I believe that there are few people who have never experienced back ache in our busy and stressful modern life. The majority of my clients complain of muscular problems, including lower and upper back ache, shoulder tension and neck restriction.

Why are you suffering with back pain?

This is the most common question I get from my clients – so I decided to blog about this topic for my first article!

Causes of Back Pain  

The most general cause of back pain is muscular strain. It can also be caused by postural imbalance (twisted pelvis, short-leg), herniated or slipped discs, recurrent emotional distress, and trauma or disease of the internal organs (particularly the heart, gall bladder, kidneys and stomach). PMT and coldness can also be causes.
So, first of all you need to know where your problem is coming from.
Have you ever experienced back injury, heart disease, kidney infection or any other specific problems you may think have caused your back pain?
If your issue is associated with structural impairment, for instance, I would recommend you to see an ostheopath or chiropractor. For anything else, I can refer you to another health care practitioner or an appropriate agency! 
If you’re not sure what’s causing your back complaint, it is more likely to be a result of overusing muscles.

Are you spending your days working at a computer?

Are you sitting at your desk, on a plane or even standing in the same position for extended periods of time?

Are you sleeping in the wrong position?

Are you over-reaching to pick things up?

Are you carrying heavy objects up stairs?

All these behaviours or habitual posture can cause muscular strain, making your back pain worse!

Self Massage at Home

Gentle stretching and a hot compress are commonly great ideas for relieving back pain. However, as a professional massage therapist, I would like to introduce you to a self-care massage technique that you can easily incorporate into your daily life to gain freedom from pain!

The most important thing is to find which muscles are giving you pain.

Lie on the floor and place a tennis or golf ball on the area of the muscle where you feel the most soreness.

Allow the body weight to compress the ball against your back for twenty to thirty seconds before starting to let go the tightness.

Breathe and relax and let gravity and the ball do the job of releasing the pain!

The pressure should be just enough to feel tightness. More than that isn’t necessary to get better results.

How are you feeling? Did it help ease your muscular pain? Let me know!