According to research, most people at some point during their lives will have lower back pain. For those of us who are less lucky, lower back pain might be an ongoing problem – but fear not! I’ve helped many people overcome back pain, and I can likely help you too. Today I will cover many of the muscles I treat with massage therapy for lower back pain, and why.
Touch your belly, just underneath and to the left of your belly button. Deep in there lies your Psoas muscle. Now find the outside of your hip, and move around to the front until you flip over a ridge and into your pelvic bowel. It might be hard to believe, but deep in there lies your iliacus muscle. Sometimes these two muscles are collectively thought of as the “iliopsoas.”
How can these muscles contribute to lower back pain? Here’s a list:
1. Trigger Points in these muscles can refer pain into the lower back.
In essence, trigger point therapy is the science of how pain in a nearby muscle can refer pain elsewhere. Using the trigger point roadmap, we can see how tightness in the Psoas (or Iliacus) can refer pain directly into the lower back, or front of the thigh.
2. Tightness in these muscles can cause excessive anterior tilt.
Basically, because of the position of the Iliacus, a shortened Iliacus can cause the pelvis to move into excessive anterior tilt. This anterior tilt can lead to other compensations and weaknesses. Note: many professionals will also say a tight Psoas causes excessive anterior tilt. This is unlikely to be true, as the Psoas is not in a position that can cause this movement through the pelvis. To learn more, check out The Psoas Solution by Dr. Evan Osar.
3. Tightness in either the Iliacus or Psoas can cause jamming in the pelvis.
Have you ever been to a chiropractor and been told your SI Joints are stuck or your sacrum or pelvis is out of alignment? This is the area they are referring to. Your Psoas and Iliacus muscles both cross these important joints, and they may be keeping them “stuck” and out of alignment. Soft tissue work in this area can help.
Have you ever had pain in the side of your lower back? It’s likely because you have a cranky “QL” or Quadratus Lumborum. How can this muscle cause back programs? A tight QL can misalign your pelvis.
How can a tight QL misalign your pelvis? Take a look at the picture of the QL again. Notice how it attaches to the flat hip bone (ilium) and the ribcage. Now Imagine if you were to shorten that muscle, and how it would move the pelvis up and ribcage down, changing the position of the pelvis, until it looked this:
When your pelvis is in an upslip because of a tight QL, a number of unwanted compensations will occur.
When people think of glutes, most people think of the largest, glute max. However, there are two other glutes that are just as important! These are your glute medius (med) and glute minimus (min).
How can a tight glute med or min result in lower back pain? Let’s take a closer look:
1. Trigger points in the glute med/min can refer pain across the lower back, or even down the leg.
2. Tightness in the glute med/min can lead to pelvis misalignment, just like the QL. How? In order to understand this, let’s cover the glute med’s primary function, and what happens when it fails:
In the last section, we covered how the adductors work with the glute med and min to stabilize the hip. Therefore, weakness, or tightness, in the adductors can lead to the same pelvic problems and lower back pain
This list is by no means exhaustive, but these are the muscles a find are the most involved in lower back pain, and the ones that benefit the most from trigger point therapy, myofascial release, and massage. That said, just because you have lower back pain doesn’t mean muscular tightness is the only problem. Research is showing the coordination and motor control also play huge roll in lower back pain. After we reset these tissues with massage therapy, I can help you fix these movement deficits for optimal results.
Pain Solutions Massage Therapy & Personal Training
Phone: 415.518.2125
Email: ben.beeler2014@gmail.com
Hours:
Monday: Closed
Tuesday: 8:30am-10am, 1pm-7pm
Wednesday: 8:30am-10am, 1pm-7pm
Thursday: 8:30am-10am, 1pm-7pm
Friday: 8:30am-10am, 1pm-6:30pm
Saturday: Closed
Sunday: 2pm-6:30pm
