Introduction:
If you’ve ever had lower back pain that keeps coming back, then this is for you.
This is important because falling into the trap of short-term pain relief for your lower back pain is not the answer. By acknowledging and understanding this it will set you free. Hands on treatment for lower back pain is a short-term fix. It has a role, but for a set period of time. It will give you a dopamine hit. Just like a chocolate bar, or a cup of coffee or a scroll through your social media. It feels good in the moment. You will feel better, albeit temporarily. If lower back pain is not treated beyond the hands-on treatment, it has a high chance of reoccurring. This will leave you frustrated, anxious and vulnerable to relapses.
The impact of not moving beyond short term relief:
This can impact activities such as picking up your children and staying active enough to keep the weight off. Over time this reduced confidence and weight gain can impact your physical wellbeing and your mental health.
I don’t want that for you.
I want you to have the strength and support around your lower back that your body needs to succeed. Whether this is picking up your children, keeping active to keep the weight gain at bay, or putting your shoes on in the morning.
I want you to improve your well-being and mental health by having the confidence to get more active again. This will flow on to you achieving your goals and desires, whatever that may be.
So here is what I want to share with you today:
Hands on treatment provides short term relief
Hands on treatment for the lower back has its place. It will loosen tight and sore muscles off and if the right treatment is applied, loosen stiff joints around the area that is sore. This will take pressure off the area that is causing you pain, making you feel better. This is essential as pain has a major impact on your focus, your mood, you physical and mental well-being. Yet alone your relationships, your ability to do your job and hobbies.
This will open a window up for you to address the true causes of your issue. If you have the right treatment plan, this will be part of the plan. Your pain will be reducing from hands-on treatment. To further help this, targeted and specific exercises must also be prescribed at home to give you pan relief. This may include foam rolling, Lacrosse ball work or movement exercises. This serves two purposes, it aids pain relief. Additionally, it starts teaching you habits to look after yourself and not rely entirely on a practitioner to help your lower back pain. Behavioural changes are just as important as the physical changes to address lower back pain.
How to treat beyond pain relief – the real solution.
Once the pain is reduced, the fundamental key is for treatment to extend beyond pain relief. Here is where most people get caught. They are under an illusion that they are “better”. All that has happened is the compensation and tightness around the lower back area has subsided, leaving you “feeling” better. This requires a mindset shift from yourself. You need to focus more on strength targets in your rehabilitation rather than just pain resolution targets. This can be poorly explained from therapists. However, at Freedom Sports Medicine, it is part of our DNA.
At Freedom Sports Medicine, we use a simple traffic light system. That is pain relief and resolution occurs in what we call the “red zone”. This is where hands on treatment is applied. Additionally, specific and targeted home exercises will be used to relieve your pain. This will put a smile on your face and make you feel more at ease. By getting into a routine with the red one exercises, it prepares you well for the next zone.
The importance of the amber and green zones.
Next is the “amber zone”, where we start fixing the foundations behind your ongoing lower back pain. These 3 key areas are your legs, your hips and your core. Through coaching and mentoring you we help to keep you accountable with a progressive exercise plan. In the amber zone, this is combined with hands on treatment at this phase.
Without strength and support in these 3 key areas, it can leave the back vulnerable. Weakness in these 3 areas leads to more pressure being placed on the lower back. Causing pain and reduced confidence. The key here is to gradually reduce the need for hands on treatment as you build the support around your lower back.
The green zone is where the magic happens. This is where you build true confidence and resilience in your lower back. You rock towards your strength targets and achieve the goals you truly desire. You hve changed, you have moved beyond the temporary dopamine hit towards achieving full resolution.
If this sounds like something you would be interested in, please click the link below to book an appointment.
We will hold your hand through the entire process.
Listen, I hope this was helpful
Ross Kinsella
