Causes of Lower Back Pain
March 14th, 2010
As a massage therapist, back pain – especially mild to moderate lower back pain – is my bread and butter. There are so many potential causes, and so few medical sources of relief. And most everyone will experience lower back pain at some point in their lives, and it’s usually not about a slipped disc or a severely torn muscle.
Sometimes, it’s not even really about your lower back! Many of the muscles that attach to your hip bones or legs can pull the lumbar vertebrae out of alignment.
Have a look at what I’m talking about.
When these muscles don’t have normal flexibility, or when they have sore spots or sticking points, they can tilt the “bowl” of the pelvis forward and downward, increasing the curve in your lower back (sometimes called “swayback”).
Have a look at psoas major, in particular – see how it directly attaches to the bones in the spine? When that muscle is tight, it pulls directly on your vertebrae.
When those bones are out of whack, they can pinch nerves that come out of your spinal cord, and can lead to bulging or slipped discs. Additionally, the primary muscle in your lower back (quadratus lumborum, not shown here) has to work overtime to keep your body upright, since you don’t have the benefit of stacking the vertebrae in the way they were meant to be stacked.
Most of us spend a lot of time sitting and walking, which activates these hip flexor muscles. If you have an exercise ball at home, try draping yourself over it face up to get a good stretch. Or try the “heel to glutes” stretch if you’re able. Ask me for a demo of how to do this properly, without injuring yourself.
And if you come in for your next session with lower back pain, don’t be surprised if I don’t spend the entire session on your back. Sometimes, the cause isn’t where you think it is!