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If you feel that back pain is completely overwhelming your life, you are not alone. So many people live with debilitating, even crippling back pain everyday seemingly with no end in sight.

It is a daily ritual for them to reach into the medicine cabinet and pop a pill of their favorite over-the-counter pain reliever or doctor prescribed medication.

Despite the publicized health risks for taking these drugs on a continuous basis, back pain sufferers continue to swallow pills even if the relief only lasts temporarily and is miniscule at best. A cycle of doctor visits, pick-ups at the local pharmacy and popping pills becomes a way of life.

But does it have to be this way? Are we truly limited to just a bottle of medication with potential side effects and the one-sided advice from a doctor?

ABSOLUTELY AND POSITIVELY NO WAY!!!

AND YES...YOU AND YOU ALONE CAN DEFEAT YOUR OWN BACK PAIN!

First, you must understand that everyone for the most part has access to a huge arsenal of tools for combating, eliminating and managing back pain. But not everyone has the same degree and cause of back pain.

It is so important to find and effectively use the right set of tools for your own particular situation.

For example, too much rest or relaxation (a tool for getting rid of back pain) has the potential to be detrimental to your health if weak and underdeveloped muscles are the underlying cause of your back pain.

On the other hand, if you suffer a herniated disk from playing a sport, rest and relaxation may play a larger role in a quick recovery.

So essentially, effectively treating your back pain first depends on identifying the primary cause(s) or origin(s) of your back pain.

The better you are at identifying the cause of back pain for your own particular situation, the more specific and exact your arsenal of tools will become to effectively eliminate your back pain for good.

So after all that, you must identify the cause(s) of your back pain. Let's look at some common causes of back pain.

Common Causes Of Back Pain

-Poor Posture
-Injury (Sports, Car Accident, Fall, etc.)
-Poor Genetics Or Congenital Disorder (Scoliosis, Spinal Stenosis, Degenerative Disk, etc.)
-Using Improper Lifting Techniques
-Obesity
-Frail Bone Structure/Osteoporosis/Osteoarthritis
-Muscle Weakness/Imbalances
-Lack Of Exercise/Sedentary Lifestyle
-Poor Nutrition
-Stress/Anxiety
-Poor Sleep
-Performing A Repetitive Motion That Puts Strain On Your Back

Take a good long look at the list above. Just about everyone who suffers with back pain can relate to one or several if not all of these common causes of back pain. I, personally, can relate to every single one.

And it's ok to have several causes or identifiers of your back pain. The more you can discover, the more weapons you will have to effectively combat and eliminate your back pain for good.

Back pain is similar to a weed. You can't just mow over the top of it and hope you never see it again. You have to find the root of the weed or the root of the problem in order to effectively treat it.

How do you do this?

Well, you need to examine your own lifestyle. I would like you to ask yourself these questions to help determine your cause(s) of back pain:

Questions To Determine Cause Of Back Pain/Circle All 'Yes' Answers

1. Do I suffer from a congenital condition or was I born with a spinal condition?
2. Do I not pay attention to my posture either sitting or standing?
3. Do I not practice good posture either sitting or standing?
4. Have I suffered from a recent car accident or fall and subsequently experienced back pain not long after?
5. Do I do a lot of heavy lifting or bending over in my job or at home?
6. Do I perform an unnatural repetitive motion at work or at home?
7. Do I not practice safe lifting techniques?
8. Am I 20 pounds or more overweight?
9. Do I not eat enough fruits and vegetables?
10. Do I not drink enough water? 8-12 glasses per day?
11. Do I eat too many sweets and foods containing sugar?
12. Have I been diagnosed with osteoporosis or arthritis?
13. Do I lead a sedentary lifestyle? Am I a couch potato?
14. Am I under a lot of stress? Do I suffer with anxiety?
15. Do I have trouble sleeping?

Of course, these are just a handful of questions you could ask yourself to discover the root cause(s) of your back pain. Please circle the questions that have a 'Yes' next to them if you have not already.

Take a good look at the questions you circled. This method is not foolproof but it is a great way to see all the potential causes or root origins of your back pain. You should see the things you need to improve in order to help you live free of back pain.

Once you know or at least have some idea of the cause(s) of your back pain, then you can delve deeper into the plethora of ways to combat and eliminate it once and for all.