Many health problems can be traced back to poor postures. Bodies in their most efficient posture experience better circulation, more effective respiration and, as a result, better distribution of the nutrients your body needs. Poor posture, on the other hand, causes fatigue which leads to chronic aches and pains. As our lower backs are a key structure in our bodies, these symptoms often manifest as back pain.

Resolving postural issues may seem like a lost cause. Our postures feel completely natural to us, even if we are told that they are inefficient and unhealthy. Furthermore, those same changes seem difficult and feel tiring. If the very things that can help us feel so strange, and only make things worse, how can we ever improve? Fortunately, there is a powerful secret which can eliminate both the pain and the perceived effort quickly, naturally and without as much effort as you might believe.

Poor posture is incredibly common, and exists to a lesser or greater extent in almost everyone. Its root causes are simple. Either muscles that should be strong are weak, and are unable to provide support, or muscles are unnecessarily tense and are tiring quickly. Usually the cause is a combination of both.

There are two fundamental ways to address problems of poor posture. The first involves using a back brace or other posture corrector to provide your muscles with the support they need. By redirecting your posture to something more efficient, the fatigue toxins accumulated during regular daily activities will slowly vanish and take the pain along with them. The second solution is to solve the problem at its root by strengthening the weak muscles that prevent attaining a correct posture.

Posture correctors are a great short-term solution. They give the body its needed support in a way that requires little effort. Also, posture correctors are often recommended by your doctor, another appealing reason for considering their use. In fact, posture correctors are a great deal like training wheels. They’re a great way to begin learning how to ride a bike, but training wheels must eventually come off so you’ll learn to ride naturally.

Unfortunately, posture correctors have many associated problems, ultimately making them a highly unsuitable solution for almost all postural problems. Posture correctors weaken the very muscles that you must strengthen if you hope to ever have better posture. Over time and with regular use, other muscles weaken as well, making your problems even worse. Soon you’ll find your pain increased when the brace is removed, and you’ll likely associate your posture corrector with health and well-being. In essence, you’ve become dependent on the brace, and you’ll truly never be without pain as long as it is used.

A better solution by far is to strengthen the muscles required to improve posture. This may seem painful, and like lots of excess work, but you can make much progress toward toning these muscles with as little as ten minutes’ work per day. Because these muscles are fairly small, they will usually strengthen more quickly, and as they do your pain will lessen.

While posture correctors may seem like the best solution to all your postural issues, they are only temporary and should never be relied upon for long as they create dependence and new problems. An exercise program, on the other hand, can fix the issues permanently, quickly and with little effort. You’ll be on the path to a pain-free back in absolutely no time.