Life with back pain is full of challenges. We relax, thinking that the problems will go away, but when even relaxation hurts, we may feel incredibly hopeless about the pain ever going away, especially as we aren’t sure quite what causes it. Further distressed, we may think that the solution lies in drugs or expensive surgeries, and that there is no natural remedy, nothing we might do differently to make the pain go away.

Fortunately, the situation isn’t nearly as hopeless as it may at first appear. Unless resulting from a break or other serious trauma, you can lessen or completely eliminate your lower back pain, naturally, using a good postural program and specialized exercise routines.

The lower back supports more weight than we may realize, especially when relaxed. During every moment spent upright, the head, shoulders and even the arms apply vertical pressure on the lower back and spine.

Much of this support is provided by the lower back’s arched inward curve toward the body. Incredibly stable structures, arches efficiently support heavy loads and, in a classic case of function following form, feature heavily in modern and ancient architecture.

Unfortunately, we often unknowingly compromise this natural support in many ways that feel completely relaxed. We do things that pull our vertebrae out of alignment, thus reducing or eliminating the natural arch. If the vertebrae are improperly aligned, back pain develops.

The musculature of the spine is often not developed well enough to maintain a natural posture, causing us to hunch. Sometimes we act to correct the problems ourselves without fully knowing how, unintentionally straining and causing tension that only makes things worse.

A proper posture program, including lower back pain exercises will teach your body to find a comfortable stance, one you can hold for long periods, and train your body to hold it that way. By maintaining good and efficient posture, the pain you have long experienced will slowly diminish, or may even disappear entirely. What was once agonizing will then feel relaxed and natural.

A thorough postural improvement regimen will include lower back pain exercises and must tone weakened and unused muscles so they don’t tire easily. Stretching should be used to promote muscle flexibility. Learning to relax is as important as is building strength, since unnecessary tension inhibits good posture and is at the root of many aches and pains. Body awareness is the final piece of the puzzle, teaching you to automatically notice and correct inefficiencies before they become new problems which must be fixed again later.

All four of these criteria are essential for a good postural program. Without one, you may feel better at first, but over time the aches and pains will return as your body settles into its old and inefficient routines. When combined, however, these four types of exercise support and re-enforce each other. They’ll help you to not only acquire new good habits, but to maintain them, and to prevent inefficiencies from developing.

Good posture is about more than managing pain, however. We associate efficient posture with confidence and belief in one’s self. By appearing more confident, others will treat us accordingly, and the positive cycle will perpetuate. Healthy posture and confidence is but a few steps away.