As reported in medical journals up to 80 per cent of adults will experience back pain at some time during their lives. Let us take a closer look at the seven myths about back pain mentioned in various medical journals.

Myth 1: If you have slipped a disk (also known as a herniated or ruptured disk), you must have surgery. Surgeons agree about exactly who should have surgery.

Truth

The causes of bad back can be complex and difficult to diagnose. For more than 70 per cent of patients with chronic back pain, it is not possible to make a specific diagnosis pinpointing the cause of the pain. Surgery to relieve back pain should only be used as a last resort. Very specific tests should be done to confirm that a disk has been damaged and that the pain is directly related to this damage. Even if tests show a damaged disk, recovery often occurs without surgery. Studies using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) have shown that the herniated part of the disk often shrinks on its own over time The causes of back pain can be complex and difficult to diagnose. Surgery to relieve back pain should only be used as the last resort. Approximately 90 percent of patients with a herniated disk improve gradually over a period of six weeks.

Myth 2: X-ray images, CT and MRI scans can always identify the cause of pain.

Truth

Abnormalities of the spine are as common in people without back pain as they are in people suffering from this pain. Getting a better quality image of a herniated disk, in the absence of a thorough physical examination, leaves you with only a better picture, not necessarily a better diagnosis. Even the best imaging tests cannot identify muscle spasms or strained ligaments that might be the cause of pain. Many doctors only recommend CT and MRI scans for those patients already heading for surgery for other reasons.

Myth 3: If your back hurts, you should take it easy until the pain goes away.

Truth

Thinking of today is to continue the routine activities of daily living and work as normally as possible. Persons who remain active do better than those who try either bed rest or immediate exercise. Not all workers can immediately return to work. It is often helpful to have workers with back pain return to some form of light work until they recover more fully. Even the best imaging tests cannot identify muscle spasms or strained ligaments that might be the cause of pain. Persons who remain active do better than those who try either bed rest or immediate exercise.

Myth 4: Most back pain is caused by injuries or heavy lifting.

Truth

It is true that workers whose jobs involve lifting, lowering and carrying materials are much more likely to experience pain in the lower back than workers who do not do this kind of work. It is also true that the weight of the material is a risk factor for injury, as is how often the materials are handled and the workers posture when doing the work. And regardless of whether or not the work involves lifting, people are more likely to be injured early in the morning, when their backs are stiffer, than later in the workday. Up to 85 per cent of persons with bad back can not recall a specific incident that brought on their pain. While heavy lifting or injuries are risk factors, they do not account for most episodes of pain.

Myth 5: Back pain is usually disabling.

Truth

Most people with back pain get better, regardless of whether they receive treatment or the treatment method used. Most people who leave work return within six weeks, and only a small percentage never return to their jobs. That is the good news. The bad news? If you have experienced back pain in the past, you are at greater risk of experiencing it again. Fortunately, recurring episodes of pain usually go away on their own, just like the original back attack did

Myth 6: Everyone with back pain should have spinal X-rays.

Truth

Routine X-rays of the spine are unnecessary and often of little value. The spine abnormalities detected with X-rays often have nothing to do with the symptoms experienced. Many people have abnormalities and are completely pain-free. The latest medical guidelines for evaluating back pain recommend that the use of X-rays be limited to patients such as those who have suffered major injuries in a fall or automobile accident.

Myth 7: Bed rest is the mainstay of therapy. If you have experienced back pain in the past, you are at greater risk of experiencing it again. Routine X-rays of the spine are unnecessary and often of little value.

Truth

For the longest time, patients with back pain were told to lie down to get better. While many patients experienced less pain while lying down, it was not always the case that they got better. Studies have shown that four days of bed rest turns out to be no more effective than two days, or even no bed rest at all. Imagine what it felt like to get up after one to two weeks of strict bed rest – the recommended practice not that long ago.

Here is the Panacea for Back ache and related problems:

Removing the stiffness of all muscles from the ankle to the neck, which effect the spine, is the panacea of bad back pain and related problems. But how? You and your chiropractors may have tried many exercises on you, but your pain may have little or no improvement.

If you would like to learn about back pain/sciatica relief then you’ll want to read this article. Specifically, I’ll cover why your chronic back pain and sciatica may be so bad right now. It all boils down to the fact that you may not have had the RIGHT diagnosis for your particular problem.

THE TRUE DIAGNOSIS for the majority of lower back pain/sciatica cases which many doctors or those from the medical profession simply don’t know about or have dismissed without even looking into it or even won’t tell you ( as it’s free!) is of vital importance for you. It is of the utmost importance that you know all the facts and are informed in order to find the correct long term cure for you.

The TRUE diagnosis for what may be wrong with you is none other than a disorder which affects both the lower back on both or either side. It also affects the tendons to the side of the back area on each side and the nerves especially the sciatic nerve which runs down both legs. It can affect both or either leg.

In fact, it also affects the knee joints too and those with bad backs also experience intermittent knee pain when the back isn’t ‘playing them up so much’. This disorder and the purpose of this article explaining it is the from the genius theory of back pain expert and MD, Dr John Sarno. He coined the term Tension Myositis Syndrome (TMS) for the disorder and for me and 1000′s like me it is the ‘holy grail’ cure for most back pain/sciatica sufferers!

What exactly is TMS? Once this article is finished you should be able to understand the TRUE lower back pain/sciatica diagnosis and what is causing your awful lower back pain/sciatica pain. Well, basically the main physical cause of your lower back pain/sciatica is simply oxygen deprivation, yes, oxygen deprivation, a bit like a really severe stitch in your side if you run too much or do too much, it’s just in your back and or your sciatic nerve. It is a simple as this.

But why is the pain so bad right now you ask and why won’t it go away as normal stitch does? Well, the disorder is there in your body for a reason. The oxygen deprivation has been triggered by the brain because of undealt with inner tension and conflicts hidden in your unconscious mind. Our minds are like icebergs and the unconscious is the 7/8ths we don’t see or really feel. We are not that aware of what is going on in there and often are too busy or too unwilling to take a look or we tell ourselves we are ‘navel’ gazing.

However once this unconscious mind which we are not aware of becomes clogged up with ‘garbage’ over the years which we have accumulated it stops working that well and we get sick. Sometimes very sick indeed. Realistically we are only aware of our conscious mind which lets us in on an eighth of what is really going on in us, as we often suppress or repress the rest of our thoughts, feelings and emotions into the timeless and vast unconscious. Most lower back pain and sciatica simply couldn’t even survive without the brain triggering this oxygen deprivation to your back and nerves around your spinal area. It is particularly the lower back where the unconscious hidden tension often strikes.

What can I do about this oxygen deprivation you may ask? Breathing deeply will not cure it as it has an emotional basis although it is important to remember that the pain is not psychosomatic, it is very real indeed and is not in the head, it has a physical cause, oxygen deprivation and the pain and can be very severe indeed.

I know this because I suffer from this disorder too and have had my own struggles and back pain journey including unsuccessful surgery on my back. Fortunately, as the pot at the end of the rainbow there is an easy solution to this painful dilemma, and it is free! I’m your leprechaun to let you have this pot of gold for free but first of all you need to believe wholeheartedly in the correct diagnosis of TMS which causes oxygen deprivation. Ask yourself the following:

1. Has nothing else stopped your pain no matter what you’ve tried (even morphine!)?

2. Does the pain recur all the time or does it change in severity and duration at certain times of the day?

3. Are you obsessed with babying your back for fear of injuring it?

4. Does the pain change and move around your body? Do you feel it in your knees at times or upper back?

All these are signs that you have this syndrome. Basically your brain is signalling to your autonomic nervous system (which works from your unconscious mind-there is a link) to reduce oxygen supply to your back causing lower back pain and sciatica. Oxygen deprivation symptoms include severe back muscle pain, weakness, tingling and spasms in the legs. This is really an horrendous situation to be living with but the brain actually thinks it is doing you a ‘favour’. Why? Well the brain needs to cover up your inner tension. Tension Myositis Syndrome affects the muscles (myositis) and also nerves through inner unconscious (buried) tensions and conflicts that haven’t been dealt with.

Because Back Pain is so painful and incapacitating the brain uses it to cover these emotions and conflicts up and the more severe the pain the more buried the emotions can remain, they can stay trapped and not dealt with as the brain is worried you may ‘lose the plot’ if you feel these emotions or become aware of them. It is acting a bit like a drama queen.You have to retrain the brain that you can handle it and it isn’t all too much (your accumulated negativity that is).

Beginning from the correct diagnosis of TMS, a long term, stable cure can be commenced and successfully completed in a few months in most cases even sooner if there aren’t too many issues. It must be remembered also in case you are worrying that the oxygen deprivation, although very painful, is not life threatening and does not result in permanent damage in most cases to the affected area. The deprivation is only 4-5% oxygen.

So what is the solution to this dilemma? The solution is to uncover the buried emotions locked in the unconscious. This will take away the brain’s need to cause you pain through oxygen deprivation. The pain will last as long as the brain thinks it needs to last.

This disorder in the body of oxygen deprivation luckily is easy to ‘fix’ and does not require in the majority of cases intervention by a psycho analyst. We are all human and bury our unpleasant emotions. Also some people are just under more stress than others or are too busy to deal with it. We all lack emotional intelligence in one degree or another no matter how intellectually intelligent we are (I have a Masters) and I was as emotionally stupid as anything until I got really sick and got a wake up call big time! Every cloud…

The cure initially will take about 2-3 hours a week of your time to make a real inroad, alternatively you can do it every day. All you need to do is ask yourself questions about your inner feelings and inner conflicts buried deep down, the ones you are not aware of! Just question yourself.

All you need is to become aware and think about your problems, conflicts, your inner tensions, wallow in them for three hours a week. Fortunately you do not need to feel the negative emotions themselves (awareness is enough)! I thought this would make me very depressed but in fact I felt great after the 2-3 hours as if a weight was off my shoulders. You see, the negative buried emotions weight us down and when we face them they just dissolve. They are not really who we are but just energy in motion=emotions in our bodies. So don’t be afraid but face up to them.

Basically when fear of your negative emotions comes knocking on your door open it in faith and confidence that you can handle the message they bring. Then fear like a bully will just run away! Then in a short time, depending on your circumstances, the brain’s need to hide your emotions behind a wall of pain will dissolve and as a consequence the pain will dissolve all by itself too. Problem solved!

There is no need to change your life or your job or marriage to become well as it is not eliminating the sources of tension but facing upto them that heals us. This is lucky as everyone cannot escape inner conflict and tension it is a normal part of life!

Conclusion: Back Pain/Sciatica IS possible to understand, and you should always keep an open mind for the REAL diagnosis even though you have been told the ‘mechanical’ reason in your spine for the pain eg herniation, bulging, spondylsis, as I was told I had all of these plus disc degeneration (in my thirties)!

Remember that these mechanical abnormalities may NOT be the root cause of your pain. Who really has a perfect back? MRI scans show up abnormalities in the backs of the majority of people, these abnormalities come as we age. So it is very important to have the correct diagnosis to start from or you could waste lots of time and money or even worse have unnecessary and painful surgery!

So it is very important to have the correct diagnosis to start from or you could waste lots of time and money or even worse have unnecessary and painful surgery! So there it is, in a nutshell. Now that you know about TMS and the TRUE diagnosis and the real root unconscious origins causing your pain, you can feel better equipped to cope with it and to cure it yourself. Please see http://www.lowerbackpainblog.com for more information on my journey towards back pain/sciatica freedom and useful tips too! I wish you all good fortune on your own back pain relief or sciatica relief journey and on every step of the way!

A pinched sciatic nerve is a common expression used by both doctors and laymen alike to explain chronic back and leg pain issues stemming from a suspected compressive neuropathy condition. It is certainly possible for the sciatic nerve to suffer impingement due to a wide range of reasons. However, the most commonly cited example of sciatic nerve compression is a lumbar herniated disc, which makes no sense, being that the sciatic nerve does not even connect directly into the spine.

Actual pinched sciatic nerve issues can be caused by several known reasons. The first is inflammation related to traumatic injury. This event is most often found in patients who experience severe damage to the legs or buttocks from a car accident, significant fall or other form of direct trauma. The inflammatory process can put pressure on the sciatic nerve almost anywhere in the lower body, enacting symptoms often associated with a pinched nerve. Luckily, inflammation is a temporary concern and these neuropathy issues should resolve completely, even without any formal treatment.

The next possible situation involving an actual pinched sciatic nerve is the pain condition known as piriformis syndrome. This occurs when the sciatic nerve is impinged upon by the piriformis muscle. Some patients demonstrate an anatomical abnormality which locates their sciatic nerve directly through the piriformis muscle, rather than beneath it. These patients are statistically more likely to suffer piriformis syndrome than others who do not share this bodily variation, but this is certainly not an absolute rule. It is well known that most cases of piriformis syndrome have less to do with the anatomy or suspected injury, and far more to do with regional oxygen deprivation of the involved musculature, enacting spasms and painful symptoms. In the vast majority of affected patients, the source of this ischemia is surely psychogenic.

The herniated disc explanation for sciatica can be accurate, but not in the way some patients perceive. Due to the watering-down of medical information, and in some cases, the fundamental lack of understanding by diagnosticians, some patients actually feel that their sciatic nerve is being pinched by the herniated disc directly. This could not be further from the truth. The sciatic nerve is made up of nerve roots from the L4, L5, S1, S2 and S3 vertebral levels and the herniated disc may be compressing one or more of these roots, not the sciatic nerve itself. The actual sciatic nerve forms far below the end of the spinal column, making this theory ridiculous and anatomically unviable. In most cases, it is the L4, L5 or S1 nerve root affected, due to herniations at L4/L5 or L5/S1. However, in my experience, the overwhelming percentage of patients diagnosed with foraminal stenosis or spinal stenosis in the lumbar spine or lumbo-sacral juncture as the source of their pain are grossly misdiagnosed. It is quite rare for pinched nerve roots to occur in the spine and the best way to double check the diagnosis is to compare the expected symptomatic pattern to the actual clinical expression. In almost every case, there will be great discrepancies, making structural nerve compression the least likely source of pain, even when diagnostic imaging suggests otherwise?

Remember that foraminal stenosis and spinal stenosis are normal parts of the aging process for most patients. Spinal degeneration, such as disc disease and herniations, is par for the course. Most of the time, these diagnoses are made in an attempt to explain the occurrence of back pain, although subsequent treatments are almost never successful, especially in the long term. Furthermore, the majority of people with identical anatomicall issues have no pain whatsoever? This is the best evidence that the various structural issues most commonly blamed for enacting sciatica are mistakenly diagnosed. No wonder the condition has such a terrible reputation as a long term and treatment?resistant syndrome. After all, if the diagnosis is wrong and treatments are targeting a mistakenly identified causation, then how can patients ever find relief?

By: Sensei Adam Rostocki

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Sensei Adam Rostocki suffered with chronic sciatica for 18 years. Sensei Rostocki is the author of popular self help book, ?Cure Back Pain Forever? (ISBN 1-59971-997-5). His Sciatica website provides information about nerve pain conditions, including a www.sciatica-pain.org/pinched-sciatic-nerve.html”>pinched sciatic nerve.

Back Pain affects over 80% of adults at some stage. Yes you have heard and seen this countless times before. You may be reading this is pain right now and are one of these statistics. But?

What if you are not experiencing back pain now. Is there a simple and reliable way to determine if back pain is likely to occur? After all if you know it is going to happen you can do things to avoid it or remove it before it happens.

This will save you a lot of pain, time, money and grief, as back pain affects your daily enjoyment of your working and social life.

The following is a simple testing procedure to work out if you are likely to suffer back pain in the not too distant future. It could be lower back pain, sciatica, upper back pain or even neck pain, but if these tests are positive, then back pain is likely to occur.

Back Pain Test 1:

Look at your self in a mirror. Stand without trying to get into the perfect position. Just stand in a relaxed fashion and observe any postural differences.

You may notice one shoulder higher than the other, one shoulder may be turned inwards compared to the other. Take note of any difference in the gap between your arm and your body ? it may be greater on one side.

Place your hands on your hips and see if one side is higher than the other. One foot may point straight and the other not.

Any changes, especially significant changes, indicate postural changes that are usually a sign of muscular imbalances. These muscle imbalances will lead to extra pressure on areas of your back leading to back pain.

Back Pain Test 2:

Lie on your back and slide the back of your hands under your pelvis at belt height. Notice if one side is easer to place your hand under. There may be a height difference or it may appear that there is more weight crunching on one hand.

If your pelvis is twisted, when you lie down one side will put more pressure on your hand and less on the other side. This indicates a mis-alignment in the pelvis and lower back. This will commonly lead to back pain, whether it is lower back pain or sciatica.

Back Pain Test 3:

This is called a straight leg raise. If at any time performing this test you notice any pain, stop it immediately. Perform this test gently and slowly?

Lie on your back and raise one leg slowly as far as you can. Rest your leg down gently and then do the same for the other side.

Notice if it is easier to lift one leg compared to the other. Is there any pain or stiffness performing this test? Can you lift one leg higher than the other?

If any of these occur, the test is positive which indicates there is pelvic and lower back imbalance and muscular imbalances. Lower back pain, sciatica or back pain in general is likely to occur.

So if you have any of these tests positive, and it could be one or all of them, back pain is likely to occur. It may be weeks or even months, but it will happen.

If you are experiencing back pain now, you should aim to correct it now before it becomes worse or chronic. If you are not experiencing back pain, and one of these tests is positive, then you should correct the imbalances now. After all prevention is easier than cure. Learn to correct your back pain issues before they become painful.

By: Dr Graeme Teague

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Dr Graeme Teague is an expert in the structural field, and has been in practice since 1991. His newly launched web site The Back Pain Advisor – www.back-pain-advisor.com – strives to give you valuable and expert advice, tips and information on your back pain issues.

For more information on lower back pain issues just visit Lower Back

What are trigger points and why are they causing my back pain? That’s the question I asked my physical therapist. I had been hearing a lot about trigger points and the role they play in pain management and I wanted to get my therapists opinion as to what there were, what’s the causing this trigger points to “fire up” and what can be done to treat them. Here’s what I found out.

1. Doctors have identified certain focal points located in tight bands of skeletal muscle as playing a role in pain management. When these points are pressed these pints will produce pain.

2. Often found in the muscles of the neck, shoulders and pelvic girdle, muscles used to . maintain body posture. This trigger points can manifest themselves as headaches, tinnitus, jaw pain and lower back pain.

As my therapists explained acute trauma such as whip lash, incorrect lifting or even a sneeze can cause these points to fire up causing pain and decreased range of motion.

Ultrasonography, manipulative therapy and injection, are used to inactivate trigger points. Injections have been shown to be the most effective in reducing pain.

However all these treatments only address the symptoms and not the true cause. Something is causing this trigger points to fire up, many times it is a back dysfunction caused by muscle imbalance. This can be treated with a program of specific exercises designed for your unique condition.

One of the top rated programs is called the Lose The Back Pain System developed by therapists and doctors of the Healthy back Institute. This program has helped thousands by strengthening muscles and eliminating muscles imbalance.

As someone who has suffered with a bad back and who has endured months of physical therapy and an operation, I can tell you there are solutions for your discomfort.

The Buck Stops Here! You deserve relief from your aching back! You deserve to live pain free. There are alternatives to suffering and the risks of surgery. As someone who has lived with debilitating back pain, I believe you owe it to yourself to know all the facts. For more FREE information, reports and videos take the first step to back pain relief and Click Here

Coach Pete Turner is a life and success coach who combines sixty-three years of living with solid methods, techniques, coaching tools and tips helping his clients ride from the ordinary to the extraordinary.