For people with chronic lumbar pains, lower or upper, the radiating discomfort can become crippling. Often times, what begins as an uncomfortable pinching feeling in the shoulders, neck or oblique region of the torso can develop into a searing pain that prevents a person from moving freely. The most common cause of such pains is compaction. Alleviating a compacted spine will release tension, free nerves from sensitive rubbing and ease the pain a person feels throughout the day. Instead of opting for surgery, any sufferer of lumbar pain should first try a back stretcher.

back stretcherSeveral models of back stretchers can be utilized to ease, or heal painful regions of the back. Static machines are simply arched planks or foam rollers designed to be laid on. A static machine can be placed on a solid surface like a massage table or the floor. The person can then lie on overtop of the machine with his or her face toward the ceiling. By simply relaxing the muscles in the neck back and torso, the machine will assist posture and enable the back to relax and stretch into a natural position. This low activity exercise is a good first step to healing back pain.

As the back becomes more limber and the person suffering from pain is able to regain motion, other back stretching devices can further correct posture issues to bring a long-term solution to back pain.

Inversion tables are designed to utilize gravity in aiding pain. The user simple straps his or her feet into the table and utilizes a simple push to tilt past horizontal. The table has a fulcrum that swings from head side up and can slide all the way to the upside down position. The user can slowly work up to the upside down position, ultimately stretching the lumbar region to full relief. These techniques may save a person a great deal of money on surgery and be utilized many times if back pain continues or reoccurs.