Have you tried getting massages and various treatments to release muscle tightness for your lower back pain? Did you know that muscle release is not always the solution for lower back pain?
Everyone has a common misconception that when you have lower back pain, massage and muscle release is the key component in overcoming pain. Far too often at Physio Ready we see people trying to self diagnose their lower back pain and coming up with the solution that they need to massage and release muscle tightness as they tend to feel stiff, grabbing and sharp lower back pain.
However it is important to remember that not all lower back pain is a muscle tightness issue. In fact in a lot of the cases the muscles around the lower back need to be strengthened and solidified rather than loosened to provide more stability for our lower back. Our lower back can lack stability due to poor activation of muscles leading to spasm of surrounding muscles as a protective mechanism leading to lower back pain and stiffness. Just by releasing this muscle spasm your lower back pain will not get better as the underlying issue of poor muscle strength and stability is not addressed. In some cases attempting to release the muscle spasms through massage can actually trigger off more spasms leading to increase in lower back pain and movement restrictions.
In terms of strengthening muscles a particular muscle called the gluteus muscle (buttock muscles) needs to assessed properly when someone has lower back pain. Simple cues can quickly activate the gluteus muscle and get someone out of lower back pain by increasing the stability in the lumbar spine however not enough is being done as the general population has a focus only on getting muscle release for their lower back pain.
What if my lower back pain is so severe that I am not confident in performing any exercises?
In severe acute lower back pain taping may be used to better facilitate muscles such as the gluteus muscle. By simply taping the gluteus muscles we can better activate these muscles and provide immediate relief of lower back pain by reducing the load on the lower back. We usually get instant pain relief by offloading certain structures after diagnosis to get you out of the severe back pain. From there our physiotherapists will come up with solutions so that you can progress to simple therapeutic exercises while minimising pain and making things simple for you.
Here at Physio Ready we are experts in treating lower back pain. Whether you are dealing with an acute or chronic pain we have a solution for you. We will incorporate both hands on manual therapy and simple therapeutic exercises to make sure you get optimal results and walk out feeling better after every physiotherapy session.
Struggling with lower back pain? Contact Physio Ready today. Contact us on (02) 9249 9122 for the Ryde clinic or (02) 8622 1681 for the Ermington clinic.