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The following example is on what causes most of my clients Lower back pain.

First a little reminder and information.

Muscles work in pairs or groups. If one muscle is not working properly than other muscles have to work harder to compensate for that muscle and in a way that they are not meant to.This usually shows up as a pain and/or a misaligned posture.

When a muscle is not working properly your Pain may be caused by:

A) Vertebrae and bones are incorrectly aligned and are trapping nerves B) Tight muscles are trapping nerves C) Muscles stop working, making other muscles do extra work D) Incorrect information is sent back to the brain re- the muscle status. Causing a muscle to relax which puts more strain on other muscles.

An Example for Lower Back Pain caused by the Psoas muscle

The muscle demonstrated in the diagram is called the Psoas muscle (orange).  This muscle is one of the main muscles responsible for sciatica.

There are 2 ways of thinking about the diagram :

1) That the Left hand side is tight and is pulling the vertebrae to the Left with the Right hand side normal (straining to pull it back). With the resulting pain caused by A) or B) from above.

2)That the Right hand side has gone weak and is allowing the Left hand side to pull the vertebrae to the left. With the resulting pain caused by A), C) or D) from above. D) is not so obvious, but if the brain thinks that the Right hand side is over worked i.e. it is getting the wrong feedback from the muscle. It then tells the right hand side to relax to protect the muscle.

 I have found the second Scenario from above ( weak muscles ) to be the most common cause of muscle imbalance. This is why I strengthen muscles before looking for other causes. After all the initial trigger to weaken the muscle may have gone.

 Strengthening the muscles using daves muscle therapy also has one advantage over other techniques, which is that not all muscles can be accessed easily e.g. the Psoas muscle cannot be massaged as it is a deep muscle, so other techniques are needed such as Touch For Health Kinesiology technique and Bowen therapy. Both of these techniques will allow blood and lymphatic fluids to increase into the muscles causing the weak one to strengthen. This does 2 things. First it corrects the position of the vertebrae ( releasing trapped nerves ) and secondly it lengthens the short muscle ( tight feeling muscle ) which then sends the correct signals to the brain that it is not under stress. Thus straightening the spine and reducing the pain.

Since the Psoas muscle is involved in most of the lower back problems I have treated. It is one of the first muscles I check.

Often lower back problems cause stress in the upper body since the upper back muscles are trying to keep the spine straight so that the head is held in its correct position.

An Example for Lower Back Pain caused by the Gluteus Maximus and the Piriformis muscle.

Is that both of these muscles connect to the Sacrum and therefore when one side is turned off tension is put on the sacrum. With the result being pain. There is also the possibility of nerves being trapped if the Piriformis is tight since they run under the Piriformis muscle ( in a small part of the population actually through the muscle ). more to come Some other possible muscular causes for lower back pain are. Hamsting to tight putting more pressure on the lower vertebrae when bending over. Latissimus dorsi pulling on vertebrae. Quadratus lumborum not supporting the lower back.

 

 

 

Disclaimer: The information provided in this website is for educational purposes only as well as to give you general information about posture and the muscular system it is not to provide specific advice. By reading this article you understand that there is no direct relationship between your problem and that discussed. The information provided in this article should not be used as a substitute for competent professional advice from a professional.