How Can Sports Massage Help My Lower Back Pain?
Posted on 24th January 2023 at 13:23
We see so many clients with lower back pain and, if you’ve experienced it yourself, you’ll know just how miserable it can be. Some patients may only experience mild pain, however it can also be severe and disrupt your everyday life. If this is you, you might want to consider having a sports massage.
How can lower back pain occur?
Back pain happens when muscles are too weak, too tight or, more often, not in balance. Low back pain can then appear to be caused by a fall or an injury. You need to treat the presenting injury but also address the underlying muscle imbalance that led to the lower back injury.
It’s also common for people to develop lower back pain without a specific injury. Many cases of low back pain we see don’t have a specific onset: it just seemed to start one day and got worse over time. While life seems to only get busier, our lives have become more sedentary with working in offices and, now, working from home. As a general rule, we don’t move enough, and this affects our muscles as well as our joints, which leads to back stiffness, discomfort, and pain.
What is lower back pain?
Lower back pain is an impairment of the soft tissue that supports the ligaments, muscles, and tendons. There are various reasons why this can happen:
Improper lifting of heavy objects - bend those knees!
Prolonged sitting at a desk - try standing once an hour when your watch beeps!
Leaning over a sink – skip the washing up! (This one isn’t true – consider posture while washing up instead)
Running on uneven surfaces – unless you only want to run on flat surfaces, just take care!
Sudden movement or fall – tricky to avoid this one even with the best intentions!
Improper body posture – finally give in to the friend who wants you to do yoga!
Gradual overuse of muscles – don’t skip your warmup or cool down!
As massage and sports therapists, we aim to reduce your pain and improve your movement as much as possible so you can live your life pain-free.
How can sports massage help with lower back pain?
Regular massages over the course of a few months can provide a remarkable remedy to lower back pain as they provide substantial healing and pain relief. When the correct muscle is targeted, the pain can be controlled at its source resulting in quicker and lasting relief.
When you have tightness in your lower back muscles, a massage helps warm up muscles, increase blood and lymphatic circulation, and encourage more healthy nutrients to move around the body and remove more toxins.
You should also use a foam roller and prickle balls, and make sure you’re stretching regularly. There are lots of apps you can use to help show you which stretches to do – or ask us for recommendations.
The role of relaxation in treating lower back pain
Massage has also been shown to reduce stress through physical and mental relaxation. This also applies to lower back pain, as it relaxes the nervous system, allowing for more pain-free movement. Massage relaxes the muscles physically but can be used in conjunction with other interventions to get the best results.
For example, where a client complains of lower back pain due to sitting for long periods, we find that massage of the hips and glutes in addition to the lower back have been shown to have a huge impact on reducing pain. By identifying any related weak and tight muscles, we can get the best possible results using massage and exercise.
Get in touch today to get on the road to recovery from lower back pain.
Tagged as: back pain, chronic pain, fitness, healing, health, inflammation, injury, movement, posture, relaxation, workplace
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