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ADVICE – Nine out of ten French people say they suffer from back pain. And more specifically low back pain, pain that is localized in the lower back. Two specialists take reflexes to prevent and eliminate them.
“The evil of the century”. This is what some doctors call back pain. 9 out of 10 French people say they suffer from it, according to a 2017 OpinionWay survey (1). The most common of these pains is low back pain, which refers to pain in the lower back. Francois Rannou, a rheumatologist and rehabilitation professor at Cochin Hospital, confirms this. “In France, it is the main cause of sick leave and accidents at work.” Certain reflexes can protect them and calm them down. We take into account.
Be active
In most cases, the cause of lower back pain is unknown, but there is a strong connection between a sedentary lifestyle and back pain, reports a rheumatologist. And for good reasons, besides weight gain, cardiovascular disease, or even obesity, inactivity rusts the body, including the back. To explain this, the doctor takes the example of a hand in a cast. “Six months without moving it, it will get stiffer and less toned, and then it will be harder to move it.”
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To maintain this body apparatus and avoid pain, it is necessary to stay active; in general and at the time of pain. “It’s also normal to feel pain when moving, it’s part of the process of returning to movement,” says physical therapist and back specialist Thierry Lannot. So we walk instead of using the car whenever possible, take the stairs instead of the elevator, wake up regularly during the workday, and so on.
Sports, effective treatment
It is not surprising that sports activities should be taken as regularly as possible for a simple reason: it prevents back pain and protects against new attacks. “Sports improve the healing of all structures in the back (tendons, cartilage, tendons),” explains Thierry Lannot. It also promotes better intervertebral disc health, reduces pain by providing an anti-inflammatory effect, and improves bone quality.
Which activity to choose? “To date, it is impossible to prove that one sport is better than another for the back,” assures Professor Francois Rannou. The important thing is to play a sport you enjoy while respecting the progression. Strengthening the muscles, for example with squats or core training, “allows you to stabilize and adjust the spine,” adds Francois Rannou. Traction avoids the recoil mechanism that causes loss of mobility.
Sports also promote better health of the intervertebral discs
Thierry Lannot, Physiotherapist
To relieve lower back pain, physiotherapist Thierry Lannot suggests special exercises called neurodynamics. Lying on your back with your knees bent, lift your chin toward the ceiling while keeping your back flat on the floor and tucking your butt. Then do the opposite movement by arching your lower back, bringing your chin to your chest. Switch the two positions. Exercise helps to open up the body after waking up.
Watch the exercise video.
Special exercises
To relax your back, kneel down facing a chair and rest your forearms on the seat. Arch your neck, looking up in front of you, deepen your back and lower your body, placing your butt on your heels. Then step back, arching the lower back, rounding the middle back and neck of the spine. The weight of the body is on the elbows, on the seat of the chair. Start again.
Watch the exercise video.
The last exercise helps relieve pain while sitting when you are in the office. In your chair, inhale and arch your lower back, tuck your chin and look at your navel. Then arch your back, bend over and look up at the ceiling. Repeat both movements. And tilt your head forward, then arch your lower back, lengthening your neck.
Watch the exercise video.
(1) Opinion Way survey for Vexim conducted via an online questionnaire on a sample of 1,009 French people representing the French population aged 18 and over.
Source: Le Figaro
