If you have not yet experienced lower-back pain, the bad news is, you probably will. Roughly 80 to 90 percent of Americans suffer lower-back injuries at some point in their lives. Not only are these injuries painful and debilitating, but they also cause secondary problems (such as hernia’s, sciatica, hip and knee issues, etc …).
Once the muscles primarily responsible for stabilizing the lower spine become deactivated, the result is a cascade of muscle imbalances spreading throughout the body, reduced mobility and stability, and increased risk of future injuries.
These local lumbar stabilizer muscles stay deactivated unless you reestablish their connection to your brain.
As a result of so much sitting, our local lumbar stabilizers tend to remain inactive and other muscles do the work of keeping our torso upright. Due to this compensation, the musculature that’s supposed to stabilize the spine becomes weakened.
This lack of stability often affects one side more than the other. If one side of the low back is unstable, it moves too much. As a result, the other side locks down, creating a compressive pathology that breaks down the cartilage around the facet joint, causing swelling, which pushes the nerve into that area and causes pain.
That swelling and pain send a message to the brain to deactivate the affected muscles. As a result, the stabilizer muscles quickly atrophy, and other muscles, such as the psoas (which connects the lumbar spine to the upper thighs), are forced to assume the job of protecting the lower back. Stop – These muscles really weren’t designed for that role. The psoas is normally a pretty powerful hip flexor, but if it has to create stability at the lumbar spine and flex your hip, it’s like driving with the parking brake on. This translates to compromised performance and increased risk of other injuries.
The first step is correcting the structural dysfunction, not strengthening
At THRIVE Chiropractic we first correct the structural dysfunction at the spine where the facet joint and disc have been compromised. Once the foundation has been properly corrected we provide exercises designed to re-activate and strengthen the muscles needed to stabilize your spine. Following this phase, patients are motivated to work with specialized physical therapists, trainers or movement specialists to continue strengthening their body.
Call our office or schedule a Complimentary 15 minute Consultation to find out more about Structural Abnormalities and how they might be affecting your health.
