4 Ways To Soothe Your Own Sciatica Without Drugs

From thealternativedaily.com

If you have pain, weakness, numbness or a tingling sensation that begins in your lower back, runs through the buttock and all the way down the back of one leg, you could have sciatica. Sciatica is caused by a pinched nerve in the lower back. Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) may relieve pain, temporarily. But they often come with unwanted and potentially dangerous side effects. Here are four ways to help relieve pain and even prevent or minimize future sciatica pain and dysfunction.

1. Stretching out the pain
A study published in the Journal of Neurosurgery: Spine suggests that over five percent of the adult population in the U.S. suffers from sciatica. Moreover, a person has a 40 percent likelihood of experiencing sciatica over his or her life. These two simple stretches are helpful for reducing the inflammation as well as relieving the pain.
Note: stretching the muscle too aggressively may provoke sciatic pain. So, it’s important to proceed carefully.
1. Lie down on the floor and bend the knee of the aching leg. Next, cup your hands under the knee and pull it slightly towards the shoulder in a gentle stretch. Remain in the position for about 30 seconds. Finally, straighten your legs and take a short break. Repeat the same exercise two times.
2. Still lying on the floor in a supine position, bend both knees keeping your buttocks on the floor. Then, cross the legs (sore leg over healthy leg). Cup your hands under the healthy leg and pull the knees gently. Stay in this position for about 30 seconds. Then release your legs and return to the starting position. Repeat two times.

2. Try yoga for pain relief

Lengthening the spine with yoga not only helps develop good posture but also helps reduce stiffness, inflammation and pain. Studies suggest that yoga is safe and beneficial for people with sciatica. For instance, if your sciatica is the result of a herniated disk, gentle poses that progress to standing poses and the downward-facing dog position will lengthen and strengthen your lower back, and help keep it aligned.
In fact, according to Yoga International, yoga can even help you manage pain and reduce the problems often associated with a herniated disk. Here’s how to try it: 

• Prep for the seated spinal twist: Sit on a folded blanket or yoga mat with your knees bent and your feet planted on the floor in front of you. Now place your right foot under your left knee, pointing forward. Steady yourself by holding your left knee with your hands. Inhale and lengthen upward through your spine. If the stretch is too much for you or if you feel pain down your leg, add a little more padding under your hips. Remain in this pose about two minutes. Repeat on the other side. Complete four sets.
• Simple seated twist: Remaining in the seated position, with the right foot under left knee, turn toward the upright knee. To help your upper body turn fully, place your left hand on the floor behind you and continue holding your left knee with your right hand. Now, inhale to lift, lengthen and expand. Keep your chest lifted and the natural inward curve in your lower back. As you exhale, twist without rounding your back. Keep your hand on your left knee to gently draw that knee toward your chest. Relax your inner thigh and groin muscle, allowing it to soften downward toward the sit bone.
• Easier and milder standing twist: This twist is perfect for anyone who struggles to lower themselves into a sitting position and raise themselves from the floor. It’s also a milder version of the seated twist. Place a chair against the wall. To stretch your right hip, stand with your right side next to the wall and place your right foot on the chair. Keep your knee bent and your standing leg straight. You can steady your balance by placing your right hand on the wall. Lift your left heel up, and stand on the ball of your foot. Now turn your body toward the wall. Exhale, lowering your left heel to the floor. Maintain the twist and hold for several breaths.

3. Acupuncture for relief
Acupuncture, used in traditional Chinese medicine, achieves or maintains better health by opening the body’s natural flow of energy. Tiny, pain-free needles are used to target specific pathways in the body. Acupuncture can provide relief from sciatica pain without adverse side effects. Studies show that acupuncture stimulates the production of endorphins — the body’s own natural painkillers — creating balance, pain relief and support for the body’s natural healing process.

4. Apply heat or ice
For acute pain, applying heat or ice packs can help alleviate the leg pain, especially in the initial phase, suggests Spine Health. Apply heat or ice for about 20 minutes, and repeat every two hours. Most people ice first, but some find better relief with heat. However, the two may be alternated. Use a cloth or towel when applying the ice to prevent ice burn.
The number one reasons you’re experiencing sciatic nerve pain is because of inflammation or a herniated disk. Before reaching for NSAIDs, talk to your doctor about incorporating some gentle stretches or yoga into your daily routine. You may find that it not only relieves the pain but also prevents your sciatica from returning.

https://www.thealternativedaily.com/4-ways-to-cure-your-own-sciatica/

From fat to fit: Sedentary with sciatica, it’s time for a fitness fix

By Kevin Hackett

Middle age: it can be a real pain in the back. I’m 46 years old and more than likely beyond the halfway point in my existence on this planet, so I think “middle-aged” is an accurate description of where I’m at. And over the past couple of years, I have at times become practically crippled by aches and pains that I’ve never experienced before.
This is fairly typical of men my age who lead sedentary lives. I spend nine hours a day in an office sat at my desk, with a further two hours (minimum) sat in my car, five days a week. Spread out over the course of a year, that equates to roughly 108 24-hour days spent exercising little more than my brain and my fingers. No wonder, then, that my body has finally decided to protest.
I’ve never really “struggled” with my weight, because that would imply some kind of effort, and my personal preference is to take the path of least resistance. Exercise? I have a bicycle that needs to be exhumed from its position on my balcony, where it resides under more dust than encountered by archaeologists on a mummy hunt. I walk, usually from the car to the lifts that take me to either my workplace or home, and when the weather is good enough I’ll take a stroll around Dubai Marina on the weekends. And it’s only a mild exaggeration to say that I’d rather self-immolate than go to the gym.
But that’s precisely what I need to do if I am to relieve myself of the back problems that have caused me so much misery. I’ve had sciatica so painful it’s made me weep, and a recent bulging disc caused not only searing pain but also complete numbness of my left foot. Treating the symptoms with anti-inflammatory and muscle relaxant medicines did work, to some extent, and eventually those issues have righted themselves. But prevention is always better than cure.
Quite apart from the physical effects of ageing and my sedentary existence thus far, a number of things in my life have started to make me wish I was in better shape. I have two sons, one of whom has just turned two years old and is a bundle of boundless energy. I feel I should be able to share in his penchant for running and climbing everywhere without feeling like I’ve just done a few rounds with Floyd Mayweather. I’d also like to still be around to see him graduate, perhaps get married and start a family of his own.
My reluctance to disrobe at the beach for fear of upsetting onlookers was obviously not enough to stimulate me into action, but perhaps an increasing awareness of my own mortality will be. My father has repeatedly told me that I’ve entered the “heart attack years” and he’s absolutely right, of course. Far too often I read about people my age keeling over and dying, unaware they had heart disease or some other chronic illness that might have been prevented, had they just looked after themselves a little bit better.
Never let it be said that I don’t suffer for my art. I know that in order to be able to speak and write with any authority on how to improve my own health and that of anyone who will listen, I need to grit my teeth and arrange some training with a coach who specialises in getting people like me from fat to fit. I also know that I’m weak-willed and that the only way I’ll have the discipline to haul myself to the gym three times a week is if I am expected to journal the process. Over the next eight weeks I’ll be charting my progress, looking at the things that people my age should and shouldn’t be doing as they try to get fit.
Iconic Fitness in Dubai Marina has started a programme called the Lower Back Fix (LBF), which looks exactly like the kind of action I need to take, so I meet Iconic’s co-founder and head coach Andy Harper, to go through what is involved. I explain my issues to him and he says that what I am experiencing is actually very common.
“It’s exactly why we set up this programme,” he says. “I’ve suffered debilitating back pain myself in the past, but I know that through training you can get long-term relief. Think about the lives most of us here lead – even driving our cars can cause lower back problems because they’re all automatics, meaning our left legs are never used, so our bodies become unbalanced, with some muscle groups never doing any work. Little things like that can mount up and the result is that we end up enduring pain that most people just assume they’re going to have to deal with for the rest of their lives.”
What he’s saying makes a lot of sense and, while I’ve not injured my back like many of Iconic’s LBF clients, the rehabilitation sounds like something even I could do. “What do you really want to achieve?” he asks. I think about my response for a few seconds, and say: “I’d love to enjoy exercise. I want to feel motivated to get to the gym and to work out without automatically searching for excuses as to why I can’t.”
He laughs and promises me that the coach he’s going to assign me will change my thinking. I don’t think he knows just how much I loathe physical exertion, but I do hope he’s right.

https://www.thenational.ae/lifestyle/wellbeing/from-fat-to-fit-sedentary-with-sciatica-it-s-time-for-a-fitness-fix-1.691796

5 Things To Know If You're Experiencing Pain Or Numbness In Your Buttcheeks

From womenshealthmag.com

Ever sat on a chair or the toilet for a while and felt your whole leg go numb?
Then you have some indication of what people with sciatica are dealing with—only in the case of sciatica patients, the tingly, painful feeling in their butt or leg is unlikely to go away after they’ve walked away from their seat. Those who deal with sciatica on an acute or persistent basis are in good company: Sciatica nerve pain is thought to affect as many as 40 percent of people at some point in their lives, according to data from Harvard Medical School.
Even though sciatica is incredibly common, it’s also very misunderstood. There are a lot of misconceptions about sciatica, which range from what it is in the first place to exactly how it affects the body and whether or not it can be treated. “It almost goes without fail—people don’t realize that sciatica is a symptom,” says Rolland Nemirovsky, a chiropractic sports physician at Manhattan Sports Therapy. Instead, most people believe it’s a medical condition unto itself.
In reality, sciatica is a symptom of a number of different potential conditions. (More on that below.) It consists of pain that radiates along the sciatic nerve, which starts in the lower back and runs down through both legs into the buttock, thigh, calf, and foot. “When the nerve gets irritated or hurt, it can produce any number of symptoms,” says Keith Overland, a chiropractor and spokesperson for the American Chiropractic Association. “Those symptoms are what’s called sciatica. So when you have pain radiating down your leg from your back, it’s caused by something else. It’s not an inherent injury all by itself.”

So let’s clear a few things up. Whether you’ve been dealing with sciatica for a while or you’re just learning about it, here are five things you may not know about that pain in your butt:

1

Sciatica nerve pain can occur in many places

The sciatic nerve is the longest nerve in the body, says Nemirovsky, and pain can occur anywhere along it. This helps explain why sciatica can have such potentially far-reaching effects.
“What makes [sciatica] confusing is… it can be in the lower back only, radiating out just a couple of inches. It can radiate into the buttock and stop. It can go down to the knee and stop. It can go into the calf and stop. Or it can go all the way into the foot,” says Overland.

2

Sciatica can manifest in a wide variety of ways

Not only can sciatica crop up in a wide range of body parts, but it can also present as different sensations. “It can cause numbness for some people, muscular weakness for some people, and it causes pain for most people,” says Overland. “It’s almost one of those catch-all terms.”
No matter how it manifests, there’s no question sciatica can interfere with your daily life. “When you have sciatic symptoms… it could feel very debilitating,” says Nemirovsky. “It can affect how you feel, how you sleep, and your mood.”

3

Anyone can experience sciatica

“I have patients who are… out of shape and have these symptoms; I have patients who are IronMan and IronWoman athletes and they have these symptoms,” says Nemirovsky. “A lot of times it can just happen to anybody.”
Overland concurs. “[It’s a] myth that sciatica has to come from a trauma like an accident or herniated disc,” he says. “I have patients who come in with sciatica just because they’re not sitting properly at their desk for eight hours or their car seat is in an improper position.” Sciatica can also arise because of an injury, repetitive stress (for example, from sports such as tennis or golf), a herniated disc, or a variety of other causes.
Overland says that rarer but possible causes of sciatica include stenosis (or narrowing) of the lower back, arthritis of the lower back, spinal tumors, or simple anatomy. “In about 15 percent of the population, the sciatic nerve actually travels through the middle of the piriformis muscle in the buttock,” says Overland. “When that muscle gets tight and stiff and achy, it can press on the sciatic nerve and cause pain down the leg.”

4

When seeking medical attention for sciatica, it’s best to look for a musculoskeletal specialist

If you’ve experienced sciatica for more than three days or it’s severe enough that it’s interfering with your daily activities, Overland says it’s time to seek out a professional. Because sciatica can stem from so many different issues, he says, “It’s really important for people… to determine what it really is that’s causing the problem.”
In order to do that, Overland recommends consulting a medical professional who specializes in back and musculoskeletal conditions, such as a chiropractor, physical therapist, or orthopedist. “Urgent care docs or general practitioners… won’t necessarily have the tools within their office to do a detailed diagnostic evaluation,”’ he says.
Those evaluations might include a simple orthopedic and neurological assessment or more complex diagnostic tools such as X-rays, MRIs, or EMGs. “The severity (and in some cases the length of time that someone has had the condition) will determine how detailed the examinations are required to be,” says Overland.

5

Treatments for sciatica can vary widely.

Treatments for sciatica can range from very simple, natural approaches (such as physical therapy or a few visits to a chiropractor) to more aggressive measures such as injections or surgery, says Overland. Both Overland and Nemirovsky advocate for trying out the most conservative treatments first.
Overland especially cautions against using painkillers as a quick fix. “Too many of us want instant relief and health care from a bottle,” he says. “[But] taking really strong medication doesn’t fix it if there’s a mechanical cause. It just covers it up. So you go on with your life, but you’re not actually addressing the problem. And it becomes chronic.”
No matter the treatment approach, recovery times can vary widely. “It depends on the pathology,” says Nemirovsky. For example, sciatica resulting from a slipped disc might require a three-month treatment period (give or take), while simpler biomechanical issues might be relieved within a few physical therapy appointments. “It depends on how deteriorated or dysfunctional the patient presents at the time of their initial visit,” he says.
Many people believe that once you develop sciatica, it’s something you just have to live with. Luckily, that’s a big fat myth.
“There are people who… believe that once you have sciatica, it’s going to be there for the rest of your life,” says Overland. “That is simply not true… Oftentimes the reason people will experience sciatica for a long period is because they maybe have not been accurately diagnosed as to the cause of it. It’s really unusual that we would find a person that would have to live it.”

https://www.womenshealthmag.com/health/sciatica-nerve-pain

How to Prevent Sciatica

From thejoint.com

The sciatic nerve is the largest nerve in your body and when something is going wrong with it, you will definitely know. This nerve runs from your back, through your pelvis, across your buttocks, and then down both legs all the way to your toes. If it’s irritated or compressed, then you may experience numbness if your feet, toes, or lower leg and/or pain. Coughing, sneezing, and sitting for long stretches of time can make it even worse. Here’s what you need to know about how to battle sciatica and avoid it!

The Proper Technique
Just as your chiropractor has techniques for treating sciatica, there are also techniques for things you should be doing to prevent sciatica when you’re at home or work. Remember that regular exercise and stretching will also help, along with sitting and lifting properly.

How to Sit
If you spend a lot of your day sitting and your sciatic nerve is starting to protest, then you must remember to sit the right way. You should:

• Sit with your shoulders back - Your spine should be straight and your butt should touch the back of the chair.
• Use lumbar support – There are three curves in your back, support them with the chair back. Use a rolled up towel or pillow at your lower back to help maintain all three curves.
• Distribute weight evenly – Your body weight should be even over your hips, not leaning to one side.
• Bend the knees – The knees should be at a right angle and slightly higher than your hips, with your feet flat on the floor.
• Move around – Every 30 minutes or so, you should get up and stretch a bit.
• Adjust the chair height – Your elbows should rest comfortably on your desk or chair, enabling you to keep your shoulders relaxed. If not, adjust your chair height.

When Lifting
When you lift something, you need to follow these rules to keep your sciatic nerve happy:

• Know your limits – If something is too heavy, and then get help.
• Get a firm footing – When you lift something, make sure your feet are on an even surface.
• Stay straight – Your back must be kept straight as you bend to pick something up at the waist, never bend forward.
• Stay close – Keep close to the object you’re picking up and keep your feet flat. Use the power of your legs and hips to lift, not the back.
• Don’t twist – Pivot when carrying something, never twist your waist.

If you ever notice you have problems with your sciatic nerve, make sure to bring it to the attention of your chiropractor. They can help you understand what you can do outside of their office to help reduce your discomfort and stay healthy!

https://www.thejoint.com/texas/spring/gleannloch-farms-28041/227901-how-to-prevent-sciatica

Excruciating Leg Pain? How to Relieve Your Sciatica

From clevelandclinic.org

A pinched nerve can have big consequences when it’s the longest, widest nerve in your body. That’s why compression of your sciatic nerve — sciatica — is such a challenge.
“Most people describe sciatica as pain radiating down one leg, especially below the knee,” says Santhosh Thomas, DO, MBA, Medical Director of the Centre for Spine Health.
“In more severe cases, numbness and/or weakness can develop in the any part of the leg, including the hip, thigh, knee or ankle.”
Common causes of sciatica include a herniated disk, lumbar spine stenosis and spondylolisthesis.

Why sciatica develops

Your sciatic nerve starts out as small nerves that branch out from both sides of the lower spinal cord. These join together, then quickly split in two to run down (and bring movement and sensation to) each hip, buttock and leg.
Compression at any point along the nerve causes symptoms, usually on the affected side. Burning or shooting pains make walking, sitting and standing up — or even coughing and sneezing — difficult.
Sciatica usually lasts for a couple of weeks, but may persist for a couple of months or even longer.
The good news? “Nearly 90 percent of sciatica patients do not require surgery. Most people simply need time, medication and physical therapy,” says Dr. Thomas.

How sciatica is diagnosed

Doctors start with a physical exam but also order imaging tests. X-rays can show bony detail. MRIs can reveal a bulging disk, cyst, or spine opening narrowed by arthritis.
Electromyography (EMG) can isolate the nerve involved. “It can tell us if an injury is new or old, and whether it is mild, moderate or severe,” he says.
The two-part test reveals which level of the spine is involved and whether a problem like foot drop is caused by a peripheral or a spinal nerve.

Conservative care

Conservative care should be tried first, Dr. Thomas says. Physical therapy is helpful to improve body mechanics, especially with progressive arthritis of the spine.
If conservative care doesn’t help, “we would consider spinal injections. Once the nerve root or the source is identified, we can proceed. We typically use anaesthetic and steroids for injections,” he explains.

Red flags for surgery

Surgery is a usually a last resort, but bowel or bladder problems signal the need for aggressive treatment.
“We also consider surgery if pain worsens, if weakness becomes noticeable, if you’re falling or if you can’t clear your foot (in other words, catch your toe on sidewalk),” says Dr. Thomas. “Don’t wait to seek help.”
Getting care for sciatica can ease your pain and help you regain your mobility.

https://health.clevelandclinic.org/2017/10/excruciating-leg-pain-how-to-relieve-your-sciatica/

A day in the life - work and sciatica

From community.scope.org.uk

Today we start a new theme about work, from finding work to the experiences in work.  George tells us about a day in his life working with the pain of sciatica.
I left school with no qualifications, and worked in warehousing up until 2003 when I had to pack in due to Sciatica which I still suffer from. My introduction to housing was through my local TMO where I have served as Secretary and Chair for about 6 years. During this period, I was involved in developing policies, improving the organisation’s communication, and steadily improving its image and satisfaction rates. I joined my current employer as a trainee for two years, before getting a full-time job with them as a Section 20 assistant and last year after restructuring became a Service Charge and Section 20 Assistant.
My day starts early, 6 am when I wake up feeling stiff and in pain. I spend between an hour and two hours stretching and trying to loosen up. A shower and getting ready to go to work.
My morning is spent checking the team email and allocating them to team members, responding to inquiries from the sale team as well as my own emails. I also deal with any mail coming to the team. I will also answer calls to the team phone line.

There are ten people in the team and the regional manager. Six of us have disabilities or long-term medical conditions. Different members have different hours, from the standard hours, two of us start later and finish later. Most of the team are on compressed hours, working longer hours for four days and having an extra day off. We are also fortunate enough to have flexible working, so the option of working from home or another office is not uncommon. So the team calendar and individual calendars are key to keep track of where people are.
When these tasks have been completed I like to take my lunch break, usually between 12 and 1 pm.
My afternoons tend to vary from day to day depending on the time of year and what is going on in the rest of the team. My first task is to check my to-do list and calendar and deal with anything outstanding. Afterward, I am either helping one of the officers or working on one of the ongoing projects. Assisting officers can be anything from setting up mail merges, filling envelopes to acknowledging we have received leaseholders’ letters or emails, scanning, and putting documents onto the computer.
Otherwise I am helping to gather information and preparing spreadsheets for the service charge actuals or estimates. While I have a good general knowledge I often lack the confidence in myself, and so this route allows me to gain more in-depth knowledge and confidence in myself. Over the last year, I am answering more complicated questions rather than just passing the caller onto one of the officers.
The hardest part of the job is reading and understanding leases, not always the best-written documents often with conflicting information and, as a legal document, often written in a legal language that can be complicated or have a specific meaning, not in common use.

My day ends when I get home and lie down. It often feels like I have a golf ball underneath me and can feel the muscles relaxing. I often hear a click which is usually uncomfortable, but on the odd occasion can be painful.
Between my voluntary and paid work, I love working in housing. I am living the life I want and hopefully at the beginning of my career.
If you’re disabled or have a physical or mental health condition that makes it hard for you to do your job, you can:

• talk to your employer about changes they must make in your workplace
• apply for Access to Work if you need extra help

Your employer must make certain changes (known as ‘reasonable adjustments’) to make sure you’re not substantially disadvantaged when doing your job. These could include changing your working hours or providing equipment to help you do your job.
You should talk to your employer about reasonable adjustments before you apply for Access to Work.
If the help you need at work isn’t covered by your employer making reasonable adjustments, you may be able to get help from Access to Work.

You need to have a paid job, or be about to start or return to one.

You’ll be offered support based on your needs, which may include a grant to help cover the costs of practical support in the workplace.

An Access to Work grant can pay for:

• special equipment, adaptations or support worker services to help you do things like answer the phone or go to meetings
• help getting to and from work

You might not get a grant if you already get certain benefits. The money doesn’t have to be paid back and won’t affect your other benefits.
You can find out more about work and disability here.

https://community.scope.org.uk/discussion/36206/a-day-in-the-life-work-and-sciatica

Gentle exercise can help with recovery from back pain

From dailyherald.com

Q: I have just been diagnosed with a herniated disc and pressure on the sciatic nerve in my lower spine. Currently, I participate in yoga, weights and machines at the gym, and I walk for most of my errands. Am I helping or hurting my recovery with these activities?

A: First, let's take a look at your spine. The bones of the spine are called vertebrae; in between those are intervertebral discs. The discs help hold the vertebrae together, but also act like shock absorbers when you jump, run, walk or lift.

The outside portion of a disc is essentially a ring of strong, cartilage-like material. Within this ring is a gel-like material called the nucleus pulposus, which also helps absorb shock.

When a disc herniates, the gel-like nucleus pulposus bulges through the cartilage-like layer of the disc. The problem with disc herniation is that the bulge pushes upon the nerves coming out of the spine. In the lumbar spine, this can lead to nerve pain that radiates down the leg. This is termed radiculopathy, which is what you seem to be describing.

The pain of lumbar radiculopathy can be debilitating, leading to time off work, inability to exercise and poor sleep. The encouraging fact is that the majority of people with lumbar radiculopathy recover fully.

As for exercise, the amount should depend on the activity and whether the activity increases the pain.

A 1999 study in the New England Journal of Medicine looked at 183 patients with symptoms of lumbar radiculopathy, separating the groups into those with bed rest and those who maintained their daily activities. The authors found that there was no difference in symptoms between the groups at either two or 12 weeks.

Similarly, a 2002 Journal of Neurosurgery study of 250 patients with symptoms of radiculopathy failed to find any difference at one, two or six months between those who underwent bed rest versus those who maintained their daily activities.

Nor did a 2004 combined review of 11 studies find any benefit to bed rest in those with lumbar radiculopathy. In fact, among people with lower back pain, maintaining activity showed greater benefit than bed rest.

As for yoga, I would consider a class that focuses on breathing and gentle stretching rather than intense stretching. If done properly, yoga can help improve posture, decrease muscle tightness and reduce pain. However, the more aggressive flow-type of yoga can have negative effects if positions are performed improperly.

Take similar care with weights. Avoid any such exercises that place strain on the back -- especially dead-lifting -- and be sure to decrease the number of pounds you're lifting.

Walking is somewhat different. It shouldn't worsen your symptoms -- and may in fact be helpful. That said, while you recover from your disc herniation, I would recommend avoiding stairs because going up or down them may be jarring to your back.

My advice? Be prudent about the types of exercise and activities you do with a herniated disc, because activities that place stress upon the lower back may make the herniation worse.

As your symptoms get better, you can start back-strengthening exercises that will reduce your risk of future low back pain.

• Dr. Robert Ashley, M.D., is an internist and assistant professor of medicine at the University of California, Los Angeles. Send your questions to askthedoctors@mednet.ucla.edu.

http://www.dailyherald.com/entlife/20170909/gentle-exercise-can-help-with-recovery-from-back-pain