Now, if you have been dealing with lower back pain for a long time, this statement might seem a little profound! But it’s TRUE!
If you saw our last article, I talked about how the findings on your X-ray might have nothing to do with your lower back pain. I also suggested that something as simple as muscle tightness can be your actual low back pain generator. I promised I would give you more information in this week’s article so please keep reading.
One of the most overlooked muscles that can cause lower back pain are the hip flexors. One of the main hip flexors is the psoas muscle (pronounced “so as”). The psoas muscle attaches to the spine at Thoracic vertebrae T-12 through lumbar vertebrae L-4. When these muscles are tight, they pull on your back when you try to stand upright. A few of the classic signs of hip flexor tightness as they relate to low back pain include: a flexed posture while walking, shorter stride length in the gait cycle, an inability to lie flat on your back with your legs extended out straight, and nearly complete resolution of your back pain shortly after sitting. You’ve all seen the residents of a retirement home where they walk all bent over at the waist walking with a very short stride. Ask them if they can stand up straight and they will almost certainly tell you that they can’t because it hurts their back. Now, you don’t have to be flexed over like this for hip flexor tightness to affect you. This is a common problem in the retired community as retirement typically leads to more sitting. More sitting leads to more hip flexor tightness and this leads to more lower back pain. It can be a perfect storm.
Often, it is the muscular tightness that can be the real cause of lower back pain. How many times have you heard about someone who had back surgery but is still having pain? The surgery might have “fixed” the problem seen on the x-ray, but the “problem” wasn’t the actual source of the pain. That’s not to say that surgery doesn’t have a place
in the medical profession, but often the findings on the x-ray are the basis for decision making and muscle tightness can’t be appreciated on an x-ray. And most doctors don’t check for hip flexor tightness during their exam. They just refer you to Physical Therapy and expect it to be done there. If you are not properly evaluated, it will certainly be missed. If it’s missed, it will never be addressed.
Now, we titled this article using the word “CURE.” Believe it or not, we believe that your back pain can be cured naturally, without the use of medication, injections, or surgery. In fact, we see it happen every day.
The other thing I mentioned in my last article was a reference to pelvic position. I’ll circle back to that in my next article in two weeks so please keep a look out for that. Until then, if you are having lower back pain and feel like you have “tried everything” we invite you to call our office and schedule a FREE Complimentary Consultation to see if we can help.
Even if you have already tried Physical Therapy or Chiropractic treatment in the past, our approach is so different, chances are you’ve never seen anything like it.
Call our office at 770-622-5344 code to request an appointment.
Johns Creek Physical Therapy 4060 Johns Creek Pkwy, Suite H Suwanee, GA 30024
