It's been a busy weekend.
Yard work on Saturday and tennis on Sunday, now it's Monday and my back is killing me! How do I know if my back pain is serious? Most of us will experience back pain, it's the most common complaint among adults.
If you're like me one day you will wake up with a sore lower back.
It's hard to get out of bed, you can't bend over without discomfort and you worry that you have done some real damage, maybe a herniated disc.
But how do you know? Well here's some things you can do to determine if you really have a serious back condition and how to lessen the pain.
1.
First understand that most back discomfort comes from overusing weak muscles.
Most of us have desk jobs or jobs that require little physical activity as a result our back muscles are weaken.
Overusing these muscles will cause them to ache.
The good news is this is not serious and will go away.
Try an ice pack, rest and Tylenol and you should feel better.
2.
Try this test to see how serious your back problem is.
Lie on the floor or firm mattress, straighten one leg and raise it 90 degrees.
If you have pain radiating down your leg, call your doctor ASAP you could have a herniated disc.
Whether it's simply a sore back muscle or disc problem, relax most back conditions don't require surgery.
In fact only about 1% of people with an aching back require surgery.
For most of us rest, an ice pack an Tylenol will do the trick.
Once the pain is gone it's important to take steps to prevent the problem.
One system that has help thousands is called the Lose The Back.
This system was developed by The Healthy Back Institute.
They have created a program of exercises that corrects muscle imbalance and brings non surgical relief to back pain suffers.