Is this soreness I'm feeling aging? Am I stuck with it?
Low back pain is a common issue, According to an article in PubMed, "Low back pain (LBP) is the second most common cause of disability in US adults(1) and a common reason for lost work days.(2–3) An estimated 149 million days of work per year are lost due to LBP.(4) The condition is also costly with total costs estimated to be between 100–200 billion dollars annually, two-thirds of which are due to decreased wages and productivity. " (5) Low back pain can be caused by a variety of conditions, but for the average joe, it doesn't have to be something that we endure and chalk up to "aging". In this article, we will take a look at a few of the most common causes of low back pain and take a look at how massage may be a solution.
Common causes of Low Back Pain
Some of the common causes of Low Back Pain are tight muscles, bulging disks, herniated disks, osteoarthritis, and misalignment. For the purpose of this article we are going to look at disks and misalignment as osteoarthritis is a condition that requires more difficult treatment.
Disks are the gelatinous space in between your spinal vertebrae, imagine if you will, the rubber parts on the bottom of your tennis-shoes. Like the sole of your shoe allows comfort to your feet when running on pavement, the disc works similar, absorbing the shock of your movements. Disks allow your nerves to communicate freely without being compressed. Whenever there is a dysfunction in one of these discs, it can cause nerve compression which causes pain. Two of the types of disk dysfunction are ruptured disks and bulging disks.
Ruptured disks are the more difficult to treat version of the two and are when the liquid center of the disk has leaked out, therefore permanently reducing the space between your vertebrae. Bulging disks are not permanent and can be caused by posture and tight muscles pulling the vertebrae together.
How Can Massage Help?
In the case of a ruptured disk, your middle cushioning part has leaked out. Which makes the nerves in between vulnerable to being compressed. When nerves are irritated in the spine your body can try to overcompensate with bracing, which causes the muscles to tense up . Muscle bracing is the body's way of trying to keep you safe, your muscles stay in a constant semi-contracted position and as a result develop fatigue and soreness. Massage can be beneficial for muscles that are bracing and guarding. Massage can help convince your muscles to relax and bring new blood flow to the closed off muscles.
Bulging disks, aren't permanent. As scary as they sound, bulging disks haven't ruptured and are just being compressed by your vertebrae. Compression causes them to extend outside of their normal edges. One thing that can make a disk bulge is tight muscles.
As you can see in the two images, muscles attach directly to your vertebrae in the low back, and any abnormal tightness can cause compression of the disks in between. Usually working the tightness out of the muscles will allow for your spine to open up and relieve the pain from a bulging disk.
What I've Noticed Commonly in People With Low Back Pain
The two most frequent low back pain sufferers I see are runners and people who are stuck working at computers frequently. What do these people have in common? Tight hip flexors (the muscles on the front of your thighs), an anterior pelvic tilt, and tight glutes.
For people who have to work on computers all day, think about the position of sitting. Over time their muscles start to shorten and stay in a similar position even when standing. When the fronts of your legs are tight and the back muscles are tight it tips the pelvis forward and can cause compression of the disks. For runners, these issues come from the repetitive lifting of their legs, the lifting causes the front thighs to become tight, which causes the back muscles to have to overwork to try to keep everything in alignment. Muscles that are overworking are shortened and began to press on nerves in an uncomfortable way.
What I do to Treat Low Back Pain
Before a massage in someone with low back pain, I first observe posture to see any visibly shortened areas. Often, you can see shortened muscles by observing how someone stands, and that gives a lot of information on where to start. Depending on the person I usually start the massage by working to release the front of the legs. I will usually be able to find trigger points (or muscle knots) in the hip flexors that refer pain to the same area the low back pain is being experienced. When the front of the legs are released, I've found it makes the low back easier to unwind. I will do work in the hip, sacrum, and Quadratus Lumborum ( a muscle that attaches on the pelvis, lower rib, and lower vertebrae.) I start with myofascial, which is slow and gentle "skin" stretching, move to trigger point therapy ( to release tight muscle knots), and then deep tissue techniques to stretch the muscle and bring new nutrients into the area. If the person sits for extended periods of time I may also work the psoas, a muscle that connects from the inside of the low spine to the pelvis. Each person is different, and massage techniques are customized to what your body is responding to. In low back pain clients I will often do some gentle stretches and incorporate traction (creating space between joints) to release pressure from the nerves.
Do I have to live with chronic low back pain?
Whether your low back pain is caused by a bulging disk, trigger points radiating pain, or overuse, you don't have to live with the debilitating pain. Massage along with stretching can be a solution to reduce or in some cases eliminate your pain all together.
" Massage therapy helped reduce pain and improve function more rapidly than usual medical care in people with chronic low-back pain, according to researchers at Group Health Research Institute and the University of Washington in Seattle, the Oregon Health and Science University in Portland, and the University of Vermont in Burlington." (2)
Using massage to release tight muscles in your back and along the fronts of your legs can allow your pelvis to be more in alignment, and allow for space between your vertebrae. Visit online at jordanhugheslmbt.com or Http://facebook.com/jordanhugheslmbt to learn more about how my focus in clinical style massage can improve the way you feel in Asheville, N.C., or call (864) 436-8705 to ask more questions.
1-5. Katz JN. Lumbar disc disorders and low-back pain: socioeconomic factors and consequences. J Bone Joint Surg Am. 2006;88(Suppl 2):21–24. [PubMed]
2. https://nccih.nih.gov/research/results/spotlight/070411.htm
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