Back Pain

There is no miracle cure for back pain. The structure of the back and all things that contribute to it is so complex that it’s very rare we find only one thing going wrong. In truth, most back pain is the result of numerous factors operating dysfunctionally simultaneously. Remember, all parts of you are kinected.

The first thing you want to make sure and remedy is that you don’t have tight hips. Tight hips keep the pelvis rotated posteriorly, causing it aim backwards and create a hunch in the spine right from the base. This is bad. Tight hips is bad. Everyone you have ever met, has tight hips. Relax into yoga positions like pigeon pose, the straddle splits, the forward bend, and my favorite stretch; the couch stretch.

Next, make sure your rear end is operational. Yes, make you can actually physically flex your rear end with your mind. You don’t need to be Professor X to make this happen, but if you find it’s difficult then you have a problem that telepathy can’t solve. Not being able to consciously flex your rear end is known as “ass-amnesia.” The majority of people you will meet in your life will have to deal with some form of ass-amnesia throughout their lives. Any position that works on remedying tight hips also works on flexing your rear end muscle simultaneously. Do them. In addition, performing the single leg bridge is one of the most effective ways to isolate rear end function.

Moving forward from the rear, you then need to make sure that your transverse abdominus is turned on, and stays on. This is the deepest tissue layer of your abdominal wall and is vital for proper function through the core. You can activate transverse abdominus by practicing the McGill Crunch, the Torture Twist, or any movement you do so long as you know how to consciously flex it.

***If you are doing the Torture Twist, make sure that you ONLY rotate the shoulders. Do not rotate from the lumbar spine to achieve your twist.***

Then you have to make sure your posterior chain is both flexible and strong. This is the chain of muscle running from the back of your skull all the way down to your heels. Yes, your spine happens to be in this section. Exercises like Glute-Ham Developer Hip Extensions (or GHD Hip Ext, for short), the Deadlift, Squats are great. So are Founder Exercises by Dr. Eric Goodman, forward bends in yoga, and using the rowing machine.

Moving upward, the shoulders need to be in the right spot. Some of the best corrective shoulder exercises are also performance based ones that have been shifted away from the performance context. Hang from a bar, hold the front-rack position of a clean with a pvc pipe, downward dog in yoga, handstands from gymnastics, and even just engaging the lats to pull the shoulders back and down and rotate them properly. Anything you can do to get away from the shoulder moving forward, hunching upward, and internally rotating is the key, including this video series from Kelly Starrett. Shoulders should be pulled back, and downward, and rotated externally for optimum function. Most importantly, the lats should be engaged as they run the entire length of your spine and help brace it from the sides.

Lasty, the neck and head. They are the product of everything that they are resting upon. So if you’re all gunked up in the hips and spine your neck and head will have no choice but to be gunked up too. Once you have cultivated awareness of everything from the neck down, you can see how easily and naturally the head and neck will rest on your body if you press tall through the head while pulling your chin down and in. The Alexander Technique is a fantastic method for good head and neck posture.

Working to remedy back pain can be a huge pain in the ass! And neck! It comes from a cascade of different factors that all play into poor positioning. This is where the majority of us will experience back pain. For those of you experiencing back pain from direct trauma or surgery, these exercises could help, but make sure you do them under proper supervision of trained professionals. It can take years of work to change your physiology to a new baseline, so start working on this stuff today and keep working at it!