Lower back pain is the most common complaint we see in private practice. Anecdotally, it accounts for > 50% of all injuries we see walk through the door. So, it begs the question, why? Contrary to popular belief, the lower back is strong and robust and is designed to take massive loads. The issue often arises firstly through immobility. The modern-day lifestyle of Netflix and chill combined with the accumulative affect of office work where we sit for more then 8 hours per day, is not what the lower back/ body was designed to do. Humans were designed to move. Unfortunately, pain in the lower back is often misunderstood. Often we believe that pain equates to damage, this is not the case for majority of lower back pain cases. The pain is often disproportionate to the amount of tissue damage and is often just the bodies overreaction to a certain low-grade stimulus. So why is the pain so bad? Your central nervous system is the simple answer. Just like a car radio, your central nervous system can be turned up or down depending on how loud you want to hear the radio. So, how do we turn down the central nervous system?

1) Move – Get outside and go for a walk, doing something is always better than nothing. This teaches the body that movement is not harmful and is in fact required for sufficient recovery. Get outside and see some sunlight.

2) Breathe – when we are in pain we tend to hold our breath. This is counter intuitive because as we hold our breath we tend to tense up, making it harder for the body to move. Holding our breath also increases intra-abdominal pressure which can increase the amount of pain felt in the lower back.

3) Get Stronger – your lower back is strong and robust, but it can be supported by increasing the strength of the infrastructure around it (the muscular system). Strength and conditioning should be a regular regime of every body’s weekly routine no matter how old. It can always be tailored to the individual. Performing strength training a minimum of 2-3x per week can significantly reduce your chances of lower back pain.

If you would like to get started with your strength and conditioning journey or you would like an assessment of your lower back pain, please do not hesitate to get in contact with us at Perth Mobile Physiotherapy.