Are you suffering with acute or chronic low back pain? Do you often feel tightness or stiffness in your low back area? We have found that most of our patients with low back pain have trouble activating their glutes. Seems odd but what happens when your glute muscles don’t work properly, you make your low back muscles work overtime. No one likes to work overtime, especially the back. Have you ever heard the saying, “it was the straw that broke the camel’s back?” Well that isn’t necessarily true. Your body and especially your back probably have been giving you some kind of warning signs over the years but with everything else that life throws our way, it is easy to ignore the warning signs until you literally can’t move correctly anymore. Stop ignoring the signs and start doing something about it. Keep these simple yet effective exercises in mind to do daily to keep that back healthy and strong. Of course in addition to these exercises, Mindful Chiropractic would love to be your chiropractor of choice to get you out of pain and moving well!

1. Hip Flexor Stretch

• Try doing this stretch seated or standing
• Great to do if you sit at a desk all day
• 3 sets of 30 seconds, 3 times daily

2. Clam Shells

• Great to strengthen your gluteus medius/minimus
• Keep you hip forward
• You should NOT feel this in your back
• 3 sets of 10, or to fatigue

3. Hip Series

• Technique is key in this series
• Keep your hip forward
• Keep your foot flexed
• 3x10 up and down, clockwise and counter-clockwise the size of a basektball

Low back pain is a very common complaint we see at Mindful Chiropractic and Wellness at our Irving/Las Colinas office. Many times patients come in complaining of sciatica, piriformis syndrome, disc bulges, and just overall chronic low back pain. Today we want to talk about 10 tips for improving low back pain- whether you are suffering from long term back pain, or acute sciatica, these things are proven to work with our patients.

1. Exercise your Core – Your inner core muscles provide so much support and stability to your low back muscles. When your core is weak, your back is weaker than it should be. These muscles are not worked often throughout the day, so we need to be doing targeted core exercises to strengthen and support our back daily.
2. Stretch Hamstrings– As we get older, our hamstrings get tighter and our quadriceps get weaker. We need to be diligent about stretching our hamstrings at least 1x daily to reduce the strain or pull on our sacroiliac joints. By releasing tension on the hamstrings, it can help alleviate low back pain.
3. Get Quality Sleep - Approximately two-thirds of people with chronic back pain suffer from some type of sleep disorder. If you aren’t sleeping well, then you aren’t’ healing well and the vicious cycle will continue. Try to get quality sleep to help improve your low back pain.
4. Adjustments – When your spinal segments are out of alignment, it causes unnecessary stress on the muscles and joints. To prevent further degeneration of the spine and to cause the muscles surrounding the spine to relax, it is recommended to see a chiropractor. We would love to be the chiropractor you chooseJ
5. Active Release Technique (ART)- ART treats conditions related to the build-up of adhesions and scar tissue in muscles. These adhesions cause several problems: muscles become shorter and weaker, the motion of muscles and joints are altered, and nerves can become compressed. As a result, the affected tissues suffer from pain, decreased blood supply, and poor mobility. ART is very effective in relieving these issues and helping our patients get better more quickly.
6. Epsom Salt Baths - Studies have shown that magnesium and sulfate are both readily absorbed through the skin, making Epsom salt baths an easy and ideal way to enjoy the amazing health benefits of reducing inflammation, helping muscle and nerve function, and flushing toxins away. Plus, they are super relaxing. I can’t recommend Epsom salt baths enough to aid in the healing of your low back pain.
7. Glute Activation – We have found that if your glutes are not firing, then your low back muscles are working overtime. We need to get the small muscles in your glutes such as gluteus medius and gluteus minimus to begin activating to give the low back a break.
8. Engage your Brain - Pain specialists have long understood that pain is not absolute; it is more complicated than just a sensation. The way your brain interprets and processes pain signals plays an important role in how you perceive your pain. At Mindful Chiropractic, we determine which brain hemisphericity is weaker and develop ways to strengthen that cortex to help with the healing process.
9. Knock Down Inflammation – Where there is pain, there is inflammation. Inflammation is easy to see outside of the body when you have a cut or scrape but inflammation happens inside the body too. To aide in knocking down inflammation, consider these supplements, however always consult a doctor before use:

Turmeric (2-4g daily)

Vitamin C (2,000 to 4,000 mg daily in divided doses throughout the day)

Essential fatty acids (EFAs) (1,000 mg twice daily)

Vitamin D (at least 5,000 mg daily)

10. Stay Hydrated - I tell my patients to drink the number of ounces of water equivalent to half their weight. In other words, if you weigh 160 pounds, you should drink 80 ounces (ten 8-ounce glasses) of water every day. Anything less shortchanges your entire body and can lead to more pain throughout the body. Stay hydrated and notice a healthier, happier you! 

If you have any questions regarding the above information or would like to make an appointment, please call 972-719-9101 or email info@mindfulcw.com. We look forward to serving you!