Five best therapies for back pain

FROM a twinge to straining a muscle to completely putting your back out, lumbago discomfort can be an excruciating experience.

A whopping eight in 10 of us suffer with it and, notably, the chronic kind is incredibly common. It can be caused by a variety of factors, ranging from bad posture to lifting heaving objects and even childbirth. However – and thankfully – there are plenty of ways to help ease your symptoms. While it’s important to visit your GP if your pain continues, you may be considering trying more complementary means to support your healing. It’s a route that top back expert Dan Worboys (highwoodshealthclinic.co.uk) has been advocating for years.

“Drugs and medication are not always the answer,” says Dan, who specialises in soft tissue and sports injury therapies. “There are some great home remedies and complementary therapies you can try to help manage the pain and get to the cause of your issue.”

1 ACUPUNCTURE
This ancient Chinese technique is one of the best therapies for a sore back, providing pain relief, reducing inflammation and improving muscle stiffness and joint mobility. Practitioners
use needles, moxibustion or cupping to stimulate acupoints on the yang channels that flow down the back and legs to relieve pain and restore the circulation of qi or ‘life energy’.

TRY THIS:
Acupuncture requires the skilled hand of a trained therapist, but you can try a spot of acupressure at home yourself. Pressing the B54 ‘Commanding Middle’ points behind your knees can help move pain and pressure away from your back – do this by following the steps below:

• Lie on your back with your legs up and your knees bent
• Place your fingertips in the centre of the crease behind each knee
• Holding on to these points, gently rock your legs back and forth for one minute as you breathe deeply
• When you’re done, let your feet rest flat on the floor, with your knees bent, and relax

2 BODYWORK
Encompassing various forms of massage, deep tissue and movement awareness therapies, bodywork includes hardcore practises such as rolfing and Hellerwork. These use strenuous manipulation of the muscles, connective tissues, and joints, and gentler movement awareness therapies such as the Feldenkrais method and the Alexander technique, which are great for realigning your posture.

Other hands-on bodywork techniques treat back pain through energy healing – these include acupressure, shiatsu and reflexology.

TRY THIS:
Self-massage can be a helpful tool in alleviating pain, says Dan. “The key to this technique is making sure that the area you are working on is relaxed. Generally for the back, some areas cannot be reached with your own hands, so tennis balls or foam rollers are extremely helpful.”

Apply direct pressure to the area causing pain and hold for 10 seconds. This will help release trigger points and restore the muscle back to its optimal length. Always make sure you are not pressing directly onto a boney structure, such as the spine itself.

3 THE BOWEN TECHNIQUE
Developed by Australian practitioner Tom Bowen, the treatment involves a series of very specific gentle moves manipulating and stimulating the soft tissue and nerves beneath the skin. It can in turn have a powerful effect on the body, helping it to heal itself.

TRY THIS:
You’ll need to seek a Bowen therapist for professional treatment, but there are techniques you can try at home, too. For pain in the upper back, a simple exercise is to stand straight, lift both your shoulders and push your arms back simultaneously. Squeeze your shoulder blades together and then drop your shoulders. Repeat several times as comfort allows, and remember to keep breathing normally.

4 YOGA AND PILATES
These holistic forms of exercise can help to strengthen the muscles in the back, as well as the core abdominal muscles, helping to support the spine. Everyone can do one very simple yoga posture to help with a bad back.

TRY THIS:
• Lie on a yoga mat or carpet, looking up at the ceiling
• Bend your knees with your feet on the floor, hip-width apart
• Keep your arms wide, in line with your shoulders
• Place your right foot on top of the left knee
• Exhale, twist your hips and take your right knee towards your left elbow
• With your right toes touching the floor, reach with your left hand and help the knee go towards the floor. Hold for 10 breaths. Come back and then do the other side, with your left foot on top of the right knee

Do not try this posture if you have had any kind of surgery.

5 THE ALEXANDER TECHNIQUE
This gentle self-help therapy can have a hugely beneficial effect on back problems. A method of postural re-education, it works on the theory that poor posture is at the root of many health issues.

TRY THIS:
This Alexander technique is a great preventative measure. Imagine that you have a string attached to your head and shoulders (like a puppet on a string) and someone is pulling you upwards as you walk, so you are stretching up to the sky.

AND… STRETCH!

Try Dan’s simple stretching technique to soothe sore back muscles:
• Get down on your hands and knees onto all fours. Keep a nice relaxed posture
• Relax your head, and allow it to drop slightly
• Round your back up toward the ceiling until you feel a nice stretch in your upper, middle and lower back
• Hold this stretch for as long as it feels comfortable
• Return to the starting position with a flat back while you are on all fours
• Let your back bend by pressing your stomach towards the floor. Lift your bottom towards the ceiling and into the air
• Hold this position for 15-30 seconds
• You can repeat this exercise 2-4 times for a good stretch