What in the, ZAP! Well that sentence was not going to end well, it was better that I zapped myself with a pinch before the next few words spilled out of my mouth.
This is what I’m getting my brain and tongue twisted about – What’s good back pain?. Where in the north to south pole can I find the meaning to “good back pain”?
As astonishingly alarming are as those 3 words, it’s even more eye catching that they have a large meaning behind them. So much so, you might actually be thanking that you have a bad back by the time we’re done.
But don’t be so quick to give me your “HAHA moment” , Or even your “get out here” one just yet…
Back pain studies show that over 80% of the WORLDWIDE population will have back pain, especially lower back pain, at least once in their lives. And for every 1 in 3 woman, and 1 in 2 men, these are the ratios to having an ache or two sometime in their lifetime. Whoa!
I know, I know, but it’s just a stat. While back pain is never really a good companion, especially with disc, and spinal injuries, there are a few things that having a bad back can teach you. Today’s article is going to cover:
- What it means to have a bad back
- why its good to have a bad back
- What your outlook will look like
A Bad Back Is Meaningful, Get Out What You Put In
My intent is not to show you a few good tips and tricks to a bad back(at least as far as this article is concerned) but if you want to know about one off our most favorite articles on how to treat bad backs the right ways, go here.
Who you calling a bad back WILLIS? Do you ever hear people calling you names like “hey, that’s Mr. or Ms. bad back, or anything related? Heck No! We’re more civilized than that. And if they do, give them the cold shoulder because in a few seconds you’re about to have a “look at me now moment.”
OK, having a bad back is never fun, it can be the slightest ache or the larges chronic back pain, and the thought is never too far from the doctors pound. When I hear the words “bad back”, that is usually tied into something far more than an acute lower back pain. In fact, 9 times out of 10 it is.
What am I talking about? Two conditions:
- Constant aches and pains
- Chronic and Sciatica Pain
Yes, that’s right, there’s more than one. But that shouldn’t neither frighten you or have you shutting your monitor off because you meet either one or both of these conditions. Having a bad upper or lower back is not the end of the world, it just means that you haven’t found your true inner warrior yet.
Let’s break the two conditions down for constant aches and pains:
OOOH AHH, DANG IT! see how fast you read through these words, that’s how quick you can go from o to a 100…real quick. You don’t necessarily need to have a chronic lower back to have a bad back. And believe this or not – not everything is related to your spine.
- specific lower back pain: If you have specific lower back pain, that means you have a spine related diagnosis/injury.
- Non specific lower back pain: Pain not related to your spine, everything on the bottom trunk
- Hamstrings, thighs, buttocks, pelvis, hips
So why are these important to you? Think of it like this:
If you have non specific lower back pain, you can still have a bad back. And the reason for this is that for every weak muscle, joints, and wounded tissues that you have, your spine will take on all the pressure. It’s a WIN WIN scenario(oligopoly). It’s like trying to escape your family reunion but you just can’t.
Now let’s look at specific lower back pain. With this condition, you’ll meet the criteria of:
- damaged disc
- damaged vertebra
- thinning disc
- bulging disc
- herniated disc
- degenerative disc
- facet joint syndrome
- Spinal nerve damage
- arthritis of your joints
- rheumatoid arthritis
What About A good back? Is There A Thing?
Now, we’ll shift focus and get right into the famous cut of the meat. It’s time to understand what it means to have a good back. Keep in mind what we just talked about above, as it will relate in just a few moments.
If I asked you, to choose what it means to have a good back, from these two choices below, what would you select?
- specific pain
- non specific pain
Whether you got it right I’m not going to jump through my computer screen and give you a puzzled look, don’t worry. Did you guess #2? DING DING DING, we have a winner!
A good back can still mean you have chronic pain(which we will look at a little later), but it’s no where close to it. When we’re talking about have good back pain, we have to consider a couple more specific matters:
- Your diagnosis
- Your symptoms
Your diagnosis:
When I ask you about your diagnosis, your response should be something like, acute back pain, sub-acute back pain, arthritis, muscle spasms, or a tender tissue.
Your symptoms:
- not being able to exercise properly
- Mild throbbing pain
- constant aches
- stiff muscles and joints
- weak muscles
These are all common diagnosis and symptoms that are related to back pain that doesn’t exist in your spine, but where there is trouble, there’s a bunch of it’s buddies crowding together for fun.
The one problem that I ran across, and run across still with people I work with is that somehow, someway their spine is what hurts the most. Why is this?
Well, for two HUGE reasons:
- You haven’t conditioned your muscles
- You haven’t made a lifestyle change
Come in closer, I’m about to reveal to you some gold. The reason there is such a thing as good back pain is because it’s something you can change before it worsens.
Take a breathe and loosen up, there’s more to be happy about then concerned with. Having this type of pain teaches you many lessons. You get to see who you are, and it exposes your strengths and weakness.
Write a plan
What I want you to do is get a piece of paper and a pen, and from top to bottom we’re going to do some simple “thinking and inking”. From top to bottom, here is what I would like you to do step-by-step.
- Write were your pain point(s) are located
- Figure out your diagnoses
- Make a list of your symptoms
- Add what your day to day routine is like
- When does your pain come up
Here’s mine:
- My pain is located in my hip
- By checking myself and with my doctor I had sacroiliac joint pain
- Pain causes my hips to burn and tighten
- Morning: I sit for breakfast, and sit for an extra hour of driving in my car
- Afternoon: I sit in my office for hours at a time
- Evening: Resting on my couch watching my favorite T.V show
- Night: getting a late night snack and back to the T.V
5. My pain always comes from after sitting.
Believe it or not, this was me at one point. The old me was one bad twist and turn from the highway to…you know how that ends. And now, I have completely transformed myself, I’m happy to say.
This simple exercise Is very powerful because it well help you get ready to improve your back at any point in time. You could literally be anywhere at any time, and you’ll have the right plan of action to not only tackle the symptoms that rise but get rid of the root of the cause.
Inflammation:
Has anyone ever told you that inflammation is good for you? If that’s a whole other language, don’t worry, let me give you an “in this world” explanation.
Inflammation is your body’s response to any microbial, autoimmune, physical insists, or metabolic, and that includes but not limited to [physical trauma, and burns. Your white blood cells are the first respondents to sites of your infected or injured area. Think about when your back starts to feel pain, what’s happening is that your targeted area can possibly turn red and might get a little puffy.
That’s your inflammation at work, and your immune system comes into the picture to protect and fight off any viruses or bacteria that is there. It’s your savior in other terms. But when its it bad?
Imagine if you kept doing the same activities that caused you to gave back pain, you’re eventually going to get a constant pain that comes back day in and day out. You’re not giving your body enough time to rest(but not the sit back in your seat and relax type), the type where you’re not getting enough rest in between your workouts or hard day at work.
Your inflammation will not go down, and cause constant chronic inflammation.
What’s Your Future Telling You?
I wish I were a mind reader, or the fortune teller in a box giving you a promising and accurate info card, but the reality of it is, that having a good back pain can come with it’s do’s and don’ts.
What’s the action plan that we looked over and reviewed above worth if you don’t know how to treat it safely and as effectively as you can? Everyone will have a different back ache, and different level of back pain, but the goal never changes:
To Decrease The Pain and Eliminate It
So what do you need in order to make your plan work consistently on a day to day basis? The simple, a mentor. I’m here to give you the best and most up to date information from my own knowledge and years of back pain specializing. The right place to begin would be with a my treating a back pain article right here.