Back pain, whether the more common lower back pain, or upper back and neck pain can be hugely debilitating.  Not only can it sap you of energy, it can make you irritable, emotional and in some cases cause depression if it has been ongoing for a long period of time.

The cause of back pain is very varied – here are a few reasons for it:

  • Injury – this might be sports related, the result of an injury at work or maybe whiplash
  • Joint or muscular pain
  • Sciatica
  • Lower back pain (once known as Lumbago)
  • Arthritis
  • Age related and general stiffness
  • Hypermobility
  • ME or post viral fatigue
  • Scoliosis of the spine
  • Post operative pain


Some of this pain can cause other problems:

  • Headaches
  • TMJ (jaw pain)
  • General weakness and fatigue
  • Lack of sleep
  • Poor breathing
  • Irritability
  • Stress
  • Depression


And in fact, we invariably end up in a vicious circle too – many people who have high to chronic levels of back pain don’t breathe properly and don’t sleep either.  The result is being over tired, not managing a lot of simple tasks and work, being off work and often having other stress related issues such as eczema, and low moods and in a lot of cases, depression.

Some people will be unlucky enough to be afflicted by painful conditions such as arthritis of the spine, prolapsed discs or inflammatory disorders of the joints. But even these can be dramatically improved with a few key changes to daily habits and a better understanding of what causes their back pain or what makes it worse.  

Chronic back pain as a result of an injury or weakness, or post-operative pain means often people are taking a lot of pills and literally rattle!  Wouldn’t it be lovely if some or all of those tablets could be removed from your daily routine and instead have an exercise and breathing routine that relieved you of some or all of your pain.

Nobody should have to live in that much pain and feel that much stress.  


Stress 


Stress causes us to tighten our muscles, hold our breaths (literally) or breathe too fast and erratically. 

This makes our muscles ache, compounded by lack of movement allowing toxins to build in them and irritate nerves.  This is where some lower back pain will start. 

Almost all feeling of lower back pain is due to soft tissue pain (muscles ligaments etc.) and not your bones or discs.  The brain quickly becomes sensitised to the pain and forms a habit of it. 

We get locked into the vicious cycle of high stress, miserable pain and poor sleep.

 

Breathing


Breathing...something we all take for granted and about which the Bakpro team are passionate. The trouble is, 60% of us don't do it properly and it has some serious ramifications.  In fact sitting there now you may be one of those people who sigh, yawn or catch your breath regularly.  If so then you are a bad breather.  You are not alone.

With chronic back pain, one’s breathing rate is short and shallow, often with extended periods of breath holding where we simply don't breathe at all.

Hyperventilation, as it is known, produces a whole myriad of symptoms but most relevantly to us all is muscle tension and pain in our tissues.

Getting our breathing under control and breathing through our diaphragms, not with our upper chests and neck muscles will vastly improve a lot of chronic pain.  If that sounds too simple, don’t ignore it, try it!  

Fear of pain which is very common when you have an on-going condition, can cause you to move badly, forget how to move and also makes you stop breathing properly...that too causes pain because your diaphragm is trapped and hunched and refers pain back to your back and neck.  The brain gets conditioned to remember pain so you need to help re-set it by moving differently.


Bakpro

Contained in one box is everything you need to treat the various areas of your back pain.  Devised by leading osteopath, Nick Potter, it has been formulated from his knowledge of clients back problems over 25 years of practice.

The three tools in the box release the painful muscular spots in your body physically, and the stretching and breathing training releases all of the internal tension within your body that develops from the mental and emotional stresses with which we all have to cope during the day particularly when we suffer from chronic back pain.

Our aim is to educate and guide you and most of all to give you back control of your body. This will allow you to understand how you can improve it.  The simple exercises will show you how to relieve pain, release movement, restore posture, balance and strength and most importantly feel better!

Your spine is a clever and beautiful thing...look after it and be as pain free as possible!

bakpro.com