Many back pain patients experience lasting relief fromstretching when they see me as a physical therapist. It doesn't matter if thepatient has low back pain or a herniated disc, vigorous hip stretching is animportant part of their treatment.
The Hamstrings are the most important when it comes topain relief from the back. Your pelvis attaches to the Hamstrings, which connect toyour back. The Hamstrings extend down yourleg, from below your knees to your Hamstrings. They control movement at the hip and knee. If the Hamstrings tighten, the hips can't move freely. The hips can't bend or twist if they are tight. The hip is the first mobile lower joint than the lowervertebral joints. To compensate for theloss of hip motion, the spine must bend more than usual. Excessive motion in the low back can be caused by normalactivities such as walking, standing, sitting, standing and getting up. Thisputs undue strain upon the vertebrae, surrounding tissues, and causes you tolose your hip motion. This persistentstress can cause chronic lower back pain. Persistentstress can cause injury to the back (e.g. a disc injury or strain to the lowback) that may take a while to heal.
The human body is an amazing self-healing machine. There might be somebarriers that need to be overcome in order for the body to heal. Most people seek physical therapy after two weeks of chronicpain. It is my responsibility determinethe reason a patient isn’t healing or what may have caused it. My low back evaluation includes a hip range of motionassessment. Many patients with back painhave restricted hip movement. It ispossible to restore normal hip movement and stretch the hip muscles back totheir correct length. This will relieveirritation at the lower back.
Due to restricted movement patterns or sitting while atwork, many people suffer from hip movement restrictions. Although the Hamstringsget the most attention when it comes to stretching, tight hip muscles can causeback pain. These include the Hip Rotatorsand Hip Flexors as well as the Quadriceps. These muscles all control some aspect of hip motion and cancause low back pain just as much as the Hamstrings.
Patients find Yoga, regular stretching classes or ahome-based program to be the best options when it comes to back pain relief. A physical therapist canhelp you with your low back pain and how to safely stretch your hips.
Gavin Morrison received a University of Washington degreein physical therapy. His private practice is run by him and he uses proventechniques to relieve back pain. ForFortune 500 executives, he has developed back pain relief exercises and corestrength. The 7 Secrets of Back Pain arethe result of Gavin's 10 year clinical experience and his research intotraining seminars and practice.
