Category Archives: Lower Back Pain

A True Story Of Natural Low Back Pain Relief

Lori was on the verge of having surgery for the pain in her lower back.  Her neighbor insisted that she see me first.  I’m a neuromuscular massage therapist and specialize in pain relief.

Bodies are really smart.  They get pain for reasons.  Usually the reasons involve muscles.  And that’s good news!

Because muscles can be treated. 🙂

According to one researcher, muscles are probably responsible for 90% of our pain.

90%!

Back to my story about Lori and the pain in her lower back:

Even though Continue reading A True Story Of Natural Low Back Pain Relief

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Cool Tool To Get Rid of Lower Back Muscle Strain

Got pain in your lower back?  Do you think it might be muscle strain?

Some people have too little curve behind their waist and some have too much curve.  This article is for the flat-backed folks who have too little curve behind their waist.

You used to have a curve in your lower back behind your waist.

The curve pointed inward toward your belly.  In fact, you HAD to have that curve in order to learn to walk.

But then you started Continue reading Cool Tool To Get Rid of Lower Back Muscle Strain

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Which Muscles In Your Lower Back Can Cause Sciatic Pain

Are you having pain in your lower back that radiates down into your hip or leg?  It might be sciatica or pseudosciatica.

True sciatica involves pressure on the sciatic nerve as it leaves the spine.

Pseudosciatica  or ‘false sciatica’ is caused by pressure on the sciatic nerve by muscles next to your spine called QL.  Pressure can also be caused by the gluteal muscles (buttocks) as it starts the journey to your leg.

The QL or quadratus lumborum muscles are often the cause of nervy pain called sciatica that runs down your leg.  They are also the cause of  lower back aches.

Sometimes they are called the four-sided devils.  (They do have 4 sides.)

These muscles on each side of your waist are called QL’s for short.  The quadratus lumborum muscles are used for twisting and tilting.

Golfing can aggravate them as can any twisting or tilting to the side.  Twisting while Continue reading Which Muscles In Your Lower Back Can Cause Sciatic Pain

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Does Your Mattress Cause Morning Low Back Pain?

Do you wake up with pain and stiffness in your lower back?  I did, too.  But I was only 30 years old at the time!

I thought it was me but when I got a new mattress, like magic, I was ‘cured.’

Sometimes your mattress is too soft for you.  If it’s more like a hammock, that’s too soft and your muscles can be strained when you lay in the deep pocket.

If your mattress is too hard, it doesn’t Continue reading Does Your Mattress Cause Morning Low Back Pain?

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Simple Way To Relieve Lower Back Pain – Part Two

Lower back pain?  Last time we talked about a simple method to relieve your low back pain.  Here’s Part Two.

The last lower back pain relief article ( <–click here to read) said to lay on the floor with your legs at 90 degree angles at the hip and knee. Both calves were supported on a chair seat or similar piece of furniture.

Please click on the link and read everything before you go on. Thank you!

Here is the Continue reading Simple Way To Relieve Lower Back Pain – Part Two

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Simple Way To Relax Your Lower Back

When your lower back hurts, it might just feel like a little muscle strain or you may have much more uncomfortable pain than that.

Whether it hurts a little or a lot, here’s a simple way to relax the muscles in your lower back:

Note:  Please read everything before you try this.

It involves getting down on the floor.  Do this only if you are certain that you can get back up, feeling as you feel now. Or, make sure Continue reading Simple Way To Relax Your Lower Back

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Massage Helps Bodies Heal From Lower Back Pain

Laurie had low back pain.  She only came to see me (I’m a neuromuscular massage therapist) because her neighbor insisted.  She was already scheduled for lower back surgery.

The thing about surgery is it creates permanent changes.

The thing about therapeutic massage is it assists the body in healing.  It is all-natural.  No weeks of healing from incisions.

Today lower back surgeries are done much less frequently than they used to be.  The reason for this is Continue reading Massage Helps Bodies Heal From Lower Back Pain

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Massage Can Get Rid Of Upper Back Pain, Lower Back Pain and Neck Pain

You can get rid of upper back pain, lower back pain and neck pain naturally with Complementary Alternative Medicine (also known as CAM.)   🙂

It’s called ‘complementary’  because it can be used along with conventional medical treatment.

There are a lot of reasons why CAM helps and research backs it up.

An interesting study from the National Institutes of Health (the United States government’s health arm) tells about the benefits of massage, chiropractic and acupuncture (3 types of CAM) for neck and back pain.

And an article I just read indicates that people would have even more neck and back pain relief Continue reading Massage Can Get Rid Of Upper Back Pain, Lower Back Pain and Neck Pain

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Gentle Movement Will Help Get Rid Of Lower Back Pain

Pain in your lower back can often be reduced or eliminated with tiny movements.  You might think something small wouldn’t be effective for pain relief but, in fact, small is big.

You can relax your lower back with gentle, subtle movements.  In fact, that may be the BEST way to find muscle pain relief.

Painful or aching back muscles could be kind of ‘stuck’ and you cannot force them to relax.  They are contracted.  But you might be able to gently guide them into relaxation.

Here’s some background:

When you were born you were curled into a rounded-back position, kind of like a little ball.   After a little while you began to stretch your arms and legs.  Then you rolled over and arched your back in the opposite direction of that newborn position.

You pushed up with your arms and lifted your head.  Why?

You were preparing the muscles around your spine and torso to walk!  You were creating the natural curves in your back that you needed.  If you have ever really looked at a little child, you have seen those curves.

But now you have lower back pain.

You may have lost Continue reading Gentle Movement Will Help Get Rid Of Lower Back Pain

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Gentle Movement Therapy Gives Lower Back Pain Relief

Lower back pain can be helped with gentle, thoughtful movement.

When your lower back muscles are tight, they are not in the mood to stretch or be stretched.  But gentle, repetitive, tiny movements can help them relax.

If you have pain in your lower back small movements work better than trying to “stretch it out.”

I’m looking at a device in a catalog that helps you move in a slow, rhythmic way while you lay on your back.  In fact, this device actually does the movements for you and it costs $199.  But, do you know what?

You can do those movements yourself without the device.  🙂

The idea is that Continue reading Gentle Movement Therapy Gives Lower Back Pain Relief

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