Tag Archives: Back pain

Is your back pain actually from your back?

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Is your back pain actually from your back?

We all have back pain at some point in our lives but often it’s not from our back directly. Ruling out medical issues like bulging disks, calcifying facet joints or Ankylosing spondylitis (AS) which should be diagnosed by a Doctor there are other muscular skeletal problems that cause pain and some of them are strangely unrelated to you actal back.

Piriformis Syndrome causes many issues that people call back pain but is actually caused by the Piriformis muscle impinging on the Sciatic nerve which causes pain from your hip down your leg. A badly inflamed Piriformis muscle can drop you to your knees with pain. There are specific stretches you can do to help stretch the Piriformis muscle but sometimes you need some help. Thai massage is incredibly good for assisting a stretch of this muscle and acupressure will also lengthen it to relieve the pain.

Most men, once they age a bit, have a common problem, tight hamstrings. You can’t efficiently stretch them yourself unless it’s very minor. Most me need assisted stretching and loosening of the muscle itself. This is not always a comfortable procedure but in the end it’s well worth it. Tight hamstrings throw the body mechanics of your hip out of alignment. A good thorough stretching can bring it back into alignment and reduce not only pain but also stress on our joints.

The other muscle group that we often have problems with is the Erector Spinae group, the two long thin muscles that go up each side of your spine. Often people complain about back spasms and this group or groups it attaches to are often the cause. It’s relatively easy to massage these muscles and stretch them so they are not stressed and have less tenancy to spasm or overly contract and tighten up. 

 Your back has a huge number of muscles working in tandem to keep you erect, let you bend and help you rotate. One muscle out of sync with the others can cause major problems.

One thing we’d like to say in closing, if you have joint pain – knee, hip, back or foot – reducing your weight by just one pound will take off the equivalent of 4 pounds of force on your joints.

Oh My Back!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

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Now this is something I can relate to.   Probably more men complain about back problems and Sciatic pain than anything else.

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In Asian countries the problem is less prevalent in their older generation of men and women. They traditionally sit on the floor and use squat toilets. This constant large range of motion keeps older Asians much more flexible than their Western counterparts and that leads to less back problems.

So, what can be done?

Baring a medical problem like compressed or herniated disks which your doctor can diagnose, lots of other things can cause a sore back.

First and foremost, and we can not stress this enough, you have to know that the condition is not medical in nature.  Injury, a ruptured or herniated disk and acquired conditions are medical problems and can’t be fixed with massage of any kind.  That’s just an unfortunate fact. Things like pinched nerves or locked facet joints can be relieved to some extent with Thai Massage, acupressure, stretching and manipulation.

Most men over 40 complain of back problems it’s almost a fact of life. The good news is most of them don’t have major medical problems. Men tend to lift poorly over their lifetime which adds to the problem. They also do not to stretch as much as women and thus as men age become less flexible and tight.  It’s that flexibility and tightness that Thai Massage can target in very specific ways.  It works for women as well by the way, especially after childbirth, where the spine has been stressed for a long period of time.

Men tend to have very tight hamstrings and calves, the muscles at the back of your leg. When your hamstrings tighten it throws your pelvis out of alignment which in return puts your lower back out of alignment.

There is also condition called Piriformis syndrome. This condition causes the Piriformis muscle, located in the buttock region, to spasm and causes pain.  The condition can also irritate the nearby sciatic nerve and cause pain, numbness and tingling along the back of the leg and into the foot. In 30% of the population the sciatic nerve runs directly through the muscle and any injury to the Piriformis muscle causes it to swell and pinch the sciatic nerve.  The good news is Piriformis Syndrome can be diagnosed by anyone with a 30 second test.  By manipulating your legs and making the leg muscles more flexible and elongated the stress on your lower back is relieved and the pain goes away. Unfortunately unless you continue to stretch on a regular basis it comes back.

Thai Massage is incredibly good for increasing flexibility by gently massaging and assisting in the stretching out of the muscles. If you could put your hands on the floor when you were a kid but now you can’t or can hardly touch the floor your leg muscles are too tight.

Thai Massage can help you over time to relieve a lot of the discomfort caused by lower back pain as Massage releases your natural endorphins. Those endorphins are released and help block pain signals from registering with your brain.

There are also things that you can do to stretch out your hamstrings and calves.  We can give you exercises to help at home.  Right after a hot bath is a good time as the heat relaxes your muscles. Take some Yoga classes or just go for a walk. With the help of Thai massage you can be feeling much better in no time at all.

Feel free to call us  250-442-1411 and discus any problems you are having.

By Marty Menzies
Alternate therapies are not a substitute for seeking medical advice from your physician

My Back Is Killing Me

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All of us have heard someone saying that, or worse say it ourselves.

In Asia the problem is less prevalent especially in their older generation. They traditionally sit on the floor and use squat toilets. This constant large range of
motion keeps older Asians much more flexible than their Western counterparts.

So, what can be done?

Lots of things can cause a sore back. First and foremost we have to know that the
condition is not medical in nature.  Injury, a ruptured or herniated disk and acquired conditions are medical problems and can’t be fixed with massage of any kind. That’s just an unfortunate fact. Sometimes things like pinched nerves or locked facet joints can be relieved to some extent with Thai Massage and manipulation.

Most men over 40 complain of back problems. The good news is most of them don’t have a major medical problem. Men tend to lift poorly over their lifetime which adds to the problem. They also tend not to stretch as much as women and thus as they age become less flexible. It’s that flexibility that Thai Massage can target in very specific ways and it works for women as well, especially after childbirth, where the spine has been stressed for a long period of time.

Men tend to have very tight hamstrings, the muscle at the back of your leg, and calf muscles. When your hamstrings tighten it throws your pelvis out of alignment which in return puts your lowed back also out of alignment. Also there is a condition called Piriformis syndrome. This condition causes the Piriformis muscle, located in the buttock region, to spasm and causes pain. The condition can also irritate the nearby sciatic nerve and cause pain, numbness and tingling along the back of the leg and into the foot. By manipulating your legs and making the leg muscles more flexible the stress on your lower back is relieved and the pain goes away. Unfortunately unless you continue to stretch on a regular basis it comes back. Thai Massage is incredibly good for increasing flexibility by gently massaging and assisting in the stretching out of the muscles. If you
could put your hands on the floor when you were a kid but now you can’t or can hardly touch the floor your leg muscles are too tight.

Thai Massage can help you over time to relieve a lot of the discomfort caused by lower back pain as Massage releases your natural endorphins. Those endorphins are released and help block pain signals from registering with your brain.

There are also things that you should do like stretch out your hamstrings. Right after a hot bath is a good time as the heat relaxes your muscles. Take some Yoga classes or just go for a walk. With the help of Thai massage you can be feeling much better in no time at all.