Are you struggling with annoying back spasms that keep returning or won’t go away?
If so, then you’ll want to keep reading…
Muscle Spasms are a key indicator that a compensation or imbalance issue is going on with your body…
I like to tell my patients at Life Chiropractic that spasms and other symptoms are simply the body’s way of communicating to you. In our culture we are not taught to “listen” to our bodies. The body is always communicating. Often it starts as a whisper and if ignored it eventually turns into a scream….like incapacitating spasms.
Imagine for a second you’re lifting a heavy package of food from your car and need to bring it inside your house since you’re hungry and the frozen stuff is going to melt…
You notice your back having to work harder to lift the bags out of the trunk or back seat, but once you get it in the house and put it down, your back spasms into this ball of tightness!
Why does this happen?
Most people immediately assume it’s a problem with your muscles and in our healthcare system that is focused on shutting down symptoms we typically resort to things like:
- Heat – heating pad and jacuzzi
- Muscle Relaxants
- Massage
- Stretching
All of those sound like reasonable approaches but there is a big piece that is missing. We make the assumption that the muscle is the problem. Sometimes muscles will spasm if you are low on key minerals and electrolytes like calcium, magnesium, and potassium. But, when it comes to low back spasms those are rarely the culprit.
This begs the million dollar question
Why does this happen?
Well, you had to use extra effort with your BACK MUSCLES to lift those heavy bags instead of other muscles in your body that could have done a way better job than your smaller back muscles…
This isn’t the problem yet, since you lift things every day. You had to lift and put the bags into your car and nothing happened.
The vast majority of the time….more than 95%….the problem isn’t your muscles. Could you use to exercise and balance your muscles? Probably!
The Problem is the Underlying Imbalances
When the joints of the pelvis and lumbar spine are not moving properly it causes the body to compensate and use other joints more. This in turn results in irritation of the nerves that exit the spine and go to the muscles. It also results in muscle compensating for these imbalances by working harder than they should.
Imagine having to do this multiple times over and over…day after day….week after week.
Doing more things like bending over to pick up your shoes, socks, play with the dog on the ground, raking leaves, and lifting more things off the ground…
Do this over and over with a compensation pattern like this…
- Restricted Pelvic Sacroiliac Joints
- Restricted Lumbar and Lumbosacral Joints
- Nerve irritation causing some muscles to weaken
- Nerve irritation causing other muscles to tighten up
What just felt like a little back spasm is now turning into lots of back spasms and eventually:
Pain…
The Muscles ARE NOT the Problem
To reverse this pattern – you need to find out what in your body is NOT helping your back lift properly…
What is the underlying imbalance?
What is your back compensating for?
If we stop and consider how the body works we can get a powerful clue about what is the underlying driver of the problem.
The muscles cannot go into spasm unless there is involvement of the nerves that power those muscles. In fact the muscle cannot do anything without nerve supply.
Muscles cannot do their job if the joints they move are not working properly. Every muscle moves a joint since that is their purpose.
Where in your body are you not getting the support, movement, and function you need to help your back when it needs it?
This is how you get rid of those little spasms and stay out of back pain for good.
If you want us to find out what your root cause is to back spasms and clean up any compensation patterns happening in your body…
You can schedule your Initial Evaluation at Life Chiropractic in Grass Valley using this link: Schedule Here
About Dr. Berkowitz
Bringing more than 3 decades of practice experience, Dr. Bill Berkowitz focuses on balancing and corrective care, applying his expertise to provide patients with predictable, repeatable and measurable results.
Dr. Bill consistently strives to enhance the well-being of his patients by addressing the root imbalances of their problems and promoting optimal balance, alignment, and function of the spine and nervous system.
Bill’s wealth of knowledge and experience has allowed him to develop a nuanced understanding of the human body and its intricate connections. With each adjustment, he supports the body in returning to a state of balance that goes beyond mere symptom relief, focusing instead on long-term correction for his patients’ well-being.