Lower Back Pain (LBP) is typically a nasty ‘grumbling’ pain that occurs between the costal margins of the lowest rib and the gluteal folds (top of the bum). It is the most common cause of chronic sickness in men and women under the age of 45yrs and, according to the National Institute for Health & Care Excellence, costs the NHS more than £1bn per year (can you believe that?) LBP has three varying grades of severity. Simple backache, Nerve Root Pain and Serious Spinal Pathology. Today we are looking at Simple Backache, the most common of the three.
Before practicing Pilates I had a run in with LBP and it wasn’t pleasant. Common sense would say, although you can never be sure, the main contributing factors were: Being tall/collapsing into one hip for years (not a good look FYI) and a short spell in a horrible desk job resulting in spasms and sciatica. I know I would say this but after trying Pilates for just 6 weeks my discomfort completely disappeared. So when I started my training to be a teacher a few years later I knew that I wanted to explore the LBP route further. I eventually passed all the necessaries and qualified as a ‘Backcare Professional’ It has been such a helpful skill as I would say 80% of my clients have LBP issues in varying forms. As Pilates teachers we aren't expected or qualified to diagnose but as more and more people are being advised by medical professionals (GPs, Osteos, Chiros) to take up Pilates, the more informed we are the better, right?
Despite its name, simple backache is far from simple. Incredibly painful and not straightforward to fix we cannot always know the reason why it happens because in the majority of cases the root cause is multifactoral. Of course when we are in pain it is natural to want answers and search for meaning, but trying to assign a concrete biological reason to explain why something hurts can actually hinder the healing process. Don't get disheartened if no-one seems to be able to give you a consistent diagnosis. There is still light at the end of the tunnel as there are lots of ways we can help ourselves.
We can start by considering unhelpful habits in our day-to-day life where small adjustments can make a big difference. When was the last time we changed our mattress? Do we position our laptop in such a way that causes us to ‘hunch over’? Is our comfy sofa a bit too comfy giving us zero support & a bad posture? According to the Chartered Society of Physiotherapy‘staying as active as possible and returning to all activities gradually is important in aiding for recovery’ So if you are finding certain activities are causing you grief don’t give up on them altogether just reduce the amount of time you spend engaging in them and slowly build it back up again over time. It is natural to feel disheartened but we are designed for movement and staying sedentary will prevent recovery in the long run. And finally, pain doesn't always equal harm or underlying injury. Of course I am not encouraging a masochistic approach to our LBP but let's hold things lightly. We would all prefer our injuries to heal at a progressive, steady pace until eventually all of our pain disappears and we can return to our normal selves but it doesn't always work out that way. Stretching and activating muscles we haven't used in a long time can lead to soreness whilst challenging the range of movement in joints can make them a little inflamed. Frustratingly, things sometimes need to get worse before they improve. Patience with your body will help you get there quicker.
Oh and Pilates. Lots of Pilates…..