If You Suffer Low Back Pain - Here's A Simple Way To Relieve Pain When You Are Sitting!

We all the know the statistics....80% of people suffer low back pain at least once during their lifetime. The bad news is that it tends to recur. Just like the common cold, you can get it again and again and again.

Typically, most people have poor posture. We learnt this from our days of sitting at school hunched over desks and with our sedentary lifestyle nowadays, we continue to sit and slump in front of the computer, watch TV or just relaxing reading a book. The challenge is that it is very difficult to sit with good posture and relax. When we relax, we think, sit, chill out and slouch into our favourite chair and just let our muscles go.

So what can back pain sufferers do right now to change their pain? Well, if you have pain when sitting, think about the way you are sitting. We all have a general idea of good and "not so good" posture. If you fall into the "not so good" catergory, grow up tall. Think someone is pulling a piece of string up through you head and stretching you out or think tall like a catwalk model or ballet dancer. What you will now find is that you will have a natural curve or lordosis in you low back....around your waist level. The loss of this curve when you sit may be one of reasons why you are suffering from back pain. So, keep this curve and slide you bottom all the way back into the firm chair you are sitting on. If you have kept the curve while doing this, you will most likely find that there is a gap between the back of your chair and the lordosis or hollow in your back.

NOW, this is the IMPORTANT BIT. You must not lose this hollow. Sounds impossible, well it is. After a few minutes or even less, you will have lost some of the curve. It is not your fault. You forget, your body isn't used to it and a lot of the tasks we do in sitting involve leaning forward. As a consequence, the curve will be lost and you will become the shape of the chair you are sitting in and you pain will most likely return if it has been hurting in sitting.

So, what is the answer? Go to the bathroom and get a towel. Yes, a towel! Fold it in half length ways and then roll it up like a sausage. Now, put that sausage shape along the curve or hollow in your back. It should be positioned just above your belt or waist level. You may need to wiggle it around abit and find the right position. Be patient...... Once you have it in position, you will find it easier to keep the curve as the rolled towel is filling in the gap. Does that make sense?

When sitting with the curve, low back pain often goes away immediately as long as you maintain the correct position. However, be warned, if you lose the position and slouch, the pain will come back.

Now this new position may feel a little weird. That is because your body isn't used to it. Give it a few days or even up to a week and you will find that your brain gets used to this new position and will want to avoid the old painful position.

If you would prefer to use something other than a towel because the towels falls on the ground when you stand up , you may want to purchase a lumbar roll or "support" that straps around your chair. The lumbar support is a great visual reminder of sitting tall and when you stand up the roll stays in place, ready for you to sit the next time.

Remember, if your back hurts when you are sitting, have a look at the way you are sitting. Most people can improve their posture. Just use a simple rolled up towel in your back and alot of your suffering may be gone within a couple of minutes.

Sandra McFaul
McKenzie Physiotherapist - ADVANCED level
www.ataphysiotherapy.com.au

Committed to Controlling Back Pain Using McKenzie Physiotherapy

ATA...Physiotherapy that Empowers!
95 Corunna Road, Stanmore (Inner West Sydney)
NSW Australia 2048