a supple and strong back

- home - your back - hernia - exercises - tips -

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Good Bye Back Pain

In this e-book you'll discover how to leave your backpain permanently behind. You''ll learn some important anatomical facts about the back and you'll find out what the causes are of backproblems. You will also discover some important minor dietary adjustments you can make that will enhance the healing capacity of your body. This e-book contains a unique series of exercises, totally aimed at 'renovating' and 'rejuvenating' your back. Your back will once again become supple and strong.

WHAT CAN YOU EXPECT This is what happened to me: I realised that since doing the exercises, my posture during walking became more upright. I also discovered that my posture behind the wheel of my car became different. And I realised that I started moving and changing my posture more often during the day. Somehow or other, the exercises almost seemed to 'programme' my subconscious in such a way that I started correcting my posture. Ofcourse things don't exactly have to be the same for you. Soon enough, you'll discover what will happen to you and the health of your back. These exercises are designed to get you(r) back in shape again. What also happened to me is that my back became flexible again from top to bottom. There were some parts of my spine, that seemed pretty much locked. The muscles surrounding those parts were keeping it locked. That in itself is a sure guarantee for backproblems spreading throughout the back. As soon as I started exercising, my back started getting loose and more flexible again. As a result I experienced pain in some muscles of my back that were totally locked before. But this muscle-pain disappeared again. Should the same happen to you, good thing! It means your back is regaining it's flexibility and getting back in proper shape. BACK IN BALANCE

Here you see pictures of a straight back with properly developed and balanced muscles around the spine. Properly developed muscles around the spine keep your back in just the right balance and posture. Now that is exactly what we will be working on. Each of the exercises is designed to develop a particular group of muscles that pulls you(r) back into shape. You'll discover that we exercise left and right. It is very important to develop our muscles evenly on all sides. This is because we want balance. Not only left and right, but also front and back, even the legs are trained by these exercises. By doing the exercises your muscles get stronger again. Also circulation around the vertebrae and the intervertebral discs improves drastically. Result: your back getting stronger and more supple.

STRENGTH AND SUPPLESSE With the exercises we will concentrate on suplesse and strength. Because of your back muscles getting stronger, you will soon feel different. You will

regain confidence of movement that only well developed muscles of the back can give you. By also working on increased mobility and flexibility you will also regain ease of movement. You and your back will definitely appreciate this.

Before you begin

IMPORTANT All exercises should be done in a relaxed and easy-going manner. Forget about NoPain-No-Gain stories, listen to your body when pain is telling you something. Ofcourse you will have to work-out, but no puffin' and sweatin'. MOST important: if you experience pain during an exercise, STOP doing it! GO on with the next exercise and at a later date, get back to this exercise and try it real slow. If it stays painful, leave that exercise behind for another while. Perhaps you will not be able to do all repetitions of all exercises right from the start, but keep working at it. Your back will get stronger and more flexible. It could be that you start feeling parts of your back, you didn't feel before. This is a result of exercising muscles you haven't used for a while. This pain should be gone after a few more days. First read all information about your back and its discs. You will get valuable information that will greatly develop your understanding and motivation.

Click on 'your back' in the navigation bar on top of this page or click below on the bottom right to go to secrets of your back. The best to your back! David Houwing

copyright www.beatingbackpain.com you have the right to print this page only for personal use

to secrets of your back

a supple and strong back

- home - your back - hernia - exercises - tips -

Secrets of your Back

On this page you will read about: - the back (vertebrae, vertebral discs, joints and muscles); - causes of back problems; - the natural healing capacity of your back; - dietary tips for your back. In an e-book that deals with exercises for your your back, it may seem strange that so much room is dedicated to background information. But I can assure you that al this information is essential to get your thinking on the right track. Healthy behaviour, that promotes healing, starts with thinking, therefore I want to give you the chance to develop healthy thinking about your back. You will learn revolutionary knowledge about your back. Good knowledge of your back is a great help to get and keep your back healthy. THE SPINE AND THE VERTEBRAE The spine is the most important bone structure of our body. Without the spine we cannot keep ourselves upright. The spine adds structure and support to our body. Right through the middle of our spine runs the spinal cord, which is the main highway of our nervous system, connecting our brain with the rest of our body. The vertebrae of the spine surround and protect our spinal cord.

Without spinal cord we couldn't move a single part of our

Without spinal cord we couldn't move a single part of our body, nor could any organ of our body function. That's why it is so important that we keep our spine healthy and in good shape. But what exactly is the spine?

The spine consists of small bones, called the vertebrae. These vertebrae are stacked upon each other. Together this stacked structure forms the spine.

A normal spine has an S-shape if you look at it from the side. This S-shape helps the spine to absorb all sorts of forces that are exerted on the body. If forces hit the spine, it can move within it's S-shape. This movement is the guarantee that forces are absorbed because the forces are transformed into movement. It is like shockabsorbers in a car. They also transform shocks into movement. Because of the S-shape, shock absorption is possible by movement of the spine. Suppose the spine was totally straight, all vertebrae stacked right above each other, now all shocks could only be absorbed by the vertebral discs. I can assure you, they wouldn't last long! Here we have an important secret of a healthy back: a shock absorption system that transforms force into movement within the reach of the S-shape. A stiff, inflexible back, that doesn't move easily, causes too much forces to be exerted on the vertebral discs. Resulting in those discs being compressed too much. Also a back that is 'locked' into a wrong posture, can not absorb shocks in a healthy way.

PRIORITY:

a good S-shape and a flexible back.

If it comes to the health of our back the tendons and ligaments of our back are also important. I shall explain the difference and importance. Tendons connect muscles to bone structures. So the muscles of our back connect through tendons to the bones of our back. Ligaments hold bones together in an anatomically desirable shape and position during movement. Ligaments connect the backbones with each other. Our tendons and ligaments can stretch a bit, but they can hardly shrink. Remember this one fact about the ligaments of your back, it explains why we can experience our back 'popping' out of shape by minor movements. I'll explain this under the section of the discs of the back.

ligaments hardly shrink

VERTEBRAL DISCS

The vertebrae of the back are not just stacked on top of each other, they are separated by small elastic discs, cushion type things. Healthy discs are elastic and springy. They make up 20% to 25% of the total length of the vertebral column. The vertebral disc is made up of a gel-like center (nucleus pulposi) and an outer wall (annulus fibrosus). Together they form the disc.

The vertebral disc is also called the invertebral or intervertebral disc. The outer wall of the vertebral disc not only connects the vertebrae, but also keeps the center of the disc together. The centre of the disc is a gel-like substance, mostly consisting of water. It is almost like a spunge. The discs, together with the S-shape of the back, allow for healthy shock absorption by the spinal system.

The spunge type centre of the vertebral disc continuously tries to suck up fluid from the surrounding area. And in doing so it will swell up to full dimensions. The swelling up is limited by the outer wall of the invertebral disc and by the vertebrae above and below the disc. With space travel we learned that without gravity astronauts grew taller. They came back to earth sometimes up to 2 inches taller. So without gravity, our vertebral disc swells up to the maximum extent possible. If the swelling up of our vertebral discs goes well, we will have healthy 'full' and thick discs. And you will thrive with that. Because then the back can bend and twist on elastic and healthy discs.

A healthy vertebral disc With babies and small children, the vertebral discs consist of almost 90% water. The older we get, the less water most people seem te be able to keep in their discs. In a stiff and inflexible back we see that vertebral discs dry out more and get thinner as well. People with thin vertebral discs often are told that their discs are worn out. I would rather speak of dried out discs or perhaps badly looked after discs. In a stiff and inflexible back vertebral discs grow thin more quickly. But why? This is why: the forces that are exerted on the inflexible back, can not be transformed enough into movement. With twofold results. Firstly the lack of movement causes the forces to be absorbed mostly by the vertebral discs. Those discs are then compressed too much. Because the forces can not be absorbed by movement the discs keep absorbing those forces and get thinner and thinner. Secondly the lack of movement hinders circulation around the vertebrae and the discs. And insufficient circulation leads to insufficient hydration of the discs. In other words, in a stiff back discs thin out too fast because of lack of shock absorption and in a stiff back the discs can't swell up enough because of 'dehydration'.

Good blood circulation around the vertebrae is a result of good use of the surrounding muscles. And to get good hydration of the discs of your back, you first need good circulation. A back that does not move enough, lacks blood circulation in the muscles around the vertebrae. This automatically causes insufficient hydration of the discs. And this means that the discs can not swell up as much as they should!

nice thick vertebral discs

Remember: good circulation = good hydration.

Most people don't get enough exercise or movement during the day. This results in people being overweight, but also in insufficient circulation in vital parts of the body. The longer this all lasts, the more dry and the thinner the discs will become. A stiff back and lack of movement and the resulting lack of sufficient circulation are a sure guarantee for back problems.

Dried out vertebral discs = 'play' between vertebrae.

In a healthy back with nicely swollen discs, the space between the vertebrae is filled with enough gel like substance. All kept together by the outer wall of the disc. Remember: the discs make up 20% to 25% of the total length of the vertebral column. So if those discs are getting thinner and thinner, the vertebral column will get shorter. But as said before: the ligamenst that hold the vertebrae together can hardly shrink. This is the explanation why in an unhealthy back vertebrae 'pop' out of place so easily. If the centre of the disc grows thinner and thinner, we will get 'play'. You see, the ligaments of the spine are adjusted to a disc with a thickness of say 1,5 centimeter. But now the disc is only 0,5 centimer thick. The ligaments don't shrink this much at all when a disc shrinks. I repeat: thin vertebral disc are an important part of the cause of vertebrae slipping out of position so easily. Weak muscles make up for the rest of the cause.

dried out and thin vertebral disc As soon as we have 'play' in our back, the vertebrae can quite easily move out of position. And when that happens your muscles freeze, because they don't want those vertebrae to damage your spinal cord or the nerves. Your system gets nervous! So actually the freezing of your back prevents further damage. But you won't like it when your back locks and freezes on you. Whenever this happens, you experience pain and loss of movement. Then most often we go visit a chiroprator or a physical therapist, to get the vertebrae back in position. Quite often this locking of our back will be onset by minor movements! We don't want the vertebrae to 'pop' out of place, we want them get back in the right position, we want them to re-align properly, and that we do also with the exercises. People with a back that does not move enough end up with vertebrae that can move too easy. Resulting in a back that is loosely held together by the ligaments and the muscles. As a result the vertebrae can easily jump out of position. Lower backpain is nothing but a signal that your body is giving you, that it has to make all sorts of minor adjustments all the time to prevent your vertebrae from going all over the place. When your muscles have to make too many of those minor adjustments you will start experiencing pain and cramps in your lower back. It is as if your back is calling you to give a hand and help out, in stead of aggravating the condition by doing nothing. Another problem that is connected with insufficient circulation and insufficient hydration is a higher risk of herniated discs.

I will get deeper into that on the page that is fully dedicated to that subject.
SO: EXERCISE MUSCLES AND GET SUPPLE.

To get and keep our back healthy, we have to do two things: increase circulation and increase mobility by exercising and strengthening the muscles of the back. When the muscles around the spine are stronger and better trained, they will keep the vertebrae in place. Those muscles will then compensate for 'play' in our back caused by the thin discs. That is the first progress, and often almost immediately felt. The training of our back muscles also has longer term effects: increased circulation and mobility of the back, causing the vertebral discs to swell up again and gain volume and flexibility. This then leads to a more supple back that moves more easily. Starting to get the picture? THE BEST WAY TO TREAT YOUR BACK Research shows what the best way is to get a back in good shape again. It is nothing less than increasing mobility in the back. And by mobility I mean mobility on the level of the vertebrae. If we increase the space between two vertebrae through the right exercises, we create room for a sucking up of fluid by the invertebral discs. The gel-like watery substance in the centre of the discs will then want to swell up again. If at the same time we increase circulation around the discs, then the swelling up can and will take place thanks to the increased circulation. So we work on two fronts: we strengthen muscles, allowing them to bring and keep vertebrae in position and we increase circulation around the discs, thereby allowing the discs to suck up all the fluid they want. But how do we create space between the vertebrae? To answer that question I have to tell you more about the .... JOINTS OF THE BACK

The spinal column also has joints. These joints connect the vertebrae with each other. In between we find the discs, as we know. Eighty percent of the disc is water, which is why it is so elastic. A disc with the attached part of the vertebra above and below is considered an intervertebral joint. These joints allow the movement of the back. In that invertebral joint there is a part where the two vertebrae hold each other. This is called the facet joint. Below you see such a facet joint.

With a little bit of understanding of the facet joints we can make big progress with our back. This knowledge will show you how to create space between the vertebrae. The secret lies in the fact that the facet joint connects vertebrae on the back side of our back. These are the little sharp bones that we feel when we run our hand over our spine. In the drawing below you see the vertebrae touching each other on the left side. On the right side you see space between the vertebrae. This is where the vertebral discs belong. Now let's see what happens when we bend over backward or forward.

Here you see the pivot point when bending forward.

When we bend forward, we exert pressure on the invertebral discs, causing them to be pushed together.

Here you see the pivot point when bending backward.

Now we see increased space between the vertebrae, that is what we need! This causes sucking in of fluids in the discs. Now the discs want to fill up again.

So certain moves put pressure on the discs, other moves make room for the discs.

bending over backwards makes room for our discs! A good exercise programme will use the insights that follow from what you have read above.

We have to work on five things: - increased mobility of the back; - alignment of the vertebrae;

- increased circulation; - decompression of the discs - strengthening of the muscles.

The exercises in this e-book will do all that. As a result your back will be aligned and kept in place by well trained muscles, that provide just the right environment for your vertebral discs to swell up and stay happy. It's time for some info on: .... MUSCLES OF THE BACK The muscles of our back are connected to our spine via the tendons. The muscles play a vital role in our back, they keep the back in balance. And they get the back moving.

On the deepest level in our body we find muscles that are connected to the spine itself. Above you see those muscles; Erector Spinae and Multifidus. The erector spinae keep the back upright and in balance. It is important that these muscles are strong AND also supple. The multifidus is essential for connecting the spine to the pelvis. Now these are the most important muscles of the deeper lying muscles that are connected straight to the spine. Next to that we have all the aforementioned ligaments that connect vertebrae with vertebrae. All these ligaments help in keeping the vertebrae in the right place and alignment. So we see there is close interaction between the muscles, the discs, and the ligaments of the back. It is vital that the muscles are strong and well trained and supple enough to do their job. It is equally vital that there is ample circulation around the discs, so they are properly hydrated and swell up to their full potential. If you take care of the muscles of your back, they will take care of you!

Not only do we have deeper lying muscles but also muscles that are more on the surface of our body and connect other parts of our body to the spine.

Our lower back is the basic structure of our back, on which our whole body rests and to which all the rest of our our body is connected.

The pelvis also plays a role in the health of your back.

The PELVIS

The Pelvis is pretty much unknown if it comes to the role it plays for keeping our back healthy. I'll explain what it does.

Our spine rests on the bottom in / on the pelvis. The pelvis absorbs some of the shocks or forces that are exerted on the back. The pelvis connects the back to the legs. First through the Sacro-Iliacal Joint- the so-called SI-joint. Secondly from the pelvis through the hip-joints to the legs. The SI-joint is causing quite a few people problems, I will therefore delve into that a bit deeper. The pelvis is made up of a number of different bones, that are more or less grown into one thing, called the pelvis. Below you see the names of all these bones. The Sacro-Iliacal joint does just what the name says: it joins the sacrum with the ilia. In other words it joins the lowest part of the spine with the hip bones.

There is difference in opinion as to how much movement the SI-joint should allow for. I will not add to that discussion in this e-book. Whether the SI-joint should move 1 or 3 centimeters, or 5 millimeters, who cares. That is not important, but if it should be able to move 5 millimeter, then in your body you need that. This joint has to be supple enough to move all it can! The needed flexibility of the pelvis is just another shock absorption mechanism built into your body, so the forces can move away, without damaging discs or other vital parts of the spine. So now we have a pretty complete picture as far as the shock absorption system of our back is concerned. We need a good S-shape, we need thick and hydrated discs and a SI-joint that is supple and able to move.

If the SI-joint is not flexible enough, part of the forces on your spine can not be 'moved away' and have to be absorbed by the discs again. You will therefore see that we do a number of exercises that make the SI-joint more flexible. All aimed at getting the most out of your shock absorption system. The exercise programme will train just those muscles that need training the most. Both deeper lying and on the surface muscles will be trained. You will feel the results in a back that is getting supple again.

Now let's take a look at the causes of back problems. For now please remember that we will work on mobility, alignment, circulation, decompression and strengthening. Your discs will start swelling up again, your back will become supple again and pain will diminish as you get supple and strong again.

CAUSES OF BACK PROBLEMS Research mentions different possible causes of back pain: posture, physical condition, psychology and wear&tear.
POSTURE

Our seditary lifestyles shows less and less movement and need to use our bodies. Lot's of sitting. Question remains whether this is an important cause of back pain and herniated discs. After all that I wrote above, I can only answer YES! Our seditary lifestyle is a good explanation for most back related problems. Lack of physical exercise and too much sitting is a combination that absolutely guarantees lower back problems. Wrong posture leads to muscles locked into wrong positions. This leads to a spine that stays too long in bad shape. And that leads to lower back problems. Our back is made to continuously search for balance. And in doing so it will use our muscles. Look at young children, then look at their posture, nice and straight. And also very flexible. Most adults show something very different. The older we get, the more hours we have spent bending our backs in wrong shapes. By sitting behind a computer all day, or driving for hours

and hours, we train our backs in wrong posture. Our backs often don't have to look for balance, we keep it in one position all the time, and a bad one too. In itself this would not be so bad, but we should compensate for these times of wrong posture. And that is what most of us don't do.

Lower back pain is the signal your body is giving that it wants you to work on it. If we don't listen to those signals, our bodies will have to shout louder! Till in the end our body sort of yells at us with a herniated disc or a frozen back or whatever. All these things result from us not treating our backs in a healthy way. But fortunately there is good news: this whole process can be reversed! It also works the other way around. You can coach your spine back to a painless and flexible state. The secret to regaining and keeping a healthy posture is training the muscles of your back. Strong and supple muscles will keep your back in good shape. Ofcourse it can be that you will have parts of the back that have been locked for so long, that they need to first be manipulated by a chiroprator or a physical therapist. I personally prefer a manual therapist, because they quietly manipulate the vertebrae back to mobility. Once basic mobility has been restored exercises will do the rest. If you find yourself spending long hours behind the computer or the steering wheel, you need to compensate by doing exercises for your back.

If you sit for too long, the SI-joint and the lower vertebrae of the back stay in the same position for too long. Now the sitting position is in itself already very taxing on the invertebral discs. To add to that, most people have a wrong posture while sitting, this mounts to too much pressure exerted on invertebral discs. Important with sitting is that you keep a good posture. You have to train yourself to sit properly. If your muscles are well trained, you'll find this almost coming naturally. A good posture while sitting behind a computer looks a bit like this: - lower arm extends horizontally - space between front of leg and chair - lower back support - screen on natural height - support of elbow by armrests on chair - feet flat on the ground - upright posture Let's compare the spine with a radio mast. In itself the mast would not keep upright! It needs guy lines to keep it standing up. It is the same with your back, it needs ligaments, tendons and muscles to keep it up. Ofcourse a radio mast does not need flexibility the way your back does, so this is where the comparison stops. But it is important for you to realise that your back will look for balance all the time. And when the muscles in the back are strong enough it will find the proper balance.

PHYSICAL CONDITION

Our physical condition plays an important role in our health. Research even shows that people with good physical condition grow older with less problems. But how fit should one be? The answer may sound strange at first. Let me explain: you don't have to be very fit at all to have a healthy back. Our thinking about physical fitness quite often focuses on being able to run 10 kilometers or a marathon, or being able to bike for 200 kilometers. But this is not the fitness that is needed. In fact it could be that you can do all that, but suffer from back pain! If we talk fitness that counts for the back, we are talking fitnes of the muscles around and connected to the spine. These muscles have to be strong and supple. Sometimes we can have well trained muscles in some parts of the body that still can cause problems in other parts. Sprinters for example have well developed hamstrings. But if they don't watch those strong hamstrings they could be well underway to developing a lower back problem, because of these strong and well trained hamstrings. I will explain some more about those hamstrings.

The hamstring is a muscle that runs from the hip to the knee. We use this muscle for running, walking etc. People with lower back problems often have hamstrings that are too short. Quite a few people that used to do lots of sports in their younger years, end up with short hamstrings. You can easily check if this applies to you. If you stand up straight, bend forward with extended legs, see if you can touch the ground with your fingers. Now be careful, this is a move that can be taxing on your back, but carefully give it a try. If you can not reach the ground or your toes, while keeping your legs straight, chances are your hamstrings are too short. The hamstring connects the hips with the legs. Short hamstrings end up pulling permanently on the pelvis. This could result in a wrong posture of the pelvis. The SI-joint as a result will not be able to move like it should and there we go, we are once again on our way to back problems. So we see that working on strengthening muscles leads to stronger and shorter muscles. That is why we need to balance our training. If we train the muscles that pull on the back of the spine, we also need to train muscles that counter pull on the front of our spine. And apart from training the muscles we need to stretch them. So we want supple muscles that are evenly developed all around the spine; left, right back, front, top and bottom.
PSYCHOLOGY

Every once in a while you hear someone say that all back pain is just a problem between the ears. Basically proponents of this view search for causes of back pain in the psychology of sufferers. I would tend to agree a bit with this view, but perhaps not as one would think. First of all I don't believe that backproblems are the result of psychological weakness or malfunctioning. But as I am not a psychiatrist or a psychologist, I don't feel qualified to fully answer this. I do believe that a wrong understanding of how our back functions can lead to acceptance of back conditions that don't have to be accepted. And in that way I agree that our psychology matters. I don't believe that people need surgery to heal a herniated disc. At the same time I realise that people don't have enough knowledge about the back, and therefore see no other option available to them than surgery. What works against you can also be reversed in this case. Insufficient knowledge of the back and the causes of back problems can lead to worsening of back problems

and sometimes surgery etc. But the reverse also goes: knowing more about the back, and realising what one can do oneself, can and , if applied, will lead to healing of the back. People that bought this e-book and experience progress will testify to this. So fill up on good knowledgde about your back and follow the logical consequence of this knowledge: exercise your back.
WEAR & TEAR

This is an interesting cause that is mentioned in research. But even experts wonder whether this really is a cause of back problems. Everybody ages and everybody has wear and tear in the body, so why then do some people suffer more from wear and tear than others. And why is it that some people that use their back much more than others, do not suffer from back problems at all, I mean wear and tear happens through use, doen't it? So as far as I am concerned, wear and tear is not an explaining factor in the case of back pain. By now you probably understand that back problems have to do with a number of things. Inflexibility, wrong posture, lack of circulation, prolongued compression of the invertebral discs. Those are the things that can be held accountable for the problems of the back. We all suffer from wear and tear, but we all have a body also that has an inherent ability to heal and renew itself. It is up to us to create the proper conditions in our body to allow the natural healing ability to get underway without hindrance. So lets focus on: .. NATURAL HEALING ABILITY Your body, including your back, has a tremendous ability for healing. We were made with an inherent ability to renew and heal damaged parts of the body. Unfortunately we are not able to re-grow a leg that was lost, but all the cells of our body get renewed in a cycle of seven years. I never checked this, but this seems to be true. Quite often we see that back problems in time seem to disappear all by themself.... .... unfortunately then later to reappear again, often worse than before. Now why do these problems keep coming back? Our back problems keep coming back because the cause has not been dealt with. If we don't work on our posture, strength and suplesse and all things that have been mentioned before, our back problems will keep coming back. Our body will fix the symptoms and damage, but it is not in our bodies' power to fix our conscious minds so we start doing things different so the causes are taken away.

Our body can cure symptoms, but it can not automatically train our muscles and keep our posture right. Our body needs us for that.

most herniated discs are healed over time by our body It is known for herniated discs, with a protruding centre, to heal over time. If the disc bulges, our body immediately starts working on the protruded substance, wanting to take it away and wanting to heal the disc. But we can help or hinder the healing ability of our body. Let's look at helping and hindering factors we can easily influence. MENUTIPS

I have noticed there is one natural substance which most of us can get almost for free and quite easily, that has a very positive effect on the healing power of our body. Most of our body is made of this substance, and most of the discs of the back are made of it. In most individuals, approximately 60% of the total weight is water. This percentage varies between 50% and 70%, with the exact value primarily dependent on a person's fat content. Since fat has very low water, individuals with more fat will have a lower overall percentage of body weight as water. more water! Just plain water is incredibly important for a healthy back. I mentioned hydration of the vertebral discs. We need to give our body enough water to help this hydration process. Take at least 3 or 4 glasses of water each day. Do it! more oily fish or cod liver oil! Research shows it again and again: it is healthy to eat oily fish. Oily fish contains oils that are good for our joints. Cod liver oil is not just a thing from your granny, but research shows that it is good for you! Don't just believe me, take a couple of minutes and run a search on the web for cod liver oil, see what those research results will tell you. Those are the two things you should add or take more of in your menu! Water and

Cod Liver Oil!! Now there is also a substance you should ban from entering your body: ... STOP THE NICOTINE

All research into recovery times of people shows that patients that smoke, take longer to recover from surgery. It also shows that tissue does not heal quite as good and smooth as in non-smokers. This shows that nicotine is a substance that has a bad effect on the healing power of the body. So if you want to allow your body to heal your back, you can do without these hindering forces. CAREFUL WITH ALCOHOL It is also important to watch the amount of alcohol you take in. You see our body needs water to get rid of alcohol. Our body, if it does not have enough water readily available, will start to drain different parts of our body in search of all the water it needs to get rid of the alcohol. Now as soon as your brain is being drained of water it will give you signals: 'I need hydration'. Those signals are given to you as a headache. Now depending on your condition, it is more or less important to take it easy on alcohol, or even to totally abstain from it. If you are suffering from herniated discs, you might want to abstain for the time it takes to get rid of all symptoms of the herniated disc. It will definitely help your body to properly hydrate the discs, if your body does not have to use water to get rid of alcohol. CONCLUSIONS S-shape and a flexible back thick vertebral discs strong and supple muscles space between vertebrae Flexible SI-joint watch your posture strengthen and stretch All these things will be developed by the exercises. I wish I could think of one pill or drink that would cure everything, but there are no short-cuts in life. You will have to

treat your back to a good regimen of daily exercise. But you will enjoy the reward! Don't forget the dietary tips: 3 or 4 glasses of water oily fish or cod liver oil STOP NICOTINE CAREFUL WITH ALCOHOL You will quickly feel better when your back muscles get stronger. You will gain a reach and suplesse of movement that only strong and healthy muscles can give you. By explicitly working on suplesse you will soon find yourself moving more relaxed and with renewed ease. You and your back will definitely appreciate this.

BACK PAIN GOOD-BYE!!!

to the first exercise

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a supple and strong back

- home - your back - hernia - exercises - tips -

HERNIATED DISC

You can do something yourself to heal herniated discs

HERNIATED - BULGING - DISCS For a good understanding of herniated discs we'll start with the back. I assume that by now you have read the section about your back.

On the left you see a sitting lady with the shadow of the backbone, also called the spine. The spine keeps our body upright. The spinal cord runs right hrough the middle of our vertebrae to connect all parts of our body with our control centre, our brain. At different places nerves come out of the spinal cord and go to different parts of the body.

spinal cord

spinal cord with nerves

The upper part of our body is served by the nerves coming out of the upper segment of the spine.

On the right you seee the nerves that serve the middle part of the body

When we talk about herniated discs, most of the time we are talking about problems connected with discs in the lower region of the back; the so-called lumbar region of the back.

The lumbar region of the spine serves the lower part of the body with nerves. This part of the back, the lumbar region and the sacrum, is where 95% of herniated discs can be found.

The red spot shows where the disc is pushing the spinal cord. HERNIATED DISC = BULGING OR PROTRUDING DISC

On the left you find a healthy vertebral disc. We see a gel-like center (nucleus pulposi) and an outer wall (annulus fibrosus). Together they form the disc. On the right you see a disc where the center breaks through the The center of the disc has outer wall. This is broken through the outer wall what we call a and pushes against the spinal herniated or slipped, nerve or protruded disc. So that's what it is: a vertebral disc that gets out of place/shape. The medical phrase is Hernia Nuclei Pulposi. In a back that receives enough movement the vertebral discs are kept healthy and flexible by the circulation that results from the movement. The vertebral discs consist mostly of water. And if we move and eat well, our body feeds the discs with everything they need. If your back does NOT get enough movement, then circulation around the discs also will be less than what it should be. As a result the discs start drying out. You could compare it to a regular household spunge. A spunge is made te absorb water, or other fluids. A wet spunge can easily change shape and also returns easily to it's original shape. But if you leave a wet spunge out in the sun, it dries out and now all of a suddden it is much harder for the spunge to change shape, let alone return to it's original shape. The spunge hardens, shrinks and looses flexibility. It is the same with the spinal discs. If they are well fed by ample circulation around them, they remain flexible and easily change shape (when you turn or bend) and easily return to their natural shape. If your spinal discs are healthy your spinal nerves will be well protected. If your discs are dry, you are prone to permanent change of shape or degeneration of the discs. Also the discs will not return as easy to their natural shape and volume. A protruded disc (or disc that is changed in shape) can exert pressure on parts of your body that are not meant to receive pressure; your spinal cord or the nerves branching out of it, for example. Now that is exeactly what a herniated disc does, it pushes against the nerves of the spinal cord. Depending on where this happens in your back, you will feel pain in a particular part of your body. Often you will feel something in the buttock or the back of a leg.

a dried out spunge

So we can compare a herniated disc with a spunge that is dried out and pushed into an unnatural shape. The result being that some nerves in your back are being pressured. The cause has to do with the discs being dehydrated through lack of circulation, which again is the result of lack of movement. The solution for your back (and the herniated disc) lies first of all in creating movement (mobility) in the vertebrae of the back. This enhances circulation and hydration of the discs. As a result your back will become more supple and stronger. Also, your discs will swell up again and regain flexibility. And they will start healing. Our body has an enormous ability to heal itself. Ever noticed how quickly a cut in your finger heals. Often even without any scars at all! This healing power of the body will once again start working for you. All you need to do is get the circulation around the discs going properly. Below you see a herniated disc. You can see that the disc betweeen vertebrae L4 and L5 is pressing against the spinal cord. Chances are that the nerve that comes out of the spine at this point, will produce signals of pain somewhere along the leg. In this case that would be nerve L5. To make things easy nerves are numbered to the vertebrae where they get out of the spine.

Below you can see which parts of the leg are served by which nerves. The higher parts of the leg are served by higher vertebrae. The lower vertebrae and the nerves coming out of them serve the lower parts of the leg. So a L5 pinched nerve would give pain sensations right along the back of the leg, down to the foot.

Most herniated discs develop around the 4th and 5th lumbar vertebrae. This is also the spot where the biggest forces are exerted on the vertebrae. Sixty percent of our weight rests on these vertebrae L4 and L5. And if your are heavily overweight around the middle part of the body, this percentage will even go up. These lower vertebrae suffer heavily when the rest of the spine is not able to move enough, so that shocks can be absorbed and the forces being led away into movement. See if you like driving a car that has no shock absorbers. Now compare that to a back that is not able to absorb shocks by moving. So it is only logical that backproblems wil develop in a back that is stiff and inflexible.

Typical complaints with herniated discs travel along the drawn arrow above. From the lower back all over the back of the leg. Complaints can vary from light burning or tingling sensations to sharp and sudden and even heavy pains. Even loss of control over muscles or bladder can be effects. If you are suffering from those last effects then your case is very severe. You should see a doctor. WHAT CAN I DO ABOUT IT

Five things you can do: One: mobilise your back - by exercises. Two: align your back - by exercises. Three: decompress the spine - by exercises. Four: strenghten the muscles of the back - by exercises. Five: eat and drink well!
So this means exercise, exercise and exercise. Keep exercising. And always listen to your body. Try to extend your body back to what it used to be able to do for you. If you are suffering from a herniated disc, it is extremely important that you exercise in a very controlled manner. I would advise you to do a first session together with your doctor or a physical therapist. I am not a doctor and therefore not allowed to give you health advise. I can only give you the information that I found during my research. And that research shows that most herniated discs can be healed by the body itself. Your body has an enormous ability and desire to heal itself.

Once again I say: look at how fast your body heals a cut in a finger or another little wound. It is the same with a bulging disc; our body immediately starts working on the bulging disc, taking away what is pressing on nerves and healing the disc itself. But sometimes the conditions in our bodies are not ideal at all to even give healing a chance.

you need building material on the spot

If there is not enough circulation around the vertebrae, all sorts of muscle and other waste can not be carted off by the blood vessels. Remember, your body wants to heal the disc, but it needs to get building material on the spot and it needs to get waste materials away from the spot. Now this is where circulaton comes in. The best way to get rid of this waste is by a good circulation taking the waste away. If the waste stays on the spot, you will experience pain and healing takes longer. With herniated discs, tissue that should not be there, bulges out of the disc and immedaiately our body recognises this and wants to fix the problem. The bulging of the disc is not a normal thing, and your body knows this and starts the cure. But, as said, we need ample circulation for the body to be able to fix this problem.

herniated disc= soft regimen of exercise

What we need to do is increase circulation around the discs, while at the same time not adding to the waste material. Muscle pain is the result of using and straining the muscles. If we ask more of our muscles than what they are used to, our muscle fibers will start to tear. Because of this, musclewaste will start to build up in the muscles. So therefore it is wise to start on a soft exercise regimen in case of a herniated disc. Soft regimen because a strong focus on exercise could easily lead to small tears in muscles, because you are stretching them beyond what they are used to. And we only want increased circulation and mobility at this stage. Ofcourse I don't know your situation or the exact diagnose of your backproblems. But you have bought this book, so you have a desire to get a better back. Great, that's what we will work on then. By now you should have more understanding of why and how exercises are important for a healthy back. And you should know that we'll work on: mobility, circulation, decompression, strength and supplesse.

Will you always have to exercise?

The answer is a short one: YES! Use it or loose it! Use the muscles or loose the proper use and effect of them. I myself have chosen to continue exercising my muscles so my back stays flexible and my muscles keep my back in proper shape and posture. I prefer doing exercises to suffering from backpain or a herniated disc. You want to work on your back? There is only one person who can do that: YOU. EXERCISETIP WITH HERNIATED DISCS

Above you see two vertebrae with the vertebral disc inbetween. You now know how important it is to promote circulation around the vertebrae. I will stress one particular exercise in case of a herniated disc, because this exercise creates space between the vertebrae. I am talking about exercise 13. I'll explain the reason once more.

Above you see 1 vertebra with on the bottom left a little part sticking out. This is called the facetjoint. It is at this point that two vertebrae are connected. The facet joint connects the vertebrae along the back of the spine.

By bending backwards you create space between the vertebrae. This is one simple anatomical fact that is actually the essence of exercise 13. And it is vital in case of herniated discs.

By bending backwards you stretch the muscles around the spine. You also stretch the outer ring of the vertebral disc. By doing this you increase circulation around the disc, thus giving your body a chance to reach the disc and start healing it.

Good circulation promotes healing.

BACK PAIN GOOD-BYE!!!

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exercise 1 SIDEWAYS LEG LIFT

Stand up straight with your feet slightly apart. Hold your hands up a bit. Now lift up your right leg. This exercise increases circulation around the hips and lower back. Increased circulation will help healing of the discs of the lower back and will increase blood supply to the muscles you are training in this area. Pelvis and SI-joint are also positively affected by the increased circulation this exercise gives. This exercise may not seem to do much, but count on this one being a very important one in the health of the lower back!

Now do the same wtih the other leg. And keep alternating left and right leg lifts. Repeat 10 times. Very effective.

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exercise 2 BACKWARD LEG LIFT

Stand up straight with your hands up in front of you. Now lift up your left leg as far as possible to the back. This exercise increases circulation around the lower parts of the back, the pelvis and the SI-joint.

Now do the same with the other leg. Keep alternating your legs. Repeat 10 times with each leg. Very effective!

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exercise 3 STRETCHING OF THE BACK

Lie down flat on your back. Extend your arms above you, while at the same time extending your legs as much as possible. It will feel like you are pushing your hands as far as possible away from your feet. Repeat 5 times and relax in between.

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exercise 4 KNEE TO SHOULDER

Lie flat on the floor, put your left foot flat on the floor. Lift up your left leg and fold your hands around the left knee. Next, pull your knee slowly to your left shoulder. Keep this position for a few seconds. This will relax and lengthen your hamstring. Now pull just a bit more, to stretch just a bit more and then slowly bring back your foot on the floor. Do the same with the other leg. Repeat 5 - 10 times with each side.

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exercise 5 KNEE ROTATION

From the flat position on the floor, put both feet flat on the floor. Put a hand on each knee. Slowly pull both knees to your shoulders. Keep your knees close together. Keep this position for 10 seconds so the musces of the lower back will stretch and relax.

From this position gently move both knees sideways as far away from the shoulder as possible, while keeping your hands on the knees. When you can't go further sideways, start bringing the knees back together again, but still as far away as possible from the shoulders as possible. Your knees will in fact make a sort of semi-circle. At the start of the semi-circle your knees will be close to your shoulder. At the end of the semi-circle the knees are together again, but now as far away from the shoulder as possible while still keeping your hands on the knees. See below.

Repeat this exercise 5 to 10 times. Then reverse the circular motion. In fact you will then start with the position where your hands are on your knees, as far away from the shoulders as possible. Then you widen the distance between the knees and bring them sideways via a semi-circle to the shoulders. Repeat also 5 to 10 times.

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exercise 6 PELVIC TILT

From a flat postion on the floor, put both feet flat on the ground. Hold your arms next to your body. Now slowly tilt your pelvis upward. Just go so far that you feel your tailbone come off the ground. Keep this position for a few seconds then relax. Repeat this movement, but now lift up your tailbone and the first vertebra off the ground. Keep this position and relax again. Every time you relax and return your body to the ground you do it one vertebra at a time. With each next repetition you lift up a bit more of the back. Maybe I should say, you roll up a bit more, because that should almost be the motion. In the end you only have the back of your shoulders touching the floor. So you keep rolling up and down your spine, off the ground and then back. Concentrate on your back lifting off the ground one vertebra at a time and when going back down, also one vertebra at a time touching the ground again. Roll up and down!

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exercise 7 HAMSTRING STRETCH Lie down flat on your back, lift up your left leg as far as possible with the knee stretched as far as you can. Now fold your hands behind the knee.

Bend your knee a little bit and gently pull the leg towards your chest.

As soon as you feel resistance and tension, stop pulling any further. Keep that position for a few seconds, then pull a little bit further and also keep that position for a few seconds. Then lower the leg back to the floor. Do the same thing with your other leg. Repeat 5 to 10 times with each leg.

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exercise 8 CURL UP

Lie flat on the floor on your back, with your feet flat on the floor. Your arms lie next to your body. Slowly lift your head off the ground, then your neck and finally your shoulders, then lift up your hands and touch your knees. DON'T go any further. Repeat this exercise 30 to 50 times. Slow moves are the best. It is OK if you can not do all repetitions in the beginning. Just keep at it and you'll be able to do it.

Next part of the exercise is to do the same as above, but now while reaching the hands to the knees you twist slightly to the right, so your left hand reaches beyond your right knee. Get back down and do the same, but now twist the other way, with the right hand reaching beyond the left knee. Repeat 30 to 50 times.

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exercise 9 REALIGNING THE BACK Lying flat on the floor, put both feet flat, with your heels almost touching your bottom. Put out your arms left and right at a 90 degree angle.

Now turn your head left while at the same time turning both legs to the right. Next slide your upper leg (your left leg in this case) over the lower leg so your left ankle rests on your right knee. See below. Keep this position for a few seconds, then slide your left leg back on top of your right leg and bring both legs back up straight again. You will end up like on the picture above again.

Now do the same thing on the other side and repeat 10 times on each side. This exercise is an important re-aligning exercise. The vertebrae of the lower back will get back in proper position because of this. This exercise will also stretch and strengthen muscles in the important lower back area.

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exercise 10 STRENGHTENING THE BACK

From a flat lying position, pull both legs up, while keeping the lower legs parallel to the ground. Your upper legs will be at a 90 degree angle with the upper body. Now stretch out both arms again at a 90 degree angle left and right. Turn your head left while lowering your legs to the right till they are just above the ground. Keep this position for two seconds and then bring the legs up again and turn your head back as well. Then do the same on the other side. Head to the right and lowering of the legs to the left, etc.

Repeat this exercise 10 times. As soon as your muscles increase in strength, you can do this exercise with more stretched-out legs. The more you stretch the legs, the harder it gets. But your muscles supporting your spine will also get stronger and stronger.

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exercise 11 LIFTING LEG SIDEWAYS

Lie down flat on your right side. Stretch out your right arm above and leave your left hand on your hip.

Now lift up your left leg as far as possible.

Bend your leg at the knee and bring your knee to your shoulder. Use your hand to slightly pull your knee towards the shoulder. Repeat this exercise 5 times on one side, then turn on your other side and do the exercise on this side - also 5 times.

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exercise 12 BENDING BACKWARDS

Lie down on your stomach. Place your hands under your shoulder, flat on the floor. Now slowly push your upper body off the ground, while keeping your pelvis on the ground. Push up as far as you can. This exercise will create space between the vertebrae! Repeat 5 times.

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exercise 13 STRENGHTENING THE BACK

Lie down flat on the floor with your face down. Hold your arms next to your body. Now lift your head and your heels as far as possible.

Repeat this exercise 10 times. This is a difficult one. Most important thing is to keep at it. It will get easier and your back will get stronger.

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exercise 14 LATERAL STRENGTHENING

Lie down flat with your face down, arms extended above the head.

Now lift your right arm and left leg at the same time. Then do the same with your left arm and right leg. Repeat 10 times with each side.

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exercise 15 PUSH UP Lie down flat on the floor, face down. Place your hands on the floor, under your shoulders. Now slowly push up. EASY VERSION: bend your body at the hips and leave your pelvis and legs on the floor.

INTERMEDIATE VERSION: bend from the knees. Now you have to push up your upper body from the knee upward.

MOST ADVANCED VERSION: you now support your weight on your hands and on your toes. Then push up while keeping the back straight.

Start this exercise with as many repetitions as possible of the easy version. Then if you can easily do 20 repetitions, take the intermediate version. Next if you can easily do this 20 times, do the most advanced version. Your progress will go fast, you'll be surprised!

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exercise 16 A SUPPLE BACK

Take in the position above, with hands and knees on the floor.

Now bend your legs as far as possible to the back while keeping your hands in the same spot on the floor. You will feel a slight stretching of your back.

Now imagine your shoulders being pulled up. Allow this to happen and follow that. Lift your shoulders higher and higher. In the mean time relax the back. This will result in you coming up with a back that is still bent.

You will finally sit up straight on your knees like on the picture below.

Now reverse this whole sequence and return to the position you were in at the beginning of the exercise. Once you are back in the starting position, you have done the exercise one time. Repeat 10 times. If you need your hands to support you, that's fine.

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exercise 17 SIT AND TURN

Sit down with your legs crossed. Now turn your upper body to the left. You can support yourself by putting your right hand on your left knee. This exercise will increase circulation around the lower part of the back. It is also an important exercise for the pelvis and the SIjoint.

Next do this on the other side. Repeat 5 times on each side. This is the last exercise. Well done!

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