By Deborah Neil
Back pain can be caused by many things. A common cause is a slipped disc. Your spine is composed of vertebrae, which are the bones and the disc that is supposed to act as a cushion between your bones.
The disc is made of connective tissue with fluid lubricating it. You could see the disc as a shock absorber. The disc protects the bones in your spine from rubbing together.
Sometimes the disc is not healthy and a sudden movement can cause it to "slip out". The disc, which is the cushion and soft portion has now slipped out. It can either slip a little where you have less of a cushion and a little pain, or it can slip out so badly that it hits a nerve and cuts of nerve flow. If it is this bad, it can cut off nerve flow to anywhere in your body causing numbness and tingling.
Discs become brittle over time. There is no proven cause, however, my theory is that we do not move enough and stretch enough, so the tissue does not get the movement it needs to stay lubricated. Think of an engine part drying out and losing oil. The parts would freeze up and become brittle. Soon, they would no longer move. They would also likely break because they are no longer soft, they dry out.
Your connective tissue is your tendons and ligaments, the cushion in your knee joint and the cushion between the bones in your back. All the bones are held together with connective tissue and the muscles are held to the bones with connective tissue. An irritation in this connective tissue that does not heal can become chronically inflamed and develop scar tissue.
There are solutions to pain and inflammation in your joints. Glucosamine sulfate is the best answer to joint problems. It is important to use Glucosamine SULFATE. There are various types of glucosamine. Glucosamine hydrochloride or HCL is cheaper than the sulfate type, so often it is used in supplements. If you have taken glucosamine before and did not get any benefit, perhaps it was the wrong type and you could try the right type to see if that helps.
Glucosamine has a natural anti-inflammatory action that can often be felt the same day you use it. Even if you do not feel it immediately, it is working to rebuild your connective tissue. Your body uses that as the raw material to build and repair tissue. If you take this long term, you will be far less likely to suffer joint issues. Your body can heal itself if you give it the right tools.
Tight muscles are another cause of back pain. When you sit still all day, the muscles are not stretched and they get tight and put pressure on the discs in your back and that puts pressure on the nerves. The best thing to do is to stretch. Bend over and touch your toes and move around a bit. You can be injured from just sitting still. In fact, it is easier to be injured from sitting still as your body was designed to be moved.
Sitting still at your desk all day can make your muscles tighten more each day. Eventually, they can be so tight that they compress the nerves and you get nerve inflammation and pain. There are herbs that relax the muscles such as corydalis. This is a popular Chinese herb for muscles spasms and cramps. Gentiana root is also popular. It is used as a natural anti-inflammatory. In Chinese medicine, it is considered to "clear heat". You could see heat as modern inflammation.
There is one caveat on glucosamine sulfate. It is usually derived from shellfish, so if you have an allergy to shellfish, please do not take it.
Deborah Neil has a Master's Degree in Oriental Medicine. Her goal is to educate people about Chinese Medicine. Chinese Medicine is the primary form of health care in China and has been used for thousands of years. It can be used to treat just about any ailment, because it treats the root cause, not the symptom.
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Article Source: EzineArticles.com
