This video will show you two simple movements that you can do to help re-balance your shoulder muscles.

Do these movements thoughtfully.  Take your time.  Try to make your circles perfectly.  Feel what is happening as you do these moves.

And pay attention to your arm, too.  These movements are like having a massage for your arms and shoulder muscles.

• Your abdomen is basically the “front of your back.”  Some of the muscles that attach to your spine are actually accessible through your soft abdomen by a trained massage or muscle therapist.  Sometimes the muscles in the “front of your back” are the ones that cause your lower back pain.
• When you do sit-ups, the movement removes the natural curve from your lower back; it makes it flatter.  The curve is good–it’s there for a reason.
• When you do sit-ups, it’s easy to strain your neck muscles.
• Sit-ups shorten your abdominal muscles.  Short muscles in front help flatten your lower back and take away your natural curve.  Short muscles in the front of your body make it harder to keep good posture.  Good posture helps prevent back pain.

What are some safer options?

• Suck in your abdomen.  That strengthens your muscles without aggravating any other part of your body.
• Do reverse crunches.  Rather than raising your head, reverse crunches curl your pubic bone toward your nose by using your abdominal or stomach muscles.  Your head never leaves the floor and nothing gets strained.

How do you do a reverse curl?

• Lay on your back, knees up.
• Move your knees so they are over your waist.
• Activate your stomach muscles (not your hips, legs or butt.)
• Contract (squeeze) your abdominals and bring your knees closer to your face.  Your tailbone will leave the floor but your head does not.

Remember the key to being pain-free is having muscular balance on all sides of your body.  If you have a strong back AND the front of your body is also strong–so all of the muscles are working in balance–you can get rid of your back pain.

Want to discover more about what happens when you have muscle imbalances?

Go to Back Pain Natural Relief. It’s a long page packed with information.  Scroll down and read all about it.  You will learn more about the importance of balancing your muscles and discover how to get  rid of your back pain naturally.

Would you tell me the cause was stress? Overwork? Old age? Arthritis? Or from your nerves or bones?

Would you be surprised if I told you that the cause was most likely…in most cases…muscles?

But not any old muscles.

Overstretched muscles cause most back pain, especially pain between the shoulder blades.

Pain between your shoulder blades and spine can be on both sides or just one side, depending on how you use your body. Some people only get pain on the dominant side, which means if they are right-handed, the right side of their back will hurt.

When our muscles are continually overstretched, like our back muscles are when we have “forward head” posture, they have to react. If they did not react, the muscles would tear and we would be unable to function.

So, instead of tearing, the muscles “splint” themselves.

They become taut and protect themselves from being damaged or ripping off the bone. (Although that can happen in extreme cases.)

When your muscles become taut (think of a rope being pulled from both ends that can’t relax because no one will let go) they become less able to function fully.

They also become crabby.

The overstretched muscles are working way too hard. They are not working the way they were designed to work. Muscles are supposed to help us move. They let us flex and bend and stretch.

Bones are supposed to support us. We are not supposed to use our muscles as bones.

You can stop your muscles from being overstretched!

You can get your muscles back to being the way they used to be, but it will take some time and effort and you’re the only one who can do it. Well, you could get some help to loosen up from a knowledgeable massage therapist, but basically you are in charge.

(The reason I said a knowledgeable massage therapist is because many of them only work where it hurts–your back, in this situation–and your back pain is the symptom, not the cause. He or she will also need to loosen the muscles in front of your body.)

• You need to eliminate your forward head or forward arm posture to stop overstretching your back muscles.
• You need to strengthen your back.
• You will have to practice lifting your shoulder blades and rolling them backward, so they will become more movable.
• Practice squeezing your shoulder blades toward your spine.
• Read the rest of the simple strengthening articles here.

The purpose of this article and this site is to help you become pain-free.  Find more help at http://www.SimplePainRelief.com and www.CarpalTunnelPainReliefNow.com

“Because You Deserve to Feel Better!”