Pain in the low back is something that at least 70% of our chronic pain clients complain about, and it is also one of the most misunderstood conditions. There are two muscles that move the low back. One is called “Quadratus Lumborum” and it is right where you rub yourself when your low back is hurting. It originates on the five lumbar vertebra and inserts onto the top of your hipbone. As mentioned earlier, the other muscle, the one that causes the majority of low back pain, is called the psoas. This muscle also originates on the five lumbar vertebra, however it goes forward, through the curve of your hips, and inserts onto the front of your thighbone (the femur). When the muscle contracts you fold at the hip. Every time you take a step, sit down, bend over, or do anything that brings your leg up or your trunk down, you are contracting the psoas muscle. This muscle is contracted the majority of the day, and for most people, it is also contracted all night because the sleep with their legs bent. Because of this, it is common for the muscle to become shortened. However the origination and insertion points are still the same distance apart, so two things happen. First, when you are lying down you are told you have a “short leg”. The bones of your leg haven’t shortened, however the muscles are pulling your leg up toward the hip so it appears shorter. As soon as you stand up on both of your feet your legs are equal length again.

The second, and more serious, condition occurs when you are standing. The muscle is still to short, so it pulls on the other attachment – the lumbar vertebra. You now feel pain in your low back. The lumbar vertebra are being pulled forward, the disks are being compressed, the nerves are being impinged, and again you are feeling the “hair pulling” effect on the bone. The pain intensifies when you go from sitting to standing, and you can relieve the pain somewhat when you bend over, or sit down. This is because as you bend at the hip you have just brought the two ends closer together, and the strain has been removed from the insertion points. When you stand up it will again return as the muscle again pulls on the lumbar vertebra. The answer is to stretch the muscle!

Stretching the Low Back Muscle

Stand up by your kitchen sink. Put your hipline against the edge of the counter, and your calves against the cabinet below. Stand up straight, without moving either of the two points from the sink/cabinet. Often just this movement will begin to stretch the muscle. If you feel any discomfort in your low back you can be sure that you have found the source of your problem! When you can stand up straight without any discomfort, now, raise your chest up (as if you were taking a deep breath) and begin to slowly lean back – leading with your entire shoulder area. Don’t bend your head back, this has nothing to do with your head or neck, and it may cause you unnecessary pain in your neck. Go back until you feel a SLIGHT discomfort at your low back area. Then slowly stand up straight again. Do this movement 10 times, trying to go a little further with each movement. On the 10th stretch, as you return curl your back forward, as if you were a Halloween cat, tuck your head down and draw your shoulders in toward your chest.

This stretch should be done frequently during the day. The primary reason for standing near the sink is to teach you how to do the stretch without moving your hips or knees in any manner. Once you have learned how to do the stretch properly, and your hips and knees stay locked during the stretch, you can do it anyplace, and at anytime.

Stretching is vital to the free movement of joints, and is amazing to the healing process of repetitive strain injury. Get in touch with your body. Trust your intuition. And stretch!

About the Authors:

Zev M. Cohen, M.D. is the Medical Director of the Carpal Tunnel Treatment Center and the Julstro Muscular Therapy Center in New City, NY. Dr. Cohen, an Internal Medicine physician, includes a specialty in the treatment of Carpal Tunnel Syndrome and Repetitive Strain Injuries. He has been interviewed on national radio and television as an expert on carpal tunnel syndrome. RSI and CTS questions may be directed to him at http://www.aboutcts.com

Julie Donnelly, L.M.T. is the Principal Therapist at both Centers. She developed and teaches Julstro Deep Muscle Therapy to licensed therapists. She is the author of the book “How To Be Pain-less…A Beginner’s Guide to the Self Treatment of Muscle Spasms” that was written to be easy to read, and to follow.

Both Dr. Cohen and Julie teach self-treatment techniques for the relief of muscle pain and have developed the Julstro Self Treatment System for the relief of Carpal Tunnel Syndrome.