In following up on a blog article in a series on lower back pain, here is a short video detailing four stretches that you can do today to help your back feel better forever.
As I stated in the previous post, lower back pain is consistently addressed, in the majority of cases, with postural alignment, massage and stretching. If you find these stretches helpful and are interested in doing more, please check out my Lower Back Basics DVD and book . I don't mean to do a sales pitch on you here, but I strongly believe that this is the best program out there to relieve low back pain in a safe, simple, and cost-effective manner.
At BDK, we understand that it's difficult to get a precise diagnosis of a low back disorder. According to experts in the field, the exact cause of back pain is never found in 85 percent of patients. Even magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) seldom sheds light on the situation and in many studies the scans have indicated spinal abnormalities in a good number of people who have never even experienced any discomfort.
Not only are low back cases hard to diagnose, they are very expensive to test and treat. The Journal of the American Medical Association reported that spending on back care reached 86 billion in 2005. And that was a 67% jump from the 1997 numbers. As 2012 statistics are still unavailable, we could assume that, if this trend continued, the cost to society today would be more than $130 billion per year!
So, why not sit up straighter and stretch? The risk (and cost) to trying these two things is much less than conventional treatments and the benefits come quickly and are long-lasting. Along with improving your sitting posture, as detailed in the first lower back article, these stretches will do will a world of good for your aching back. Remember, the health of your back is not reliant upon a diagnosis as these methods work for the majority of lower back situations. So, do your stretches, sit up straight, get a massage and feel better forever.