Backpain is a pain

Whilst it may be tempting to follow that statement up with a snappy or click-bait ‘but it doesn’t need to be’ the fact is that for some people osseous structures mean that their skeletons are less tolerant to movement and load than others.

However, this post is aimed at the majority of people for whom that is not the case.

By far the most common presentation of backpain is what is known as ‘extension intolerant’ backpain,  what this means is it is provoked by extending the lumbar spine, in other words archon the back or leaning back causes pain.

One of the most common mistakes I see clients with extension intolerant backpain, which often occurs along with feelings of tension in the hamstrings, is assuming it can be resolved by attempting stretch those self same hamstrings.  Whilst it is correct that there is a correlation between feelings of hamstring tension and lower back pain , it is not a causation.

I recently posted this little video to social media with my thoughts on this which I hope is helpful