Back Pain and Posture: The Mystery Continues
One of the commonly attributed causes of back pain increases our uncertainty instead of providing a definitive answer. Yes, hunching in your laptop and adopting a poor posture at school causes a lot of back pain, even in young boys and girls. But working on your stance sometimes won’t improve your symptoms, even if you had very bad postural habits in the past.
For example, buying a bracer or ergonomic shoes that align your back can be helpful. But don’t blame manufacturers and doctors if they don’t make a difference. There are scientific studies for and against their use. To date, it isn’t easy to make a final statement about which method is better. But impressively, the type of therapies that usually provide a more profound change are not very expensive. For example:
- Back School: It’s a group training method consisting of exercises and postural education. It effectively improves disability associated to back pain symptoms and may also recover the patient’s quality of life and mental wellbeing.
- McKenzie exercises: Includes a complete method of assessment and treatment. The recommended exercises are easy to perform, and most do not require your therapist’s assistance unless you have a severe problem.
- Feldenkrais methods: It is another alternative method that involves a series of exercises, but this time including mindfulness and self-awareness in the equation. What we want to do is help patients understand their condition, improve symptoms with exercises, and understand how the mind-body connection aggravates them.
- Pilates: Most of us are familiar with pilates because they are commonly used to strengthen core muscles and as a weight-loss and fitness aid. You may need resistance bands and other pieces of equipment, but the most essential part of these exercises is your own body weight.