Lower back pain is one of the most common issues people face today, and let’s be honest—it can slow you down in more ways than one. But here's the good news: you don’t need to rely on medications to get relief. In fact, the key to eliminating lower back pain might be simpler than you think. It starts with retraining your body to move properly.
Whether you're sitting at a desk for hours or lifting heavy objects, the way you breathe and position your body can either protect your lower back or set it up for pain. So, let's dive into how you can alleviate lower back pain naturally by focusing on proper movement, breathing, and posture.
Understanding the Root Cause of Lower Back Pain
Pain in the lower back is rarely just about the back itself. In my practice, we often say, "Pain is always the victim; the culprit is the joint putting strain on it." For many people, poor hip and shoulder stability, ineffective breathing patterns, and dysfunctional feet are key contributors to back pain.
Let’s break it down:
Hip Stability: Your hips provide the foundation for your pelvis, which directly affects the lower back. If your hips aren’t stable, your lower back compensates, often leading to pain.
Breathing: Many people miss out on the importance of proper breathing mechanics. Shallow chest breathing leads to poor ribcage and pelvis alignment, putting strain on your back.
Foot Function: If your feet aren’t functioning properly (e.g., poor control over pronation or supination), it throws off your entire body's alignment, causing issues that travel up to the lower back.
By addressing these three areas, we can retrain your body to move in a way that prevents strain on your back and keeps you pain-free.
Breathe for Relief: 360-Degree Breathing
It all starts with the breath. Most of us breathe shallowly into our chests, but this type of breathing can compress your ribcage and put strain on your lower back. The goal is to breathe into your entire torso—360 degrees of expansion from your pelvis up to your ribcage.
Here’s a simple exercise to practice this:
The 3-Month Supine Position (from DNS):
Lie on your back with your knees bent and feet flat on the floor. Place your hands on your lower ribs. Take a deep breath in through your nose, focusing on expanding your ribs outward, sideways, and into your lower back. As you exhale, feel your ribs drop down and your core engage. Repeat this for 10 breaths, and notice how much more relaxed your back feels.
Stabilize Your Hips with the 90/90 Hip Lift
Next up—hip stability. Poor hip control often leads to overcompensation in the lower back. To strengthen and stabilize the hips, one of my favorite exercises is the 90/90 Hip Lift from the Postural Restoration Institute (PRI).
Here’s how you do it:
Lie on your back with your feet on a wall, knees bent at 90 degrees, and your lower back gently pressed into the floor.
Without lifting your back off the ground, use your hamstrings to pull your pelvis slightly off the ground. You should feel your glutes and hamstrings engage.
Hold this position while taking deep, 360-degree breaths, just like you did in the supine position. This exercise stabilizes your pelvis, which will reduce strain on your lower back.
Perform this for 3 sets of 8 breaths.
Get Your Feet Working with Arch Control
You might not connect foot function to lower back pain, but if your feet are not properly supporting your body, that misalignment can travel all the way up to your back. Learning to use the arch of your foot effectively is crucial.
A simple way to start improving foot function is to work on controlling pronation (flattening) and supination (lifting) of your feet. Here’s how:
Stand in a lunge position.
Slowly shift your weight from the heel towards the front of your foot. As the knee moves over the foot, you should feel the arch dropping towards the floor. As you move your knee backwards, you should feel the arch rising off away from the ground
Focus on maintaining a slight arch without collapsing your foot. As you get better at controlling this motion, it will become easier for your body to balance and support your lower back.
4. Keep Moving
When you are in pain, the first response is to stop moving. This may be the worst thing you can do for your body. Moving your body allows blood flow to the injured areas, this allow nutrients to be moved into that area. It also helps clear out inflammatory byproducts that are used in the healing process.
This does not mean push through pain to make it better. You need to keep the movement as pain free as possible. This is necessary immediately following the injury.
Examples of gentle movement that you can use after a back flare up are cat cows, spinal segmentation, hip controlled articular rotations, split squats, and positional breathing exercises.
Wrapping It Up
Lower back pain doesn’t have to be a lifelong issue. By focusing on proper breathing, stabilizing your hips, improving foot function, and strengthening your core, you can get relief without relying on medications. The best part? These simple, everyday movements can reduce pain but also prevent it from coming back.
If your back pain has been bothering you for a while, it might be time to take a deeper look at what's really causing it. At Kalamazoo Chiropractic & Rehabilitation, we specialize in finding the root cause of your pain and helping you move pain-free, so you can get back to the activities you love!
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