Back Pain
Back pain is a symptom that can arise from many causes. It can range from a dull, annoying ache to absolute agony. Many cases of back pain are caused by stresses on the muscles and ligaments that support the spine. Sedentary jobs and lifestyles may create a vulnerability to this type of stress or damage. Obesity, which increases both the weight on the spine and the pressure on the discs, is another factor. Strenuous sports such as football and gymnastics can also damage the back.BodyBridge
One way to alleviate back pain is to arch the body, as people and animals do when they stretch to relax. Lying backwards so that the front of the body is stretched will further relax the spine, with the additional benefit of freeing discs and vertebrae from the normal downward pull of gravity. As the body stretches backwards, abdominal muscles tighten and strengthen, and therefore help to take more of the load off the lower back.Arching the back reduces stress. Some studies have even suggested that this effect can reduce stress on the lower back by 50%. In the process it provides mild, passive exercise of the ligaments, tendons and musculature that surround the abdominal cavity. As a result it permits a better supply of blood to flow to all parts of the body, by utilizing the pull of gravity in different directions from those we experience in a normal upright position.