Back pain: the missing piece

There's one mistake I see people with (usually back) pain make over and over again. I call it the hyperfocus mistake.

It's essentially that they only treat the area that hurts.

I mean, when your lower back hurts, it makes sense to focus on your lower back. You stretch it, you strengthen it, you rub it with creams, you get massages... Sometimes it helps a bit, but rarely for long. And if the pain keeps coming back, it's probably because:

Your body isn't a collection of separate parts.

You are made of systems that run through the whole body: nervous, respiratory, lymphatic, digestive... and your muscles are wrapped and connected by layers of connective tissue called fascia. What happens in one place rarely stays there.

Here are three things I always look at beyond the painful area.

Your nervous system. You know it, it's the major command center. Persistent pain keeps your body on high alert. Until that alarm quietens down, your body will keep tensing up and guarding. Helping you relax is always my top priority.

Your relationship with your body. Living with pain can make your body feel foreign, even hostile. I love working with gentle self-massage there: steady pressure calms the nervous system and reminds you that your body can also feel good.

The balance between stability and mobility. Some areas need more strength, others more range of movement. Too much of either, and pain tends to find a way.

I hate the word holistic because of how it's been used to try to justify pseudoscience,

but it is unfortunately the best way to describe my approach.

If what you have been doing with doctors and physiotherapists hasn't gotten you enough results, consider adding a bit of yoga as a complement. You might find it was the missing piece :)

A little, often.

Clem