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Recurring lower back pain

Posted by on 16 October 2009 | 0 Comments

Trish Wisbey-Roth is an Olympic physiotherapist. Remedial Massage Therapist Penny Wade recently attended her seminar on the topic of recurring lower back pain. This is an edited version of the practical seminar. • Current research shows that 20% of lower back pain has the sacro-iliac joint (SIJ) as the pain generator. It becomes unstable. • The underlying causes are decreased stability in the area often due to weak back and buttock muscles. • If you have a recurring back problem you predict pain even if there is no pain and as a result more pain actually occurs. • A 10% contraction in the gluteus maximus muscle (largest butt muscle) increases SIJ stability times three. • Unstable SIJ compensates in the hip and ankle. • If you have a disc injury the back muscles in the area switch off in 2 hours, then other back muscles below the joint switch off in 6 hours. The internal abdominal muscles then suffer from amnesia and the pelvic floor muscles switch off in 6-10 days. Hence, these need strengthening. • Then other muscles such as the hamstrings and hip flexors take over from the buttock muscles. As a result we have tight muscles and no stability in the SIJ. As you can see from this back instability a rehabilitation programme needs to occur, strengthening the abdominal, butt and back muscles and stretching other compensatory muscles. Physiotherapy, pilates, physiosize and bounce back classes run by qualified physiotherapists can assist.