Back pain

Those of you who have never had an episode of acute back pain, tweaked his back, or those who do not have a daily annoyance at the level of the spine, that little constant pain that remains there all day and perhaps increases when let’s do some moves. Well, with this video we want to give you some information on the causes that trigger back pain. We also want to give you some simple advice to use in everyday life regarding habits or ways of moving to ensure that this discomfort, that this pain is not so strong, we will teach you some exercises to reduce symptoms or prevent the triggering of the symptoms themselves and we will also see some advice for buying the right shoe if you suffer from back pain.

But where does back pain primarily occur? It occurs in two areas: in the cervical part, the posterior part of the neck, and in the lumbar area, the lower back in the spine. Why is pain manifested? Pain arises due to the mechanical stress we have on the tissues, on the muscles and therefore also and above all on the cartilaginous part of the spine.
Why do we have this stress? Because the tissues and the bones are subjected to strong stresses and strong force loads, because probably our system is no longer in balance, our posture is no longer optimal and therefore there are deviations at the level of the spine that increase tensions muscles, but also the degenerating of the structures that, in particular the structures that give pain can be the muscles, but to a lesser extent in reality. What creates classic lumbar cervical pains are the degenerations of the intervertebral discs: these cartilaginous discs, which lie between a vertebral body and the other that had functions both to cushion but also to hold the back together. When a disk gets damaged it can happen that initially it is crushed, then it even breaks and the leakage of the material goes to compress a nerve. This is why back pain can also cause sciatica. These two are the two areas with the concavity facing back, that is, they curve backwards, here the weak movement for them is the forward pressure (flexing the head, and standing erect, flexing the back).

What are the factors that influence posture? Certainly it may be the holding of an incorrect position for a long time: think when we are working on the computer, or to repeat incorrect movements continuously, to lift a weight, but then there are the factors that influence it unconsciously because the posture, should not be forgotten, is an unconscious attitude. First of all the sight, we think of an eye that focuses differently from the other, not only that it sees less, it will tend to make the head rotate therefore to disturb all that is underneath, so also the hearing, an ear that feels less than the other will ensure that we always tend to turn the head towards the ear that hears more, but then to go down also the chewing, the stomatognathic apparatus, the dental occlusion and the lingual system with its connections deep with the neck.
But another factor that disturbs the posture are the scars, think of a scar, which is nothing more than a portion of skin in tension, so as not to feel that tension, even unconsciously, we tend to deviate. Other factors that affect heavily posture are the viscera and internal organs, tensions, bad digestion, even emotional tensions that accumulate in the stomach, on the liver, up to our foot. The foot, is very trivial, but it is the foundation of our support base body, any movement any instability of the foot inevitably has repercussions on everything on it. The most classic example but which gives a good idea of ​​the Pisa tower that hangs because the foundations, our foot, have collapsed on one side.

The foot is fundamental for the stability of the body that is above it. If our foot has some dysfunctions, mainly the collapse of the plantar arch or pronation and pressure, the foot collapses inwards, so happens to everything that is above it: the knee, the hip and the back is going to deviate. Now we recommend a very simple exercise to do at home as soon as you can, that can help you a lot to strengthen your feet. So, position yourself with a ball, a simple tennis ball, between the two heels, climb on tiptoe as much as you can and simultaneously tighten the ball trying to bring the heels together. While inhaling, go down and exhaling go up, you can do it from 8 to 10/12 times, as long as you can always rise to the maximum of your ability.

We leave you now some simple advice to adopt if you suffer from back pain, both cervical and lumbar. First of all, go to a professional, a doctor, a physiotherapist who takes care of the pain but not only from the symptom’s point of view but who also seeks the root cause of that problem, because remember that where there is the symptom there is never the cause, then do not forget to choose your shoes with care, especially if they are work shoes that you have to use for many hours a day. Choose shoes that do not have too much cushioning, not too soft because they must still support the foot, and that have a hindfoot that can house and hold the heel well, avoiding lateral deviations if your foot is unstable.
Greetings from Manuel Orsetti, graduate in physical education and barefoot trainer specialist, literally a foot trainer, an expert on the foot and its connection with the rest of the body. Consultant for the Happy Feet project, a project that has at heart the well-being of your feet, and therefore of your posture.