Self Care for Low Back and Neck Pain

The whole body is interconnected. Neck and sacrum are related. If one is in pain, the other one is too, and vice versa. If one gets better, the other one gets better too. So, we can work on one to help another. This, of course, helps the whole body. Then we are happy! So let's see how we get there.

Very often, crawling on the floor on all fours will help eliminate low back ache and/or headache. If crawling doesn't help, then it is time to get more serious about helping yourself.

Just laying on the floor with knees up will make your lower back and neck relax. Then the body will be ready to be worked on and eventually stretched.

http://www.squidoo.com/psoas has some very good exercises. Check out the basic rolfing exercise http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ppTQWe8StXA, basic pelvic tilt - THIS IS IT! the one simple exercise that makes a huge difference.

This exercise is very similar to the one prescribed by Tomas Hanna in his book "Somatics". That book has some extremely simple yet very profound exercises that are extremely effective.

Doing this simple rolfing pelvic tilt will align the spine, relax the low back and make you completely relaxed. Do it before going to sleep for a profound sense of relaxation.

Then work the trigger points in the psoas, quad lamborum, back, and sacrum, etc. Trigger points are knots in the muscles. You know you found a trigger point if you feel tenderness when touching it. How do you find them? In quite predictable locations, like inside the hip lining, along the spine, etc. The best book is "The Trigger Point Therapy Workbook" by C. Davies.

Then, do the more elaborate psoas stretches in the links above.

You also need some quadratus lamborum stretches, so try:
http://www.stretchman.com/quadratus_lumborium.html

Then stretch again. Inner tights, calves, ribcage sides, all has to be stretched.

You will notice, after working with the abdomen and the pelvis, the neck will feel much better! It won't be as forward tilted, so the neck muscles do not have to work as hard. Your posture will be better, and you will feel like a million.

You will feel like new or almost new. If you do not feel 1000% better, then it is time to look further.

For the brave and adventuresome, look further. Some possibilities:

- A liver cleanse and/or deep colon clense might be needed. Check out angelfarms.com if you want a deep supervised 10-day cleanse, and for self help daily at home and simple kitchen cleanses read the book God Helps Those Who Help Themselves by Hanna Kroeger

- a nutritional change might be needed (e.g. quitting sugar, meat, wheat, foods that give you allergies, greasy foods, processed foods, GMO foods, ...). Common allergens: milk, wheat, peanuts, non-organic soy and corn (it's all GMO), etc. Try quitting one at a time for a week and see if you feel better. If you do - you know the answer!

- a change in lifestyle might be needed (e.g. do you drink enough water? do you need to quit alcohol or drugs? are you angry or bitter? do you meditate regularly?). This is a biggie and requires Inner Work and some deep digging. Most people leave this one alone :) Sometimes you can get away with it, for example continue drinking but quit meat. It might work - for a while. It is "buy now pay later strategy" and there is at least 19% interest on those types of deals....

- Another look at emotional issues (e.g. are you divorcing right now? no wonder your back would hurt...)

Remember, any pain is a sign of imbalance, which is always a call to observe and evaluate and change things for the better. Responding to this call always leads to better life. So, respond and have fun! Good luck!