Low back pain is not life threatening but life limiting

What if we could break down movements, and then build them back up in a way that felt safe?

I saw a post on Instagram, that stated low back pain is not a life threatening condition. I 100% agree that having pain in your lower back is as a rule, not life threatening. However, it can be life limiting when we experience pain, especially when we're experiencing it either in an acute setting or on a long term basis. 😫 We adapt our life, the things we do, the places we go, the activities we participate in based on the pain we have.

What if we could change that? What if we could break down movements, and then build them back up in a way that felt safe? 🧱 I know what it feels like to experience low back pain. I've been there. It hurts. It makes you angry and frustrated and dependent on other people to do things you normally could do.

But when you experience pain of any kind, the first thing you have to do is assess the danger to your system. There are pains and problems out there that must be addressed medically 🩺

You might have to limit the way you move for a few days, but you really shouldn't be doing that on a long term basis. The longer we adapt to the pain, the more used to it, it becomes. We then lose the ability to do those movements and feel safe in them. We believe when we are in pain that something is wrong, and something is dangerous ⚠️

I'm going to use an example here. If you get to pay for a cut it hurts. It hurts a lot. Or if you stub your toe. But, you know, it's likely going to heal, without too much trauma, too much bother from you. You might put a bandaid 🩹 on your paper cut or rub your toe or look accusingly at the piece of furniture you walked into. But you don't change your entire lifestyle based on that pain.

Most people who have experienced low back pain, are concerned that they may in fact have a disc problem, such as a disc herniation or a bulge. Sometimes that's referred to as a slipped disc. What if I was to tell you the majority of people with those symptoms, resolve completely on their own without surgery or intervention 😱

Low back pain limits our life. It's not life threatening. But maybe it is, if it doesn't allow us to be the people we want to be. To play with our kids, to pick up our grandchildren, to run and jump, to do exercises that we love, to dance, to get up and out of bed without difficulty, or to put on our socks 🧦

My role as a physiotherapist is to slowly and cautiously help you reintroduce movement, and to find ways to help your body and your brain feel better about that movement 🤸‍♂️

Your fear is real, your pain is real. But there are ways to address it. Simply by finding the right way. Unfortunately, that's not as simple as it sounds. 🗣There's no single movement that works for every person. We're all individuals, therefore individual programs are perfect.

Spending time with a health professional 🥼 to design and help you find those movements is even better. If you're at home right now and reading this, and know that right now is not the best time, financially or otherwise, just to help deal with the pain you're experiencing...well here's an experiment.

I want you to stand up and sit back down. If that caused you pain, ask yourself, what did you do? Did you hold your breath? If you did, this time breathe out. If you didn't hold your breath, this time, hold your breath. Do you see where I'm going? If you used your hands to push you up by the chair,🪑 this time, do something different. This was something I learned recently. Do something different, and it should change immediately. If it's not a positive change, throw it out. Try again.

You are more versatile and resilient than you will ever know. Your low back pain is not your master. Please feel free to contact us, either for telehealth or an in person appointment or to find someone local to you, who can help you on this journey 💙

Nicola Robertson

Registered Physiotherapist