How to Cure Back Pain

I just had lunch with a friend of mine who’s a physiotherapist.

As usual our conversation turned to the finer points of the overlap in our professions.

Today we dissected back pain, the cause and the cure.

The cause?

There is a common misconception that the back is a fragile thing which must be protected, when in fact the opposite is true. The back is an extremely strong structure which keeps our heavy frames upright our entire lives. Allows us to lift heavy objects, walk, dance, perform handstands, sit up, get out of bed, you name it the back is in constant use and very rarely lets us down.

So why are we so afraid of it?

People are afraid of backs because they think they’re weak and the slightest thing will leave them with a debilitating problem.

But the fact is only 1% of back pain issues are actually serious requiring urgent medical intervention.

And, as my friend informed me, back pain is considered by her profession along the same lines as the common cold; everyone will experience it at some point in their lives and it’s not normally a big deal.

A few aches and pains aren’t to be afraid of, but they do need to be addressed.

Strange then that even some health care professionals will cower in front of a perceived back problem.

Feeling pain? Be careful, stop what you’re doing, don’t overdo it. Don’t, don’t, don’t.

They’re afraid.

Afraid of it getting worse and you blaming them.

So they err on the side of caution, all the while helping to make the problem worse.

The cure?

We both agreed the best cure for back pain is to make it strong and keep it moving.

A strong back is better than a weak back and a weak back will be more prone to injury than a strong back, just like everything else.

And moving is essential – trying to protect your back by not using it will only make it worse.

So how do you get a strong back?

Progressively loaded weight training.

Deadlifts especially are excellent for increasing back strength and reducing pain.

I have three clients I see regularly who all have lower back issues and who have all seen marked improvements since they started lifting weights.

Client A has suffered with back problems her entire life. Every morning she would wake up with a ‘creaky’ feeling as she got out of bed. That lifelong issue disappeared after just weeks of lifting weights.

Client B couldn’t even bend down to brush his teeth, the issue has now vanished, in fact he went skiing last week.

Client C has a slipped disk and is comfortably deadlifting more than half her body weight after just 8 weeks. Strengthening the muscles around her spine will help to support it so it doesn’t bother her any more.

Our conclusion?

A strong back = a healthy back.

You heard it here first.