Our spine is designed to to carry our bodies with grace. However, it is itself rather fragile. Its resilience depends on the health of the individual discs and the cartilage pads that have a gel-like centre which acts as shock absorber.
Obesity, sedentary lifestyles and stress continue to swell the ranks of back pain suffers. Hi-fi x-ray and MRI scans rarely diagnose the root cause of the problem.
I had suffered from back pain due to my long office hours. Then I suffered an injury and the pain increased. I had to alter my lifestyle to cope with the maddening pain that hampered my gait. It took me years to develop the right insight to the complexity of the problem. I learnt that it requires a cross-disciplinary approach.
Accurate assessment of one’s condition is the foremost requirement in this regard. We need to have a good idea of the weight distribution. Unfortunately, many physicians and physiotherapists treating people for back pain ignore this. Most humans are born flat-footed. It is through physical activity that we develop the foot arch. The activity also strengthens ligaments. Adults tend to change their gait on account of occupational factors or lifestyle choices. Many obese people, for example, develop a penguin walk.
Any person suffering from back pain will have developed either pronation or supination of the feet. Increased pressure on either side of the feet has a destabilizing effect on the spine. Check your most worn shoes and see which side is eroded. If the arch presses the ground, one is likely to develop knocking knees and narrow hips. If the pressure is on the outer sides of the feet, it indicates stiffness in the outer side of hips.
Back pain is one of the three most common fitness problems in the world
A changed gait directly impacts the joints in our spine. In both cases, the body weight is away from the natural balance. Many people faced with the problem rush to buy shoe support. The best remedy, however, is walking barefoot several times a day. The foot will naturally make the required adjustment and the body will be back in business. The old advice to walk barefoot on grass while it still has the early morning dew, makes so much sense.
The psychological underpinnings in relation to the anatomical defects also get disregarded rather often. If one suffers from a crippling back pain, the mechanical stress turns into a psychological one. A fear of mobility sets in, and leads to an altered lifestyle. The psychological impact of leading a life of disability, is nerve wrecking. A research published in early 2019 by Egyptian Rheumatology & Rehabilitation concluded that there is a neurological link between depression and chronic back pain. An annoying back pain builds up adrenal in the body and triggers release of cortisol. The accumulation of these toxins leads to a snowball effect. Adernal fatigue is linked to increase in belly fat and inflammation of lower back muscles. These factors cause further structural damage to the spine.
The good news is that the back pain can be managed and cured with a cross-disciplinary strategy. It needs to be addressed at physical, mental and nutritional level. Yoga must be explored to deal with the physical aspect. Yoga has a unique set of movements based on balance and counter balance flow. Most yoga postures are designed for the vitality of the spine resulting in improved posture and gait. These exercises must be learned under the guidance of a certified yoga teacher. Many people are learning to practice meditation and mindfulness that stimulate the release of feel-good endorphins and provide mental relaxation.
Lastly, one should establish a natural diet with lots of vitamin D, foods high in B12 and bone broth (good old yakhni). Above all, consistency carries long lasting wellbeing.
The author is a wellness and yoga expert