Who doesn’t want to know the answer to this one?! After all, 80% of all adults will have dealt with low back pain at some point in their life. More than 25% of people have had low back pain (LBP) in the past 3 months.
Who out there also would prefer a quick fix? A one size fits all approach? The silver bullet for low back pain?? I know I’d sign up for it! The difficult reality is, there is no magic pill for low back pain.
Part of the reason why low back pain is so prevalent is because it’s so complex. It can be resultant from:
– Issues with tight muscles
– Issues with weak muscles
– Asymmetric muscle strength
– Limited joint mobility
– Excessive joint mobility
– Irritated or pinched nerves
– Poor lifting mechanics
– Poor daily posture
– Bad ergonomics at work
– ETC, ETC
Well then, what’s a person to do?? We certainly aren’t going to accept that it’s just part of life and there’s nothing to be done about it. We don’t see it that way, and we think you shouldn’t either.
Though there’s no silver bullet, one of the most consistently beneficial “medicines” for treating low back pain (acute or chronic) is MOVEMENT. This is widely studied and very well understood in the scientific literature. Despite the research, it sometimes seems counterintuitive. A lot of the time movement was the way in which your low back pain came on in the first place. And it’s quite common that after the initial injury you’re likely to have increased pain with some movements.
Here’s why movement is so essential. Movement:
– Produces anti-inflammatory molecules that can help calm things down
– Releases “feel good” hormones from your brain that, well, help you feel good
– Can prevent muscle spasms and increased tension
– Increases blood flow and can “flush” out the inflammatory cells in an area
– Can help regulate healthy sleep patterns, ultimately promoting quicker healing
– Can help restore stability to your spine by recruiting proper muscles and decreasing stress on – the wrong tissues in your back
You may now be asking, “What movement is the right movement?” Great question! The answer is more ambiguous, because, again, people’s bodies and situations are dramatically different. You need a guide. Someone that understands how to DIAGNOSE properly, to get at the root causes of your low back pain. At WPT, we aim to dig deep and get at the root of your issue, so we can properly treat the underlying impairments and prescribe the right movements FOR YOU!
If you’re unable to see us, or want to work through your low back pain alone, we respect that. The key in this situation is to be as active as possible with movements that don’t dramatically flare up your symptoms. Look for patterns. Sometimes walking feels great, and for other people it can be very painful and not well tolerated. If walking is bad, but riding a bike seems fine, try exercises and movement that put your spine into a little flexion (slight bend in your low back).
After you identify patterns, progressively push the limits, SAFELY! The more you push it, and your back does not flare up, the quicker things will resolve and the sooner you’ll get back to kicking butt and taking charge again!!
