UKC

When i bend my head so my chin touches my chest it hurts my mid/lower back, mainly on my right side. I drive a desk and run 4/5 mile during my lunch. Running seems to ‘loosen’ my back.
Last time I had this a few years back the doc’s give me some Naproxen and codeine, it worked great but doesn’t appear to have treated the root cause. Any ideas what’s up? Are there any stretches which may help? I have tried foam rolling but this hasn’t helped.

In reply to goldmember:

Check your workstation and get a footrest and new chair if needed. http://www.gla.ac.uk/myglasgow/news/archives/2015/september/headline_419317...
Picture here

In reply to goldmember:

See an Osteopath for a full assessment. The initial consultation will take your case history plus some treatment, and subsequent sessions will be treatment and continual evaluation. They may help to unlock your back muscles that are causing the problems, they'll probably suggest some changes to make (as said ^^, your desk), and they may refer you to your GP or a specialist. Your GP will tell you to stop running.

I see an Osteopath every few weeks, the stretches that they've taught me are invaluable, my back (with similar symptoms to those you discuss) is greatly improved.

I find that climbing (mainly indoor) is the one thing that completely opens and stretches my back, luckily.

This is personal preference; I try to avoid anti-inflammatory medication where possible, but there are times when I resort to it.

In reply to two_tapirs:

The osteopath is so good that you have to go every couple of weeks?
I bet he has strong hands from rubbing them together every time that you book in

In reply to goldmember:

I find regular yoga keeps it at bay. Lots of back stretching and back bending exercises without even thinking.

If I've been slack/ spent too much time at my desk then I go for a proper 1 hr sports massage to loosen things up then try and get back into a good stretching routine.

In reply to goldmember:

Might be worth a bit of gentle gym work, particularly dead lifts. Would advise you get an assessment from an osteo etc first though to make sure there's nothing more sinister going on.

In reply to goldmember:

Obviously you'll need a proper biomechanical assessment, but desk work and running can be a lethal combination, between them they tend to shorten muscles at the front of the hip, causing pelvic tilt that puts strain on the lower back muscles. In my case it also exacerbated shortened piriformis muscles due to turned out feet, and general weakness and inflexibility in the posterior chain.

Climbing training can also put things out of whack, as you overdevelop the large muscles in the upper back and the core at the front, while the chest and lower back don't get the same kind of workout.

As edunn says, regular yoga practice will help get things back in alignment, but a good physio can help identify the areas that need the most work, and speed things up with deep tissue work. I went to a lot of osteos over the years, and a couple of physios, before finding the physio who gave me a genuinely holistic view of my problems and the correct solutions, so finding the right practitioner is key.

In reply to goldmember:

Pilates is also good.

In reply to Dave the Rave:


When I hurt my back, I see a guy who does the Bowen Technique and I only ever need one session. I used to have a few back issues after giving myself a compression fracture of t11 while bouldering.

In reply to goldmember:

doctors wont treat the root cause of things like this they just give you relief so you can get on with life, not my idea of treatment but there we go.
If its work thats causing the problem with your back then they will have to provide more suitable arrangement for your workspace
display screen equipment - this should be just below eye level, if not get a riser
chair - should be at the correct height for you and if its not adjustable then you need to get a different one, or try a saddle stool or z stool.
im sure there are other things that are available like a back rest you could try.

In reply to goldmember:

I'm with edunn on this - yoga. The cause of my back pain was never identified despite xray, MRI, biomechanical assessment. I went to countless practitioners over the years - chiro, osteo, physio - who can treat the short term pain but no more. I now do yoga every week and my back and core muscles have strengthened to the point where I am no longer in constant pain and in fact haven't had a serious flare up in two years.

If you do seriously consider yoga, try to find a teacher who is qualified through British Wheel of Yoga as, in my experience, they are by far the best teachers.

And, as a climber, it gives you wonderful flexibility for those high step ups.

In reply to NottsRich:


This^

The only thing I'd add is some stretching such as pancakes and backbridges (there are easier variations).

In reply to Ciro:

Any golden nuggets / tips you could share from your personal experience?

Your situation sounds absolutely identical to mine.

Doing my best to do all the usual stretching and strengthening, but have struggled for years.

Any less obvious advice welcomed.

In reply to Dave the Rave:


Ha, I can see how my post read It's ongoing maintenance for arthritis that's been aggravated by a climbing fall. I never said I was cured, just improved. I was actually down to a monthly session, but too much time on a project has caused a flair up.

In reply to plyometrics:

Have you tried self myofacial release?

The basic technique is you find the sore spots in the tight muscles, and apply a constant pressure, not releasing until you feel the pain start to ease off, which usually takes about 30 seconds. Sometimes you'll feel a burning sensation before it starts to ease off - alarming at first but all part of the process. Doing it regularly really helps reduce pain and speed up the gains in range of motion from stretching.

This is a great tool for getting into the the lower back, buttocks and hamstrings: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Physiomed-THE-ORIGINAL-BACKNOBBER-II/dp/B0036LQOQE...

There's a chap called Kelly Starrett who has some free stuff on youtube, and a book called Becoming a Supple Leopard, available from all good book stores for those who don't like copyright abuse... has some good ideas for promoting movement of the soft tissues with lacrosse balls, broom handles, and all sorts. Be prepared for real pain though... when you start adding movement on top of the pressure it can get to the point where it makes you want to puke.

As they say, no pain no gain though... I put myself through a daily hour of self-torture for about six months, and haven't had to enter a phsyios office in the three years since (before that I'd got to the point it would need treatment two or three times a year).

I worked around pretty much all the soft tissues from my lower back to my ankles, but paid particular attention to my short and tight piriformis, psoas and hip flexor muscles, and the erector spinae muscles that were overworked by my poor posture.

Another tip I got from that physio - when trying to correct pelvic tilt in your posture, you need to think about the thoracic spine as well - if the pelvis tilts forward then you also tend to hinge backwards around the bottom of the ribcage to stay in balance... trying to correct one without the other is doomed to failure.

Hope that helps

In reply to Ciro:

I'm afraid your link doesn't work.

In reply to goldmember:

I was going to say Pilates too, my back is much better if I do a weekly class.

In reply to Ciro:

Fantastic. Thanks for thorough response.

Have been doing the trigger point / myofascial release stuff, but probably nowhere near enough. Just find the bum / hip areas so difficult to treat easily.

But like you say, no pain, no gain!

Will check out Kelly Starrett, sounds interesting.

Glad your situation has improved.

Thanks again.

In reply to Fraser:

Oops, it's called the Back Knobber II - there are other similar devices on the market, but that's the only one I used so I can't comment on the differences.

In reply to plyometrics:

No worries


Yeah, can be tricky... the back knobber is pretty good - experiment with seated and lying positions for getting into different parts of the glutes.

The lacrosse ball is the best tool for really getting into it thought, if you can hack the pain... some days I just couldn't bring myself to do it youtube.com/watch?v=mkS75DzL3ig&