The muscles of the back are multi-layered with no muscle crossing over the spine at the mid-line. The deepest of the spinal muscles are short, strong and supple extending from one vertebra to the next. So long as the muscles on each side are of equal length and strength, the spine will remain straight, upright and stable. The middle spinal muscles are attached from the pelvis branching out from the vertebrae right up to the base of the skull. Their job is to maintain the upright balance and the fine-tuning of all the major spinal muscles.

The largest and most superficial muscles are the latissimus dorsi a broad V-shaped muscle called the “Pull-down” muscle that serves as an important postural muscle when lifting and standing. On the other side of the lower back is the trunk and abdominal muscles which have the role of balancing out the backward extension of the powerful back muscles, by exerting a forward pull or flexion allowing us to bend the spine forward.

Our backs are very vulnerable to compression damage from de-hydrated disks to shortened tightened lumbar muscles that can lead to back-ache from all the overuse and eventual wear and tear.

Outside of colds and flus, backache is the single biggest reason for absence from work in the industrialized world. The most common cause of acute back pain is poor posture! Over 60% of clients coming to see us at Stretch are not coming because they are primarily inflexible; they come due to back pain from poor posture. Slumping over a desk or leaning to one side carrying an infant or standing more on one leg due to pelvic instability, bad posture will cause the spines’ natural curves to change and muscles will tighten and weaken. Spinal disks will compress and shrink and loose their bounce and elasticity. As your head starts to poke forward the muscles on the back of the neck weaken and the spine will be pulled out of alignment. A chain reaction throughout the kinetic chain occurs.

These 4 spinal curves act like a spring to give resilience to the natural forces of gravity ( 14.7 lbs per square inch) as well as absorbing the shock waves from the impact of walking which can be up to 1.5 times your own body-weight. When you go for your regular body scan to assess these spinal curves you must make sure they are all correctly aligned. Looking side-on, the centre of gravity should be running straight through the cervical and lumbar spine. It is essential to make sure that the spine is not too straight and not too curved which will totally change your centre of gravity and body mechanics. The spine and surrounding muscles and ligaments will therefore not be able to absorb the structural and functional stresses and will inevitably lead to overuse problems and all the ensuing muscular spasms and nerve entrapment etc.

KYPHOSIS AND LORDOSIS

An excessive upper back curve is called Kyphosis and an excessive lower back curve is called Lordosis. It is common for us to see both types of curves at the same time. This is called Kypho-Lordotic. These excessive curves will cause a shortening of certain muscles and a lengthening of the opposing ones. It is important for therapists to identify the shortened tissues first as they will be overactive and will need lengthening. Their opposing muscles will be weak and underused. Retraining and strengthening will help the body structure to stabilize and return back to its anatomical neutral position.

OTHER CAUSES OF BACK PAIN

Back pain can also be caused by muscle weakness from lack of exercise. If you under use muscles they become slack and cannot contract fully. They lose their integrity and tensile strength and cannot support the tissues and structures that they surround. Therefore the back and the spine loose their correct position. Sedentary jobs and lifestyles is a major cause of back aches.

Certain sports can cause postural asymmetry. My wife Sylvie is ambidextrous and can play tennis as well with both hands. Her balance between left and right sides is ideal. Most people will over-develop one side of the body and it will pull the spine out of alignment causing a C-curve or an S-curve especially in the mid thoracic spine. The mobility in spinal forward and side bending will be compromised. Compression syndromes will occur and eventually pain will rear its ugly head! 

WHAT NOT TO DO!

Don’t lift heavy objects with a bent back! This action will double the compression on the spinal joints. Most people have weak backs from too much sitting and inactive lifestyles.

HOW TO ALLlEVIATE BACK PAIN

As body workers and Stretch therapists, we recognize that the Psoas or hip flexors play a huge role in the structure of our lower backs. This muscle acts as a deep abdominal muscle as it lies very deep in the abdominal cavity. It attaches to the front surface of the lower 5 lumbar vertebrae and compresses the lumbar disks when contracted as in a sitting or bending position.

Core abdominal training is essential to remove the stress and pressure away from the spine and lower back muscles. Like all muscles the abdominals work as a shock absorber and an inhibitor of the lumbar spine.

The spine is able to move in numerous directions. The greatest range is in forward flexion as in forward bends. (140 degrees) Backwards extension is 15 degrees. In side flexion 45 degrees. The most rotational range comes from the thoracic spine (45 degrees) although the cervical spine has the greatest all round range of motion.

I recommend that you test your spinal range of motion and see where your restrictions are. Having a full range of motion without pain has to be your goal. Strengthening these muscles and joints is also key to maintaining good spinal stability.

If you have a back ache, lie on your back so that weight is taken off your spine. Place a bolster or pillow under the knees or have the hips and knees at right angles by placing your legs on a chair whilst lying down (The Psoas position).

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