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Back Pain Lower Right Side, Morning Back Pain, Lower Back and Hip Pain...If You're Tired of Them, Read ON

One sided lower back pain, like back pain lower right side, is more common than you would believe! We see SEVERAL PEOPLE A WEEK with this symptom. Many of them have been to their MD, maybe a physical therapist, and possibly another practitioner like another massage therapist, or a chiropractor. Why would you still have pain after seeing all those professionals? Possibly because they are working with the symptomatic point of pain, not the pattern that is causing the pain in the first place.



Symptoms such as back pain lower right side, morning back pain and lower back pain are so common that it could be called epidemic. What has changed in the past decade to cause this much pain in the general population? Our work postures, and sometimes, our recreation. Most of us...me included, since I've been producing this website(!) spend much of our day at work seated. In the seated position, all of the muscles in the upper leg are shortened.

The pictures of the two stretches on this page, the standing hamstring stretch and the kneeling hip flexor stretch will help loosen up some of the chronic 'pull' on the pelvis which can cause tension and eventually discomfort. Some other stretches for tight/painful backsides are on another page about gluteus maximus pain.

Hamstring Stretch Outside

Shortened muscles in the upper leg
and glutes cause pressure on the low back, and over time can cause the muscles to squeeze harder and harder on the nerves, put more pressure on the area around the pelvis, and more pressure on all the vertebrae in the lower back. This pressure over time can cause pain, but the cause is not necessarily in the immediate vicinity of the pain. In this case, the pattern is usually found some distance from the 'problem'.

One pain causing posture many of us do all the time, is crossing our legs. This can cause a sinister tension pattern, many times creating Sacroiliac joint (also called the SI joint) pain - essentially a serious pain in the butt. If you are experiencing one sided low back pain (back pain lower right side), which may cross through your 'cheek', then pay attention to whether you are crossing the leg (of the side of the pain) over the other side. Some other factors that will contribute to back pain lower right side, left side, lower back hip pain , is sleeping on that side at night. For many structural reasons, from compressing shoulders and hips, to causing pressure and possibly pain in the TMJ joint (in your jaw), sleeping on your back can be a good idea. It is common in our field of work...or any structural work such as chiropractic, osteopathy, physical therapy...that the practitioners will inform you that back sleeping is a healthier position, due to the imbalance that the other positions create. If you think of the body in 360 degrees, when you are sleeping on your side, you are basically hunching your shoulders, causing a compression of the shoulder joint, as well as a shortening of the chest muscles. THEN there are those 'stomach sleepers', who can deal with a lot of issues, like how your head has to be 'squished' to one side in order to breathe. This severely shortens muscles on one side of the neck...a definite hazard to the structure, and musculature. Stomach sleepers often experience low back pain as well, due to the tilting of the pelvis, causing a shortening in muscles in the low back, pelvis and legs. If you are already sleeping on your back, but you are still experiencing back pain lower right side, you'll need to be careful NOT to let one knee kick out to the side (figure four leg position). This posture shortens the rotating muscles, which lie under your gluteus maximus muscle, in your rump.

So, these are some primary things we suggest to our clients with chronic pain patterns ( back pain lower right side, morning back pain, sacroiliac joint pain, hip and lower back pain) when the pressure resides in their upper legs and glutes (the usual suspects), causing pain into the low back:

Sleep on back, with legs as straight as possible, sometimes a low pillow under the knees can help at first.

Hip Flexor Stretch Sit balanced on your sit bones, reminding yourself continually to uncross your legs...sometimes it's useful to recruit your friends or your honey to remind you, since it's often a subconscious pattern.

Keep your feet parallel, and weight balanced when you are standing for a bit...in line at the bank, watching your kid's soccer game, etc. When standing, be conscious not to let your foot swing out to the side, or stand just on one leg.

Keep hamstrings, hip flexors and glutes stretched out. Right-Click here to download the GTS Massage Stretches for Low Back PDF file. (or just click to view in another window.)

And of course, get a massage from someone who can help you with keeping those muscles loose and relaxed!

Some of the products we suggest for our clients who have one sided back pain, are featured below. The Miracle Balls are great for getting into the hamstrings, IT Band, and sometimes you can position them to loosen up the quads and hip flexors as well. The foam roller works for the same job, but you will find that you like working with one or the other, depending on which muscles are your primary focus. It will also depend on how sore specific muscle groups are, and how you are able to position your body to work with them. The cold gel pack is a MUST HAVE in any home. Leave it in the freezer to always be ready, then put it in a pillow case and place it on the injured or inflamed area for a short time (most doctors will tell you 15-20 minutes at a time...no more than that, or you can cause a hypothermic -type reaction in the tissue, and it will be more inflamed afterward). A lumbar cushion is important for anytime you are sitting for long periods.






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