Lower back pain

Lower back pain occurs in the lumbar and sacral parts of the spine which lie between the

thoracic spine of the ribcage and the pelvis. The low back has 5 lumbar vertebrae, the sacrum, which lies between the 2 ilia or pelvic bones, and the coccyx, right at the lower tip of the spine.

At the front of the spine, between the vertebrae, are the discs and at the back are the facet joints, 1 on either side between each vertebrae. The nerves from the spinal cord exit the spine between the discs and

the facet joints.                                              Low back, front view

Mostly Self Correcting

Most people experience some low back pain during their life. Many of these episodes are self limiting, that is they seem to get better by themselves. This is hardly surprising as the body is always attempting to fix any and every problem that arises during the course of our lives.

Strain

The most common cause of low back pain is strain. You can strain the facet joints, or the muscles, tendons or ligaments that lie over them. It can be anywhere from a mild ache to severe and debilitating.

Prolapse

A long way behind strain is a prolapsed intervertebral disc, or slipped disc. This pain can be mild or moderate but it's characterized by severe and debilitating pain. Often accompanied by sciatica, a line of pain down the back of the

leg. There may also be significant weakness         Low back, back view 

and numbness or tingling in the leg or foot.

Emergency

If you have pain down the back of both legs significant loss of strength or any loss of bladder or bowel control it is an emergency and you need to get a CT or MRI scan immediately. Putting it off may cause permanent damage.

Fixed or Compensated

When you get over an episode of low back pain, one of 2 things has happened. Either your body has fixed the problem or it has merely adapted to it. If it's fixed, that's the end of it but if it has just compensated for the strain or injury, it will be back, either at the original site or somewhere else.

How do you know?

The trouble is you don't really know if the problem is fixed or just compensated for. Either way, it doesn't hurt any more. So how can you tell? The answer to that lies with time. If it's fixed, it's gone for good. If it's compensated for, it will be back. Often with very little provocation.

Most people only think they have a problem if they have acute pain. Fair enough, but this is actually an unreliable guide. 

At work I often hear the refrain, "But I didn't do anything". A sneeze, picking up a plate, sitting on a lounge, a long drive, yet they end up with significant or severe low back pain.

Underlying

This tells me there is an underlying mechanical problem just waiting to be provoked into action. As an osteopath, I assess how specific joints and general areas of the body move. What is the range and quality of movement? This is absolutely crucial. If a joint, or joints, are not moving properly, there is a problem and it needs to be dealt with. If you don't, it will come back and bite you. Sooner or later, but it will be back.

If it's Tight, it's Not Right

This is an underlying, undeniable law of organic life, (that's us).

NEVER EVER underestimate it. If it's tight, it's not right.

It will give you pain, and debility, and it WILL mess with the quality of your life. Sooner or later. Absolutely guaranteed.

Inevitable Results

I spend my life as an osteopath treating tight joints, tight muscles and their inevitable result, misaligned bones. It's also what I teach my patients to deal with themselves. You can deal with much, or all of your pain and debility, if you know what to do to help yourself. You don't need to be an expert, you just need to know what to do. 

This is nowhere more obvious than with low back pain, but it applies to your entire body as well. Every joint and every muscle. Bar none.

Limitless Ways

There seem to be a limitless number of ways you can hurt your back.

Lifting too much or the wrong way, standing or sitting too long, twisting, falling over, nearly falling over, sneezing, sport, over exercising, under exercising, awkward postions, sleeping 'the wrong way', etc etc.

3 Most Common Causes

But in my experience most back pain is usually caused by just 1 or 2 of 3 things. Damage, strain or less likely, referred organ pain.

2 Most Common Causes

For the vast majority of people with back pain it is caused by either damage or strain.

The Most Common Cause

And for most of those, the pain is caused by strain.

Postural and traumatic strain.

That means your pain is probably caused by strain and you can most likely do something about it. You just have to know what to do.

Good and Bad

It's bad because it hurts, but it's good because that means that it is highly likely strain is causing or contributing to your problem, and strain is something you can address and minimize or alleviate. That is what this site and my DVD is all about.

Do it Right

Doing the right stretches and the right exercise can go a country mile towards reducing or relieving your low back pain, in fact any pain anywhere you have muscles, bones and joints. Any and all of them.

This Means You

Do not be thinking that this doesn't apply to you, or that it is so simple it could not explain your pain. It may not, but it WAY more likely does. Believe me when I tell you, this is based on 20 years of experience and over 50,000 treatments.

I can help YOU

If you don't live in my local area, I can't treat you, but that doesn't mean I can't help you. The Video you can get on this site is the one I give to all of my patients. It is the home version of what I do to them in my clinic.

Some use it, some don't, but the ones that do almost ALWAYS get the result that they are after - less pain, less debility, and a better quality of life.

Get the Video

Get the Video, do the stretches, just like I tell you, and get your life back.

You have nothing to lose, because if it doesn't help, I will give you your money back AND you can keep the video. The risk is mine not yours.

That is the faith that I have in what I have to tell you.

Try it, you have nothing to lose except your pain and wouldn't that be nice??