Did you know that up to 80% of Americans will experience some form of lower back pain in their lives? [1] I didn’t either, but I can believe it! So many people have written to me asking for advice on how to fix their low back. The questions were so overwhelming that I was inspired tombecome a certified Postural Alignment specialist and create a series on how to stay pain-free for the entire body (not just the low back) . The Postural Therapy series is designed to re-align the body back to its normal function using your muscles. It’s a method that has helped me many years ago and thousands of people around the world. The only issues with this type of therapy is that it doesn’t address your joint capsule and sliding tissues.

That brings me to Mob Therapy series which is a very comprehensive system that addresses not only your muscles but first and foremost your joint capsules, sliding surfaces and motor mechanics. I started to develop this series upon becoming a Movement & Mobility Specialist. I was trained by Dr.Kelly Starrett – a doctor of physical therapy and one of the most respected coaches for world class athletes. His method allows professional coaches to help their athletes to  improve their mobility and motor control without having to rely on chiropractors and physical therapists. What does that mean for you? More work, haha! However, you’ll be finally resolving pain and improving your overall athleticism with only 12-15 minutes of mobility work a day. Only ZGYM members can access it though, so if you’re looking for a cost-effective way to train at home, let this series be reason enough to join. If you’re unable to do the series, at least use this guide to figure out the causes behind your back pain.

Back Pain: The Culprits

There are many reasons as to why you’re experiencing low back pain. It could be due to pregnancy or the natural part of getting into your senior years. You could also be using improper lifting techniques either at the gym or when doing heavy work like home improvement. Very different things such as smoking, depression, and anxiety are also linked as surprising factors behind lower back pain. [2] [3] Currently, obesity as a cause for lower back pain is under debate (but it’s something to keep in mind if it applies to you). [4] However, there are stronger triggers with more research to back them up.

These include:

• Too Much Sitting: Sitting is dismantling our posture. All of the slouching and tight hip flexors that come from sitting down too much pull on the lower back, causing the familiar pain and discomfort people often complain about. Sitting also turns off the glutes (aka, the booty) and cuts us from one of our main sources of support. (For more on the consequences of excess sitting check out this older- but still relevant- post.)
• Lack of Movement: Not only are we sitting too much, but we’re also not moving enough. Our sedentary lifestyles have kept us from fully using our muscles and using them to their potential. The simplest tasks quickly become a hazard because we can no longer bend, twist, lift, or jump properly. Even climbing a flight of stairs becomes strenuous because we’re so used to taking the elevator or escalator. People are now vulnerable to abnormal movements that could hurt the lower back.
• Poor Posture: Postural imbalances are both a cause and symptom of lower back pain. If they’re due to sitting down too much or not being active, then they’ll create low back pain. And if we have low back pain and try to “adjust” our posture to relieve it, we’ll create even more imbalances. Bones do what muscles tell them to do. The body will recompensate to whatever you train it to do (usually by placing itself into unstable positions).

While these are some of the top culprits behind low back pain, there are others to consider, such as:

• Poor Mobility: If all you do is cardio or strength work, then you’re missing out on a very crucial element of your training: Mobility. You don’t have to be a contortionist but it is essential to have a normal range of motion in all your joints. You’d be surprised how uncommon that is even amongst professional athletes and coaches. Most people focus on their looks or performance, yet having a normal range of motion gives you the base for proper movement mechanics, which makes you naturally better athlete. Can athletes break world records even with poor movement mechanics and mobility? You bet they can. They do it with their will power and incredible work ethic, however, they’re taxing their bodies, creating injuries and leaving a lot more power and potential on the table.  Having a good mobility also prevents issues like back pain by reducing tightness throughout the entire body. Lower back pain that’s the result of stiffness requires mobilizing the hips, glutes, and hamstrings, hip flexors and even your upper back all of which are anchored to it.
• Lack of Core Strength: The core isn’t just a nice six-pack. It’s basically a corset wrapping itself all around your body, including the lower back. You could even call it a back brace. Neglecting your core may result in back pain due to failing to activate or use it properly.
• Incomplete Movement Mechanics: In other words, bad form during exercise and daily movement. Motor control errors can potentially create conditions for over-tension problems and compensation strategies. I have never had a problem with mobility, however, just recently I had to clean up my movement patterns during exercise which made a huge difference for my hips, lower back and overall strength. It takes more effort to learn proper movement mechanics since most of us have never been thought how to do that, but once you get it down, you’ll be surprised how much power and strength you’ve been leaving on the table.  Movement patterns are often tricky because you just can’t trust your own feelings and perception of your movement. Our bodies love to compensate. That’s why you can’t trust your body’s feelings completely. Just because it feels like your back is straight during deadlift or a push up doesn’t mean it’s true. It’s important that you stay on top of that and record yourself often doing exercises or use a mirror (or partner) when you workout and teach your body how it should feel when your back is actually straight.
• Overtraining: Both athletes and active people need to watch out for overtraining. That’s when you’re constantly exercising to the point that your body only has the chance to break down instead of building up. Rest days and proper recovery with flexibility, mobility, sleep, and nutrition all play a role in keeping your muscles in optimal condition. Failure to do any of those things overtaxes the body and leads to torn muscles and tendons in the lower back.

But if none of these possible causes applies to you, then your lower back pain could be a more serious issue, and you should go to see a doctor when:

• You have any injury, pain or condition that doesn’t feel right, is unfamiliar, suspect or appears to be more severe than you’re comfortable with
• You have encountered a traumatic injury (slip and fall accident, car accident, direct blow to the spine or hips, any traumatic joint even such as buckling, hearing a “pop” or “snap” sound, feeling that the joint is unstable)
• You have a constant pain that is doesn’t get better by rest and maybe present or worse at night.
•  You have any pain that is not responding as expected. Movement quality and pain should be improving after 2-3 mobility and motor control sessions. Rest is the common term for removing a specific stress that is causing pain. If you’ve been avoiding any specific stresses for more than 3 days (approximately the acute phase of a minor inflammatory process) and the pain is not decreasing.

What to Do

If your back pain is excruciating, then I first suggest you get to a doctor immediately. If it’s nagging but not enough to leave you feeling crippled, then see a chiropractor to get sorted out. Afterward, work to mobilize the joints and surrounding tissues in the lower back a couple of times a day (10-15 minutes at a time) for a few weeks. Other things that can be done include therapeutic massage, standing more frequently (especially if you’re sedentary), inversion therapy, electrotherapy and ultrasound (there are some great devices for at home use),  and doing my Postural and MOB Therapy series. Combine all of these with your doctor or chiropractor’s recommendations, and you should be free of pain in no time! But remember, just because you fixed your pain does not mean it won’t come again. You need to stay on top of your recovery to keep yourself limber and safe. Otherwise, you’ll be right back where you started.

Sources:

[1] https://www.healthline.com/health/low-back-pain-acute
[2] https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/284869.php
[3] https://www.health.harvard.edu/healthbeat/the-pain-anxiety-depression-connection
[4] https://www.verywellhealth.com/obesity-and-back-pain-297008
[5] https://www.webmd.com/back-pain/causes-back-pain#2
[6] https://www.healthline.com/health/low-back-pain-acute#diagnosis