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Treating Low Back Pain the Proper Way |
| Based on the research of the past few years, almost all
physical therapy clinics in the US have been retraining the low back the
wrong way. Why? In order to stabilize the spine, you must recondition the
small muscles close to the spine called the multifidus and the deepest
stomach muscle called the tranversus abdominus. However, almost all rehab
programs for the back have focused on the large muscles on the outside
that help extend and bend the back, not the muscles responsible for
stability. In addition, these same programs have focused on the large
stomach muscles while neglecting the muscle responsible for stabilizing
the spine. |
| As a result of this incorrect focus, many people have
gotten worse with exercise for low back pain. It's become so common, that
new medical and psychological terms and diagnoses have been dreamed up to
try to explain why so many people do so poorly. However, the segmental
approach to low back rehabilitation is based on dozens of medical research
studies showing that focusing on the right muscles works! |
| To demonstrate the problem and the solution, lets say you
stacked a bunch of kids blocks one on top of the other. As you might
imagine, they wouldn't be that stable. Any small amount of force would
easily knock them over. Put your mouse over the blocks now. As you can
see, even the slightest pressure from your pointer topples the blocks.
This is like a low back with weak muscles. |
| Now lets say you shore up the blocks with wires. Since
the wires don't connect each block to the other, the blocks still aren't
stable. Go ahead, knock them over with your mouse again! The wires are
like the big muscles in the back, they aren't good at stabilizing the
spine. Since this is what is strengthened in rehab programs, the low back
never becomes stable and stays painful. |
| Finally, you learn from your mistakes and tape the blocks
together. Now they're stable as they have a connection that goes from
block to block. This is exactly what the segmental muscles such as multifidus
do in your back, they hold the bones together by going from bone to bone.
Now try to knock them over! |
