Low back pain plagues at least 31 million Americans at any moment, which means you might experience this issue at some time in your life. If you're currently suffering from low back pain and have struggled with finding a remedy, it's useful to shift your attention to your overall stress level and evaluate how stressed you feel. Should you consider yourself moderately or highly stressed, it's possible that this emotion has a connection to your physical pain. Stress restricts blood flow, tightens your muscles and generates other physiological reactions that can create back pain. You can often find relief for your stress -- and, in turn, your back pain -- with these three strategies.

Get Moving

Stress can often immobilize you, but you stand a good chance of reducing your stress and improving your back's health by engaging in some form of exercise. The possibilities are virtually endless. Anything from a walk around the block to a game of pick-up basketball to a swim at your community pool can all be beneficial. These exercises help to encourage blood flow, strengthen your muscles and release endorphins that can reduce stress by uplifting your mood. While it's important to find some form of exercise that doesn't worsen your physical pain, the good news is that there is a wide variety of activities from which to choose.

Focus On Breathing

As simple as it may sound, paying attention to your breathing is an effective way to minimize your stress. There are a variety of specific breathing exercises designed to lower your stress; one such exercise is to breathe in for six counts and breathe out for six counts. If you truly try to focus on noticing the air entering your body and then leaving your body, you'll allow your mind to relax and stop focusing on whatever is stressing you. Breathing exercises are ideal because you can perform them virtually anytime you begin to feel stressed, such as in a meeting at work or while caught in a traffic jam.

Add Music To Your Life

Music has been proven to help individuals reduce their stress. It's easy to incorporate various forms of music into several elements of your day. Play a favorite CD while driving to work, have some gentle music on while you're cooking dinner and make an enjoyable MP3 playlist for your evening workout. If you're looking for a way to further reduce your stress, try singing in the shower or hitting a karaoke bar with friends. You might soon find that your stress -- and your sore back -- are a thing of the past.

If you still find that you're having lower back after reducing your stress levels, contact a company like Beltline Chiropractic to schedule a chiropractic adjustment.