Back pain can be debilitating. The sharp jolts of pain can shoot through your spine and travel the length of your legs. It can prevent you from walking, sitting, or even sleeping comfortably. It often manifests when muscles and nerves become strained or inflamed. Those who suffer from chronic back pain may be able to gain relief by modifying their lifestyle. Here are 3 tips for getting relief:

#1 - Lose Weight

Carrying extra weight around puts a burden on your spine. Even being 20 pounds overweight can lead to stressed muscles. Review your diet and try eliminating non-healthy foods. Bring your weight down to reduce the pressure placed on your spine.

#2 - Try Yoga

Many of the poses taught in yoga are designed to stretch your spine to relieve pressure. It has the secondary benefit of increasing the strength in your back muscles. Stronger muscles are less likely to be strained easily. Try the Cobra posture by laying on your stomach. Slowly, raise your head, shoulders and chest from the floor. Then, lower them. 15 minutes each day should relieve some of the pain.

#3 - Acupuncture

Acupuncture has helped many people gain relief from persistent back pain. While doctors are hesitant to recommend it, acupuncture has a long history of providing relief for a host of ailments including back pain.

Those 3 tips have provided relief to many people who were suffering from pinched nerves, stressed back muscles and inflamed joints. If your back is keeping you from an active lifestyle, drop a few pounds, try the Cobra posture and consider acupuncture.

This entry was posted on Tuesday, September 23rd, 2008 at 7:29 pm and is filed under Uncategorized. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.