
With your back in particular, add "eliminating bad postures and habits" to your "must do" list.That's the basis of the Better Back System.
The Bottom Line #2 - "Whatever Works"
Personally, I subscribe to the "whatever works" school of back treatment. I know different approaches have worked for me at different times depending on what state my back was in, so it will probably be the same for you.
Sometimes one exercise would be absolutely great for my back and take away the pain and discomfort from siatica. Then at others time it wouldn't seem to do much at all.
Why? Well the theory is that your body gets used to and adapts to exercises, so long term you need to vary your routine.In the end though it doesn't really matter why, the strategy is find something else that works and use that.
For me, later on I'd try try the original exercise again and Hey Presto! often it worked again.
I also visit a Chiropractor every month or so and it works well for me. Other people I know haven't got much benefit from Chiropractors, but swear by Osteopaths, others think Physical Therapists are great. Some people find a set of back exercises that work well for them and that's all they ever need.
Again, whatever works for you, use it.
Remember, any back treatment you do undertake is going to work better if the muscles that stabilize and support your spine are in good working order.
Simple Suggestions:
We suggest you try the following simple steps to give your body what it needs to function and heal itself properly:
1. If you've got back pain or sciatica right now, review your routine and patterns of movement to see where you're (inadvertently) doing things that are bad for your back e.g. typing away at a PC, or driving for hours on end without a stretch break.
2. Start a set of exercises designed for your back - register for our back exercise course or buy the Better Back System.
3. Develop good eating habits. Food is the fuel, lubrication and building material of your body. Guess what - feed it rubbish and it ain't gonna work very well!
"Good eating habits" means fresh natural foods and not processed junk, fast foods, beer and sodas, Krispy Kremes etc etc i.e. whatever Homer Simpson eats you shouldn't!
Many of the foods we eat are full of chemicals - if you really want to scare yourself start reading the ingredient labels on the foods you buy! And yes these accumulated chemicals do affect your health and your back.
Nutrition Supplements
We suggest a natural nutrition supplement (some people call them "Superfoods"), especially if you've had a poor diet for a while, to make sure your body quickly gets all the nutrients - trace elements and vitamins - it needs.
Google Body Balance from LifeForce - it's one of the best supplements we've tried so far (as always with food and supplements, natural is better). Often you can find a free 30 day trial and if you are missing trace elements and vitamins.
Other recommended supplements / superfoods include Vitamineral Green, Pure Synergy and Sun is Shining.
What About Back Surgery?
Read more about surgery here.
Research clearly indicates that in the absence of the conditions listed below, surgical patients have the same long-term outcomes as those who receive effective non-surgical care.
In other words, most of the time you won't get a better outcome from surgical treatment and sometimes you'll be worse off.
Only patients with the following conditions:
* progressive neurological deficit,
* cauda equina syndrome, or
* spinal instability
are considered early surgical candidates.
The Good News
Hopefully you won't have to go through years of trying one thing after another and wondering if you'll ever find anything that gets rid of the pain and stiffness.It's not actually that hard to make a big difference to your siatica and how your back feels - when you know what to do.
If you want to find out how you could end your back pain quickly, without drugs or surgery, using a few simple exercises that you can do in less than 10 minutes a day, it's all laid out in the Better Back System.
You'll be surprised at how much difference you can make to your back with just a few minutes per day of the right type of exercise.And even better, you don't need to be a gymnast or a weightlifter to use the exercise system in the Better Back System.
Remember to read our Disclaimer
We are not medical practitioners and you should always consult your doctor, health practitioner or back specialist, especially if you experience progressive weakness in the legs or difficulties with bladder or bowel functions (e.g. incontinence).
