Monday, March 21, 2011

Got Lower Back Pain?

As paddlers, we use our core muscles, the abdominals and back muscles, to stabilize our body and give us power in our stroke. One of the many muscles we paddlers use is the Quadratus Lumborum (QL), located deep in the back of the waist, on both sides of our lumbar vertebrae. It attaches from the lower ribs to the pelvis and the lower back. When the Quadratus Lumborum contracts unilaterally, it brings the spine and pelvis closer together, raising the hip. When the QL contracts on both sides of the spine, it is responsible for extension of the lower back. Trigger points in this muscle can cause referred pain in your lower back.



The image above (left) denotes the location of the QL, while the image above (right) depicts the location of referred lower back pain.

As paddlers, the Quadratus Lumborum easily becomes an over-worked muscle, as we often find ourselves hiking our hips as we carve into and out of eddies, brace through rapids, and roll our kayaks. When over-worked, the QL can give us a deep aching pain in our lower backs. Through stretching and self-mobilization, it is possible to loosen the QL and relieve lower back pain.


Stretching:

One stretch for the QL involves lying on a bed, on your side, with your back toward the edge of the bed. Extend the top leg backward and downward toward the floor. Turn the upper body slightly in the opposite direction, toward the middle of the bed. Reach up with your “upside” arm. You should feel a deep stretch in your back. Remain in this stretch for a few minutes, and move to stretch the QL on your other side.



Tips:

  1. Start with your pelvis stacked completely vertical, one leg on top of the other.
    Do not let your pelvis roll backward off the bed until you are more experienced with the stretch.

  2. To further deepen the stretch, you may stack a few pillows underneath your
    waist.

3. The farther the upper leg hangs off the side of the bed, the deeper the stretch will feel.

Self-Mobilization/Self Massage:

Find yourself a tennis ball, or something circular of about the same size.

Lie on your back on the floor, place the tennis ball between you and the floor, just below your ribcage, but near the spine on one side. Roll around on the tennis ball until you hit your QL. You’ll know when you are in the right place, because if the QL is the source of your back pain, you will feel some pain and tension. Once you feel this, stay in that location, and roll around on the ball for ten minutes or so. If the pain is too great, lift some of your body weight off the ball, or find a larger ball to roll around on. This is a quick and easy way to massage the muscle on your own.

This can also be done standing upright, back to a wall, with the tennis ball between your back and the wall. Start moving your body against the tennis ball and slowly work down your back.

Finally, be careful how much self-mobilization you do in one day. You may be VERY sore the next day. However, overtime, you should notice a decrease in lower back pain.

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I hope all of you with lower back pain are able to find some relief with these stretches and mobilizations!

Kim Russell




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**Kim Russell has a B.S. in Human Physiology from the University of Oregon. She is currently working as a Physical Therapist Aides, earning glances into stretches and mobilization techniques for paddlers. These techniques are ones that she has found to work for herself in releasing the Quadratus Lumborum Muscle, and may not be suitable for some individuals. Consult your physician before trying any of these stretches or mobilizations.**



5 comments:

Anonymous said...

I will do anything to relieve lower back pain. My lower back hurts all the time. Thanks for the tips!

Depuy Pinnacle Lawsuit said...

Thank you for this informative blog you have which talks about some options on how to get rid of lower back pains.

Pinnacle Lawsuit

Anonymous said...

Yes right, it is very sore but by the end of the day long you will have a free back pain. If you have some time you can consult a chiropractic expert for back pain.

All the best,
Rachel
seattle chiropractic

ketz said...

Great pictures explaining how lower back pain occurs. This had been my problem for so many years but with proper exercise with the help of my physical therapist, the pain had gone.

best Fairfax chiropractor

Josh Bailey said...

Thanks for the great post.
Seattle Chiropractic Center
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