Low back pain. Have you had it? I have, and it’s a bitch!
I was just reading a statistic that said that 60-80% of adults will experience low back pain at some point in their lives. And that 85% of low back pain is classified as non specific, which means there is no structural cause, no inflammation, and no disease.
Basically, people are in pain and doctors can’t tell them why.
Which is, you know, kind of discouraging.
Here’s the thing. There are a lot of different reasons why you might be experiencing pain or discomfort in your low back. Which, unfortunately, means there’s no one fix or solution.
But one of the things that does seem to help, if you have this non specific low back pain, is moving. And getting stronger.
In my own journey with back pain, both as a mover who experiences pain and discomfort, and as a movement professional who works with people with all sorts of issues, I’ve done a lot of work around understanding the spine and back.
And I’ve had some pretty interesting revelations.
One of the big ones, that I don’t hear a lot of people talking about, is the importance of your hamstrings in relation to your spine.
Hamstrings?
Yup!
We usually think about hamstrings in relation to how they extend the hip and bend the knee. Or because they feel tight and restricted if you’re working on a pike or splits.
But hamstrings also work at the pelvis by pulling down. And this downward pull can slightly change the position of the pelvis, and elongate the lumbar spine.
Which might help relieve compression and discomfort in the low back.
Here’s a quick exercise you can do to feel a little bit of what I’m talking about!
Lay down on your back with your feet on the wall. You should have a 90’ angle at your knees and at your hips.
Push your feet into the wall and think about dragging your heels down. But instead of moving your feet, try to drag your sitz bones up the back of your legs.
Let your pelvis hover off the ground, you should be in a curled and rounded position in your spine.
Notice if you’re feeling your glutes try to clench and squeeze together and see if you can get them to relax a little bit.
When you lower down, go nice and slow.
My back always feels amazing after I do this, and I end up with my spine straighter and more upright.
If this little exercise has you intrigued, you should definitely check out my master class Articulate.
I’ll be breaking down the details of this exercise, and more, as well as sharing some concepts around spinal support that may be new to you!
Am I going to promise that it will fix your back pain?
No. Because I’m an honest person, and no one should be making promises like that.
But I will promise that if you enjoy nerdy talks about bodies and rolling around on the floor that you’ll probably have a great time.
And hopefully your back will feel amazing after!
This class is May 21st at 10am PDT, live on Zoom!
If you can’t make it live, the replay will be available forever.
