Banish your backpain
- Related Injuries: Back
January 10, 2014
Dave asked The Guru for the following Physiotherapy Advice:
hi – for a few years now I’ve been suffering from pelvic instability, causing back pain and stops me exercising for several weeks at a time.Instead of treating the symptoms (some muscle work and correcting the pelvis “location”), I am interested to hear if you would have a plan of action to resolve this permanently. I have been doing pilates and bikram yoga, but no real success so far.
Interested to hear the Guru’s views and see if there is value in visiting. (I work near the Paternoster branch).
Regards
Dave
* left pelvic drop, right rotation.
Dave
January 10, 2014
Hi Dave
Think of the body as a closed system when it comes to available range of pain free motion.
If one bit becomes painful due to too much uncontrolled movement (instability) then another bit of the body simply doesn’t have to move as much (closed system).
Your body (unfortunately) doesn’t care how it gets from A to B, as long as it gets there. In doing so it’ll take the path of least resistance (the bit which moves the most)…..and so the cycle continues.
People love to quote pelvic position as it sounds very, very hi tech, but the reality is the SIJ has minimal angular and transitional movement. This can’t be accurately measured and ask 10 qualified people in a room and your get 11 different answers.
SIJ problems very rarely happen in isolation (leap out of a window and land on 1 leg and maybe it’s a pure(ish) SIJ problem), but the vast majority are because of something else. The pelvis is the symptom, but never the cause (windows accepted!)
Stiff but painless thoracic spines cause painful unstable pelvic regions.
Pilates is good ONLY if you’ve got the ability to move better in your thoracic region. Yoga of any flavour makes your mobile bits more mobile and your stiffer bits stiffer. Together, it’s like taking a step forwards or on the spot (Pilates) and huge step backwards (Yoga).
Yoga and MSK pain just don’t mix…
I’m sure the team at St P’s can help….
