Oooh..Aaah..Ouch!!!!

Lower back pain? Tablets, analgesics, pain-reliever sprays are not a permanent cure… There are various reasons causing a lower back pain (LBP) like muscular imbalances, muscle tightness, wrong postures, injury or some inherent problems…

Generally seen amongst those with sedentary lifestyles, long hours of sitting cause muscle imbalances among the front (primarily Quadriceps group, which get stretched) and the rear (primarily Hamstrings group, which get shortened) thigh muscles. Tight Hamstrings pull the adjacent muscles (especially the gluteus, what we call butt) thus giving rise to LBP.

One of the other reasons is, when the person is centrally obese. The extra weight in the front is being constantly pulled down by gravity, to counter act, the postural muscles at the lower back region get into a state of constant tension, giving rise to lower back problems.

Apart from this, there can be other reasons like, flatulence, slip disc, protruding discs etc. which give rise to LBP.

It is very important to know the underlying cause for LBP, since every cause has a different treatment.
Muscular imbalances causing LBP have to be treated with a combination of stretches and strengthening exercises – Stretch the tight muscles first and then strengthen the loose muscles. Other causes may involve strengthening the back muscles, once the pain is under control.

Try This ….
A simple way to assess whether you will have LBP in the future --
Stand and Reach Test –Lower back and Hamstring Flexibility Test (only for those with no LBP)

Stand straight with your feet together and hands beside your body. Lift the hands straight up and bend forward, as much as you can, but without any discomfort.
If your hands are way above your ankle – it means you have tight hamstrings and prone to LBP