Back Pain Management - Muscle Imbalance and Bad Posture

Back pain is one of the most frequent health issues. About 90% of the adults experience back pain in their life and 50% experience recurring back pain.

The most common back pain lower back pain, or lumbago, and is the fifth most common reason for a doctor appointment. The cause of the pain can be different and many times the source of pain cannot be diagnosed accurately without invasive procedures. The spine is a complex system of nerves, joints, muscles, tendons and ligaments. The decline of any of these structures will cause problems in all off the others.

One common dysfunction is the weakening of back muscles. This is usually related to the absence of physical exercise. A very common cause of back pain is muscle imbalance. The decline takes place in time after repeated and prolonged unnatural body postures or moves, for example after a long period of limping. What happens is that the muscles on one side of the body get atrophied while on the other side they get stronger and are in constant strain. This applies an uneven force on spine and triggers back pain. Muscle imbalance can sometimes be diagnosed by palpating the muscles. An experienced massage therapist will see if your muscles are unusual and treat it accordingly. Massage can be an effective help to alleviate this pain. The main focus of massage therapy in these cases is to relax the strained muscles and invigorate the atrophied ones. Usually after a few sessions the results are clear. Specific exercises can be extremely helpful for alleviating back pain and maintaining a good muscle tonus.

An unusual position for a prolonged period of time can generate a change of the natural condition of muscles. This can happen, for example, during pregnancy, because of the unusual body modifications or after breast-feeding because of the body’s adjusted position while feeding. For pregnancy - related back pain the best approach is prevention. The pregnant should have massage therapy during the pregnancy period after the third or fourth month. If preventative massage is not available, or is not recommended because of specific conditions, massage can help to reduce the recovery period after giving birth. Women who breast-feed can develop hunchback because of the breastfeeding position. If is not taken care of, the hunchback can stick for a few years after stopping the breastfeed. A combination of stretching with relaxation massage can be used to maintain the upper back muscles’ natural condition. Preventative massage is recommended. This will prevent the atrophy of these muscles and keep the spine straight. If preventative massage is not available, therapeutic massage will help restore the flexibility of muscles but some exercises will be required as well.