Dooley Noted: 2/26/15
In my 20s, I had chronic low back pain.
Fittingly for Throwback Thursday, I found a picture of me unpacking luggage at age 21.
Note that I am hinging through my low back, with almost zero hip movement.
I limited the range of one of the most mobile joints in the body, and I traded it for spinal instability.
I didn’t have help then.
In chiropractic school, I learned I shouldn’t let people adjust my low back.
Although my low back felt tight and painful, it moved far too much already. That is precisely why my muscles felt tight.
They were attempting to lock me down and create stability.
I haven’t had my low back adjusted in years.
My therapists treat adjacent segments that aren’t moving enough.
I learned to hinge through the hips and provide my back with stability.
I work hard to create more spinal stability with abdominal drills and better habits.
I haven’t experienced low back pain in ages.
Your movement strategies may be undoing you.
And if muscles are tight, they don’t always need to be stretched.
If the instability you created is causing you pain, get assessed.
Correct these daily habits that help recreate your pain.
As always, it’s your call.
– Dr. Kathy Dooley