Lower Back Pain? Stretching Causing It?

Ah, lower back pain. Most, if not THE most, complain you will hear or have in your lifetime. What is so mysterious about this area and why does it keep getting hurt? Time after time again? ( Cue the 80's theme song here). Today we are going to get into why stretching might be the worst decision when you have pain in this area. I know how ironic that sounds, coming from a website dedicated to stretching, but there are instances where you can and can't stretch. And where stretching can actually hinder healing. Let's start with lower back pain.

I will show how people get lower back pain in the first place for a whole other blog post. But once you HAVE the pain, here is what to do and not do.

Our backs, and especially our lower backs, have the most flexible ligaments in our entire body. And noticeably around your lower back there is less fatty tissue and more room for ligaments to move on their own. This is because if your legs can't handle the load you're putting them under or they need extra help for a move you're doing, your back is the second powerhouse group that helps your legs, mostly your ligaments. The problem comes in when you repeatedly start using your backs flexibility over and over without giving it a break. You know what they say, too much of a good thing is a bad thing. This is super true regarding your back.

what happens when you overuse your lower back? Because it's located right above your hips, the ligaments pull and stretch more than they should compared to say your shoulder blades. This "pain" in your lower back is not from a muscle. It is actually from overstretching and overuse. The sharp pain in your lower pain is the feeling of the microtears burning caused by overstretching a ligament. That causes inflammation, almost feels like very awful arthritis in your lower back. This is why you should NEVER stretch your lower back if you are in pain. If it is tight then yes, please stretch. But if it is legit pain, do NOT stretch it.

These ligaments need ice, and they need time to heal and shorten back up. No heat on your lower back either! This irritates the inflammation. If you have lower back pain, try and realize if it is just tight or it really hurts, and you need to take a break from using it or going to your yoga classes to let that area heal. Most lower back pain is caused from people having tight legs, the pain goes to their lower back, they freak out and start stretching their back as much as possible, only to make things worse, and now they're stuck in a constant cycle of Advil and yoga classes, none of which help.

Please try and recognize when and for what to use stretching. Your lower back is such a sensitive area that I don't want anyone to hurt themselves more in this area then need be. Use this article to your advantage and notice the signs of a tight back before it is a problem.