Back pain is so widespread, that most of us will most likely experience a disabling episode at some point during our lives. It is the “Eight Leading” reasons for a doctor visit. Even though back problems are extremely common, the established medical treatment is often limited to bed rest, painkillers, or major surgery.

That’s where Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) comes into play.  It focuses on preventative medicine, and Chinese Medicine practitioners have a vast knowledge of the warning signals of potential back pain. To have a healthy back means not only to be free of pain, but to live a life without worrying about it. Chinese Medicine offers several treatment modalities for back issues, including:  tui na (Chinese Bodywork), tai chi, qi gong, cupping, moxibustion, herb plasters, herb formulas and acupuncture.

Learn to Understand your Back from a Chinese Medical Perspective
To build a strong back, it is first necessary to understand the nature of the back. According to TCM, it is important to have strong kidney qi in order to have a strong back.   Chinese Medicine states that the kidney is the house of the lower back.  The kidney pathway starts at the sole of your foot and travels up the lower extremities and back along the spinal column to the chest.  One of the fundamental actions of kidney qi is to nourish all bodily processes, especially water metabolism.  Healthy kidney qi is essential to sexuality.  It is therefore important to safeguard the kidney qi. If it is wasted through over-activity or abuse – be it mentally, physically or sexually, the time will come when back problems will develop.

Here are three tips to to safeguard your kidney qi:

• Routinely soak your feet at night in hot water to nourish the source of kidney qi.

• Avoid hot curry and spicy food which, according to Chinese Medicine, burns up the liquid yin, which is needed for the maintenance of kidney qi.
• Breathing correctly is also essential to your back’s health.  Abdominal breathing stretches the diaphragm downward.  When you breathe this way you massage the internal organs and you’re able to draw more air in to the bottom of the lungs. Try this technique lying down and you will feel the abdominal pressure expand and promote circulation in your lower back.

Sitting a “Silent Killer” for Back Pain
The stress on your back is far greater in a sitting position than it is when you are standing.  Sitting for a prolonged period increases pressure on the inter-vertebral discs in your spinal column.  Normally, these discs help cushion and protect your vertebrae. TCM practitioners believe that pain is caused by stagnation.  Improving the circulation and increasing movement can minimize discomfort.  Therefore, it is helpful to get up and move around for a couple of minutes every half-hour or forty-five minutes. This is true for lower-back as well as upper-back and neck problems. For instance, if you work at a computer, a helpful strategy is to set a reminder, such as an egg timer or a stop watch –to tell when it is time to get up and move about. This is an effortless and simple way to minimize the pain of prolonged sitting.

Risk Factors to Consider
No exercise or too much exercise is also a major risk factor for back pain. My advice is to a do moderate amount of soft, slow, controlled exercises. While doing the exercises, listen to your body and focus on your alignment. When lifting, pay attention to improving your body’s mechanics. It's not that you shouldn't bend forward, but you should bend forward from the hips, as opposed to bending from within the spine itself. The thing to do is to lift with your legs. This way you rely on the strength of the large leg muscles instead of the delicate structure of the lumbar region.

Adjunctive Lifestyle Changes that Benefit Your Back
Smoking constricts the blood vessels and thereby decreases blood circulation. When nicotine and carbon monoxide levels in the blood increases, the muscles become deprived of normal oxygen levels.  Smoking therefore affects the normal function of back, as well as for a lot of other musculo-skeletal problems. Weight control is another factor to pay attention to.  Carrying less weight will relieve excess stress on the spine.

Practice Integrative Healthcare
There are many possible causes of back pain.   Each case must be evaluated on an individual basis.  The take home message is “Don’t limit yourself to only one treatment modality.”  It is crucial to find the right one to fit your case.  Talk to your healthcare provider to find your best combination of therapies.