What Not to Do for Your Back Pain: Avoid These Common Mistakes

There you are with back pain, again = ULTRA COMMON OCCURENCE in my world! And I could get all the scary stats out here too so you can see how much of an impact back pain has on longevity, productivity, bla, bla, bla, but I won't, because we're focusing on you and your badly-behaved back.

The back pain could be labelled sciatica, slipped disc, bulging disc, lumbago, it really doesn't matter at this stage. You're simply in active, ouchy back pain and you want it gone quick, and more importantly, you want it to stay gone.

Here's what NOT to do:

1 - Get a massage - oooooh yes, I know, feels so good, all those nasty, sticky spots are being rubbed into oblivion, you can envision the tension melting off you like butter off a hot scone, you’re already living a life free of back pain, yippee…. and yet, what you are actually doing is making things worse!

Your brain is already struggling to hold the circuitry together, which is why you're suffering from back pain in the first place, and by massaging the offending circuit-breaker, you're essentially erasing the connection even more, until it's obliterated and your brain then starts to really dig in, your muscles then seize and you can then say hello to a totally blocked back, and back pain that’s now even worse! 

2 - Do some core -strengthening exercises - your body is telling you it's not happy, which is why it's sending you back pain signals. Something, somewhere is over working because something somewhere is underworking; you're out of balance and wonky and no amount of core strengthening is going to get your back to balance, or end your back pain, unless you know exactly which muscles is which in the dysfunctional set up that is something over, and something else under working. 

Also, most people choose the wrong exercises, and they do them all wrong - alignment, technique, breathing etc are all up shit creek, so, unless you have someone to watch you like a well-versed, core-strengthening expert-cum-hawk, you're going to make things worse, and your back pain will continue.

3 - Take some drugs - pain-killers, anti-inflammatories, or go big or go home and agree to get some cortisone. OOOOF! Again, the feeling of that back pain losing its grip, the sheer joy that you have when you feel like your muscles have finally stopped fighting you is huge, I know, I've suffered from chronic back pain and I luuuurve me some Morphine, people, BUT, be aware that you are only partly dealing with the symptoms, or masking the messages that your body is so desperately trying to transmit to you. Your back pain might diminish a bit, but it’ll be back like a The Terminator once the drugs wear off, yes, even the Cortisone!

4 - Stop moving/prevent movement - When things seize, or grip, or jab you between your eye balls each time your breathe, it's tempting to sit it out on the couch with Netflix on the binge setting. Just as it's tempting to wear a back brace, or one of those corset-type bandage things to hold you, protect you, hug you, care for you... whilst you wait for the inflammation to decrease, and your back pain to recede. 

This isn't a winning plan ! Instead, you need to keep moving and I suggest breathing as a good starting point, because that's moving, and it can feel like something huge when the back pain is huge. Walking is also a good one, gets all the primary chains up and at 'em. But don't truss yourself up like a Xmas turkey because your back pain won't feel better, you'll start compensating wildly and create other issues, and your tissues will howl when you do start moving again, which will make for greater difficulty in deciding where to start for anyone trying to assess you/help you/calm your symptoms.

And I'll leave it there for now, but, please know that, when you're feeling back pain, your body is trying to tell you something, and it's best to work with someone who is interested in what that back pain has to say, and who has the skills to treat it properly so that it goes away, and stay away.

I'm that person and I suggest you work with me! I specialise in helping you to finally uncover the root cause of your pain where it originates in your brain, and treating it, again, via the brain, so that it goes away and stays away.

Click here to get yourself a free, 45 minute assessment with me, and share this post with all the people in your life who are living less because they have back pain!