Hi,
I'm Dr.
Kim and if you've been struggling with lower back pain,
You're not alone.
I have 10 years of experience and have helped over 4,
000 people heal chronic lower back pain.
In this audio,
We're going to dive into the top reasons why your lower back hurts so you can understand what's happening in your body and take the first step towards real relief.
Let me just tell you,
Lower back pain isn't just something you have to live with.
It has causes and when you understand them,
You can start to heal yourself.
So let's explore the most common reasons why your back might be hurting.
Number one,
Poor posture and prolonged sitting.
This is one of the biggest culprits of lower back pain.
When you slouch or sit for periods longer than six hours without moving,
Your hips tighten up,
Your lower back muscles become weak and your spine compresses.
This imbalance creates strain and discomfort over time.
If you're sitting a lot,
Make sure to take breaks at least every half an hour to stand up,
Walk around and move.
Also,
Be very mindful of your posture when you're sitting and standing but that's a topic for another day.
Reason two,
Muscle imbalances and a weak deep core.
Your lower back works in partnership with your deep core,
Glutes and hips.
If one of these areas is weak or tight,
Your lower back has to compensate.
A weak core is a major culprit in most people and this has been studied in many,
Many research journals.
A weak core means that your spine lacks proper support,
Leading to strain and injury.
Strengthening your deep core,
Improving your hip mobility and strengthening your glutes helps restore balance to your spine and reduces pain.
Reason three,
Stress and emotional tension.
You heard me right,
Pain isn't always just physical.
Stress and emotional tension can manifest as tightness in the lower back,
Especially the emotion of repressed anger.
Your nervous system plays a huge role in how your muscles function and chronic stress can keep your back in a constant state of tightness.
Deep breathing,
Relaxation techniques and gentle movement can help to regulate your nervous system and release this stored tension.
I specialize in combining these relaxation techniques with targeted movements to reduce emotional stress,
Release stored emotions like anger and balance your muscles all at the same time.
Might as well kill two to three birds with one stone.
Reason number four,
Nerve compression and disc issues.
Sometimes if you're unlucky,
Your back pain is due to nerve compression coming from herniated discs causing sciatica.
This happens when the discs in your spine bulge or degenerate,
Pressing on nearby nerves.
If your pain is sharp,
Radiates down your legs like an electric shock or worsens with certain movements,
A compressed nerve could very well be the cause.
What do you do in this case?
Addressing the underlying balances in your glutes,
Deep core and hips,
Like I mentioned before,
Can help to relieve a lot of pressure on the nerve and restore function.
On top of this,
You need to be practicing something called nerve flossing,
Which gently stretches the nerve through the spinal cord canal and stretches the nerve down your leg in a very gentle way to help mobilize and start healing up that nerve.
Reason number five,
Lack of movement.
Your spine is designed to move and when it doesn't,
It becomes stiff and painful.
Many people avoid movement because they're afraid of making their pain worse,
But in reality,
The right kind of movement is often the solution.
It has been studied that bed rest is the absolute worst thing you can do for your lower back pain.
The answer lies in gentle mobility work,
Long walks and my personal favorite,
Somatic exercises,
Which help to lubricate your joints,
Ease stiffness,
Restore natural function and like I mentioned before,
Helps to take away stress,
Release stored emotions and calm down your nervous system.
Understanding why your lower back hurts is the first step to healing.
After seeing over 4,
000 clients,
I can tell you that the reason behind your pain is likely a combination of all of the things I mentioned previously,
Like poor posture,
Muscle imbalances and stress.
The good news is that your body is resilient and with an all-natural,
Holistic approach,
You can easily achieve a pain-free,
Healthier back for the rest of your life.
If you found this information helpful,
Take a moment to reflect on which of these reasons might apply to you.
Remember,
Healing starts with awareness and small consistent changes.
I have seen people heal decades of chronic pain with just dedicating 15 minutes a day to the right somatic exercises.
I'm Dr.
Kim.
Thank you for joining me today and taking the time to learn about your pain and your body.
If you are interested in learning more about healing your lower back,
Please feel free to check out more of my content on Insight Timer and also have a look at my Insight Timer bio.
Happy healing and see you tomorrow.
