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Low back pain (LBP) has become one of the most serious public health problems, with lifetime prevalence as high as 84%. It can present in people with different levels of severity. For example, people who work and lead active lives, as well as people who are severely disabled or unable to work.

LBP is very common in working-age adults (particularly between the ages of 40 and 60 years); a UK survey reported in 1998 that 40% of adults had suffered from LBP lasting longer than 1 day in the previous 12 months. Treating all types of back pain costs the NHS more than £1000 million per year.

In the categories of low back pain, lumbar disc herniation is one of the most common spinal degenerative disorders. Lumbar disc disorder is not only the main cause of low back pain, but also of radicular leg pain. Nowadays, there are many office workers suffering from LBP. And this issue has become more and more annoying to these office workers. If your job is a sedentary working style, you may find you have similar problems as below description: 

• Stiff back in the morning or while standing up after prolonged sitting
  
  
• Unilateral or bilateral back pain
  
  
• Difficulty of bending forward or bending forward induce the symptoms
  
  
• Difficulty of lifting from the floor
  
  
• Leg pain or numbness (depending on the severity of the condition)

In the most cases of mild to moderate lumbar disc problem, you can have large benefit from doing the right exercises and movements and changing your harmful habits. If you can understand your situation well, the pill like aspirin or NSAIDs or the surgery will be not necessary. The surgery is only for those conditions are too severe to recover by movements or those who get no effects from conservative treatment. 

When to have a pill for pain control?

Aspirin or NSAIDs can only deal with acute pain of acute inflammation. Acute pain means it occurs all the time no matter what you do and no movement or position makes you feel better. But in the cases of mild to moderate lumbar disc problems, the situations can usually be controlled by movement prescription from a physiotherapist. Therefore, one of the situations you should take a pill at the first time is you are in an acute inflammatory condition.

The other situation is that you expect the work or activity will cause pain even worse and the work or activity is unavoidable. In this case, painkiller is for prevention from the pain makes you too uncomfortable to do you work.

When to keep doing the exercise and when to stop?

Not the all exercises are suitable for the people suffering from all kinds of low back pain. Because of the different cause of back pain, the treatment will be so different. For example, the movements and exercises for lumbar disc disorder are totally opposite to the case of spondylosis.

Therefore, you should know that the annoying feeling from back pain has to decrease after you do the right exercises. The right exercises have to be prescribed from a physician or a physiotherapist. If the symptoms are getting stronger, you should stop the exercises and screen what you have done to figure out which movement or activity is bad for your condition.

The acceptable situation is that you feel better in the next few movements. Sometimes you may feel tightness or rigid in the beginning. After few times practice, you can feel the muscles or the movements are getting smoother and more relaxed. But if you feel the movements makes you more and more uncomfortable, then you should stop right away. In this case, the movement may not suit you or you do in a wrong way.

What movement I can do to reduce the symptoms?

The principle of movement for disc problems is to squeeze the disc back to the right position. It is called the extension exercise, which means the movements involve backward bending.

The variations of extension exercise are in the following picture. You can try the first three exercises in the picture. Do the exercises for 10 repetitions for every set and 2 to 3 sets in a day. Remember to do the movements on a yoga mat. Sometimes the bed is too soft to stabilize your back. A mat is always the best choice for every mat exercise.

Once your lumbar disc is in a stable position, the next step is to enhance the strength of outer layer of the disc. Along the direction of outer layer of the disc, we can enhance the fiber and tissue by rotation movement. Open the arms and touch on the ground to stabilize your upper body and then rotate the lower body to one side for a few seconds and switch to another side. Repeat ten times for each side.

What adjustment I should do in my life?

Before your disc is stable and strong enough to tolerate to normal life, you have to change how you use your body. First, set a 40-minute alarm to stand up and walk around. Do not sit for over 40 minutes. Remember to stand up and walk around after 40-minute sitting.

This movement is able to bring your disc to normal position, not letting slouched position weaken your posterior tissue of the disc. Second, do not sit in a couch or on the ground for too long. Third, do not lift a heavy object from the floor. Ask your family or friend for help in your recovery phase of back disorder. Last, take a relax walk for 20-30 minutes is good for disc. There is a pumping effect for your disc in a slow and easy walk.

LBP results in many problems, including impaired quality of life, mobility and daily function; long-term morbidity; a higher risk of social exclusion through inability to work; reduced income; reliance on sickness benefits; and social isolation through disability.

The majority of the cause of back pain is from the small tear accumulating from the life-usage. The first aim is to change your life habits. And you should do some efforts to loose the tight tissue and strengthen the weak tissue and muscles through the rehabilitation exercises. All the hard working is in order to make your body more healthy. A better life quality is always based on a health body.

We aspire for better health for our readers, liberate them from their painful episodes, and empower them to pursue their goals and aspirations, and future endeavours pain-free.