Summary

Charles Gaudet is a health and wellness expert who has drawn on his own experience of back pain to find a way to help the body to heal itself. Many turn to orthotic insoles to correct the problem, he says. But expert opinion now suggests that this provides just temporary relief and may even make the pain worse in the long term.

Introduction

So you purchased those sole insoles for back pain relief and things are beginning to feel better? The truth is, those comfy, squishy foot pads are not a realistic long-term back pain relief solution. In fact, they will probably make your back pain worse in the long term. There is more to back pain relief, and it's not difficult to get the complete solution.

Although insoles may provide some back pain relief, experts warn that insoles and orthotic inserts only briefly alleviate back pain symptoms. They are not a back pain relief treatment in and of themselves. While arch supports, insoles and orthotics may provide support where foot problems do affect back pain, they do not address the core problem. In fact they may tend to make things worse.

Expert opinion

'The human body is a complex muscular system that is all interconnected, and one problem can create others' said Charles Gaudet, a health and wellness expert. His website, www.BackandneckPainResources.com outlines what he has learned on his long road to recovery from debilitating back and neck pain. 'If a foot problem is manifesting as back pain, it is because the injury or weakness in the feet is causing strain on other muscles and connective tissues in the body. The result in this case is back pain' the issue is that the body is out of balance.

Gaudet is among a number of back pain relief experts who want sufferers to know the complete story on what will really full back pain relief. Insoles only mask a sign of a problem. Without the proper exercise, stretching and strengthening of the muscular systems involved, the core back pain problem never gets addressed.

Doctors say insoles and inserts may provide some limited back pain relief, but they don't have any direct, positive effect on the source of the back pain. Dr Nick Shamie, assistant clinical professor of orthopedic surgery and neurosurgery with the UCLA Comprehensive Spine Center recently told the Los Angeles Times that feet and back are two different issues and there is no evidence to support the claims made by insole manufacturers. 'These things don't do anything biomechanically for the body' said Dr Andrew Shapiro, a podiatrist and spokesman for the American Podiatric Medical Association. 'High arches and flat feet can sometimes set off a reaction that puts stress on knees and back.'

The solution to back pain

For the most common sources of back pain, the solution lies in basic exercises, correction of posture and simple nutrition, says Gaudet, a lifelong athlete who has faced extreme, crippling chronic pain in his back and neck. He stresses that exercise and stretching are key, natural ways to seriously and completely take on back pain relief.

'You have to address strengthening and correction of the muscles that support the body or the pain just doesn't go away,' he says. 'Though insoles may provide short term back pain relief, in the long haul, using artificial support sends a message to the body that the imbalance issues are taken care of and, therefore, discourages natural healing - in fact, instead of those muscles strengthening, they may actually begin to atrophy, making the back pain problem worse as the body gets further out of balance.'

Put simply, shoe inserts intended for back pain relief give your feet an excuse not to be stronger. In fact, by providing artificial support that the foot should provide on its own, your foot muscles get lazy. If they do not have to do the work, they don't do it. Your muscles atrophy, or shrink and lose their normal strength to the point where they do not function normally, if at all. The result is imbalance, strain and back pain. Just propping things up with arch supports does not fix the problem of the back pain sufferer.

The ultimate message, says Gaudet, is that the right combination of stretching, exercise and strengthening is the key to back pain relief that is related to foot problems. He stresses the importance of correct diagnosis. 'Everyone and every issue is different. There is no one set of exercises or implements that will provide back pain relief. It depends on what the core problem is.'

Source

Charles Gaudet www.BackandNeckPainResources.com January 2009