Back pain is the bane of all human existence, the complete shattering of hopes and dreams… This is how we all feel at one point or the other in life when our backs won’t be cooperative and choose to attack us with painful stabs and the ensuing endless moans of pain — talk about backstabbing!
Back pain could be a very disheartening condition that could prevent you from living your life the way you want to, I know this as I am a living testimony to the horrible things that comes with it — trust me, back pain does more than just inflicting your body with an unquenchable pain, it also makes you a total grump to be around and that could affect your relationships with family, friends and even your boss — uh oh, okay you might want to suck it up and act tough around your boss because you need money to buy more and MORE painkillers; and some prescription pills, yeah?
What is L4 & L5 disc degeneration?
“Simply put, degenerative disc disease refers to symptoms of back or neck pain caused by wear-and-tear on a spinal disc. In some cases, degenerative disc disease also causes weakness, numbness, and hot, shooting pains in the arms or legs (radicular pain). Degenerative disc disease typically consists of a low-level chronic pain with intermittent episodes of more severe pain.
Despite what the name suggests, degenerative disc disease is not a disease, but a condition in which natural, age-related wear-and-tear on a disc causes pain, instability, and other symptoms. This condition usually does not result in long-term disability, and most cases can be managed using non-surgical treatment methods.
Disc degeneration is a natural part of aging, and over time everybody will exhibit some changes in their discs. However, a degenerating disc does not always cause symptoms to develop. In fact, degenerative disc disease is quite variable in its nature and severity.”
~ excerpts from spine-health.com
What is Sciatica?
Sciatica is pain that occurs in the lower extremity of the body as a result of irritation of the sciatic nerve. This pain mostly occurs at the lower back and spreads to the thigh and down to the knee. The sciatic nerve is the biggest nerve in the human body with nerve roots that extend from the spinal cord, all the way to the buttock area, sending nerve endings down the lower limb.
If you still find this hard to understand, here are some broken down key facts about sciatica:
• It is basically nerve pain due to irritation of the sciatic nerve
• The sciatic nerve is the biggest nerve in the human body
• Sciatic pain occurs mostly around the lower back
• Treatments for the condition varies according to its underlying cause and pain intensity
Okay, now that we understand what sciatica is, let’s talk about the main issue at hand, which is “what is causing this pain and how do I fix it.”
According to information obtained from Medicine Net, “sciatica is most commonly a result of a lumbar disc herniation directly pressing on the nerve, any cause of irritation or inflammation of the sciatic nerve can produce the symptoms of sciatica” wow! sounds serious doesn’t it?
Well, it is serious and you should not take this lightly, as I am all too aware of how annoying it is to deal with back pain as a result of sciatic irritation.
So to put simply, that burning sensation, numbness and sharp pain you feel in your back, thigh, hip or even leg, is a result of the sciatic nerve being inflamed or tampered with in an unhealthy way and while the cure for sciatica/ back pain could seem farfetched, one thing I could for certain tell you is that bed rest is NOT A CURE for back pain!!!
There are so many myths and lies that surround back pain and sciatica when it comes to finding a cure. People continue to push the need for bed rest for the treatment of sciatica/ back pain, but is it truly effective?
Well, according to the National Institute of Health;
“Strong evidence shows that persons who continue their activities without bed rest following onset of low back pain appeared to have better back flexibility than those who rested in bed for a week. Other studies suggest that bed rest alone may make back pain worse and can lead to secondary complications such as depression, decreased muscle tone, and blood clots in the legs.”
So what exactly can you do to cure sciatica/back pain?
Medications and physical therapy seems to be a plausible solution, doesn’t it? Well, it is a good option to consider, however, how much pills are you willing to rely on and for how long do you want to be drugged up with the exhausting side effects of constant drug intake?Or how willing are you to take the risk of going under the knife to relieve your back pain? Surgery might not be the answer!
This is why I dedicated a good portion of time into researching a cure that is permanent for back pain due to sciatica, I call it the BACK TO ACTION system — a series of tested exercises that will completely eliminate back pain and give you full control of your life without any form of pain anymore. After doing the simple stretches for a few weeks, I have not had any disc issues in over 9 months now. These do work.
What Kind of stretches can I do?
Getting proper exercise is one of the best things you can do. Even going for a 20 min daily walk can make a world of difference after some time. Below are some of the best stretches you can do to alleviate some of your lower L4 & L5 back pain:
• Classic knee-to-chest
• Cobra pose
• Cat pose
• Prone Bridge (plank)
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