Are you the type to drop something on the floor and go noo! Now you have to somehow pick that object up without bending your back? Or even the annoying low back pain that always seems to be there in the morning? Well I have some possible reasons you may be experiencing some of these symptoms.
Your low back (lumbar spine) is a loading & transition zone between your thoracic spine and your pelvis. From the top down you have the weight of the head loading onto the cervical spine down the thoracic spine onto the lumbars. Let's say you have some spinal curvatures causing a bend or twist anywhere in the spinal
column. This will lead to improper loading down into your low back. The load is most prominent where the sacrum and lumbar meet. You can imagine a jenga game with different sizes of bricks. You can build it so it doesn't fall but it's going to lean and be unstable. Now picture the jenga tower resting on an unlevel table (sacrum). The muscles do their best to counteract improper movements and asymmetries by holding a state of contraction. This causes irritations to the nerves, arteries, veins & lymph supplying that particular muscle group. The muscles are now weaker as they are expelling more energy than needed, which can leave you drained and tired.
With osteopathic assessment and treatment we have the ability to search for these muscle tissue tones and imbalances in the spine. We find it, fix it, and leave it alone for the body to self heal and self regulate.
Home exercises tips
lay on the floor and place a tennis ball on one side of the lumbar spine and roll around on it massaging the musculature. Then do the other side. It will most likely feel tender but breathe it out.
Bring both knees to your chest to stretch your low back out and rock your knees towards your check
The famous Cat-Cow yoga pose. This is activating the musculature and bringing motion into the area. Motion = lotion.
As an Osteopath servicing the Okanagan, I have clinics in Kelowna & West Kelowna. Please contact me to book in an appointment