Did you know that 2 out of every 5 adults will experience back pain sometime in the next 12 months, and it costs the UK �6 billion each year in benefits, treatments and lost production? Years ago, the prescribed treatment for back pain was bed and lots of rest. These days the recommended treatment for back pain is to keep as active as possible - without overdoing things.
Experts now recognise that the increasingly sedentary lives that we lead contribute greatly to the back pain epidemic that is now being experienced in the western world.
An office worker can spend anything from 25 to 40 hours a week in a static position working at a computer. Travelling to and from work may involve long journeys sitting down with no room for movement. When we get home, it is far easier to sit and eat dinner and watch TV, spending the rest of the evening sprawled on the sofa, than it is to go out and get some exercise. The lowest region of the back - the lumbar region - is the most vulnerable area, and back pain often occurs here. This is because the lower part of the spine bears the entire weight of the upper body, and is flexed, twisted and bent more than any other part of the spine. It therefore, inevitably, suffers more wear and tear.
Strengthening you back muscles and keeping fit is important. The muscles of the back must be kept strong to support your structure. When these muscles go into spasm the most common form of back pain occurs.
If you want to keep your back healthy, it is important to keep it moving and to support it properly when you are not. Regular strengthening, mobility and flexibility exercises will minimise your potential as a sufferer and maximise your freedom of movement and keep you upright and pain free. Try to maintain a good posture by not slumping in your chair, hunching up over a desk or table or walking around with your shoulders hunched up. Instead, imagine there is an invisible cord from the top of your head to the ceiling lifting you into a tall, relaxed posture rather then a short, hunched one.
If you want to �stand up for yourself� look after your back!
FLEXERCISE addresses back strengthening in a positive manner designed to be suitable for all. The class combines principles from Fitness Pilates, Freestyle Fitness Yoga and Body Conditioning within a Modern Fitness format to give a holistic training programme.
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