Low Back Pain + Massage
Have you ever had low back pain? If you answered yes, you know how debilitating it can be. And, you are not alone. Low back pain is the second most common cause of disability in US adults and a common reason for lost work days. What do you do to help that low back pain? Take some Tylenol or Ibuprofen? Wait it out and suffer through it, hoping it will go away on its own? MAYBE try a couple of stretches?
You don't have to continually cover up the pain! Especially those of you who suffer with chronic pain, there is a way to treat the problem instead of continually treating the symptoms.
Yes, you may have guessed it, massage therapy. Massage is a great tool to release the muscles in and around the low back, including the gluteus (butt) muscles and all of the muscles up your back. It may even include releasing the abdominal muscles! How does massage work to release this tension and pain? Great question, I'm glad you asked. You may have seen me talk about Trigger Point Therapy in other blog posts or on my website. Basically, a trigger point is a knot. A knot that refers pain to an area of your body, maybe your low back. Trigger points are made from injury or overuse in an area. So, if you are bending over all of the time, using your low back all of the time (who doesn't?), or sitting a lot, trigger points can be created from your muscle firing so much. The next thing you know, you have stubborn low back pain that won't go away.
This is where massage comes in. Through massage, I can work out those trigger points and let them release. Releasing the trigger points through massage techniques lets the muscle relax, and not be in a constant state of contraction. And the best part is, that once those trigger points release, you will feel better! The back pain will decrease and you notice more range of motion in your low back as well.
Now, I want to say that everyone has a different healing length, and it all depends on how long you have been suffering. If you have had low back pain for 7 years, you cannot expect it to go away with one session. But, if you just recently have been noticing some pain, it's much more likely that you will notice a decrease in pain more quickly. Those of you who suffer from chronic pain most likely will take a few more sessions to release each layer. As we release more, it is likely that we will find more trigger points deeper in the tissues. You probably will still feel better from session to session, just not 100% yet. It will take some time.
At the end of your session I will also recommend stretching, using a foam roller, using our pain relief cream to help the inflammation release and lots of water and ice. Having a self-care plan and utilizing it is a great way to help your relief stay. It’s also empowering to have some ways to help yourself!
If low back pain is something that effects you, please reach out. I can and want to help you live a better, more mobile, pain free life. In fact, at the ripe age of 19, I was suffering from low back pain. And through massage therapy, I was able to help my muscles release and now only experience tightness from time to time when I over-do an activity or don't take care of myself for too long.
You can take some of this into your own hands at home! Of course for function, so much of it depends on how you are taking care of and loving your body and spirit. We also have an e-course with guided foam rolling techniques for general use and seven different areas of the body, how to use the Trigger Point Ball, and 10 spots we always use it for & 10 different stretches! It’s a great resource to return to again and again. Working on yourself at home can have a great affect on your body between appointments and keep you feeling great!
Best of Health,
Nikki
