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1. Continuing Movements/Positions that Potentially Aggravate the Problem:
One of the most common reasons why most people have lingering back problems is due to continuation of the movements and/or positions that continue to aggravate the problem not even realizing if that is the cause.
For Instance: bending forward repeatedly in an awkward position; sitting in one position that tends to flare-up the issue, gardening, shoveling etc.
Exposing the problem repeatedly to movements that have been stressful to begin with only delays and prolongs your recovery time thus leaving you in a loop of pain and stiffness.
2. Not Doing Your Exercise Enough:
More often than not, I prescribe my patients with just one movement ( or maximum two) to address the Root cause of their problem. This approach is supported by research as it allows us to know clearly if that specific movement is helping or hurting the issue.
Common pitfall here is most people fail to perform this movement enough times during the day to create a lasting benefit to their problem. Also, a lot of people fall into the trap of looking for “more to do” to get benefits and hence make things even worse. In most cases, simple is the best thing to do to achieve lasting benefits.
3. Not Performing the Exercises Optimally Each Time:
This is another common mistake that people fall into is what we call as not getting into “end-range” when performing their exercise on their own. Most mechanical problems get full resolution only when joints are taken into end-range enough times meaning when you perform a movement or exercise, making sure you go as far as you can every single time.
Yes, every single time is key. Doing your exercise half-way will only get you to a plateau and not to full recovery as you were hoping for and it is easy to get frustrated and give up altogether.
The devil is in the details and it is important to make note of the breathing patterns and going as far as joints allow every repetition.
4. Not Treating the Source of the Problem:
A very common mistake people make is to treat their symptoms and not the source of their problem. A typical example would be to treat the symptom of leg/hip pain when the source of leg/hip pain and weakness could be coming from the spine.
Another common myth with back problems is associated with strengthening the core muscles ( which is oftentimes a symptom and not the source of the problem). Core strengthening has its place but is not a solution to your specific problem of pain and other symptoms coming from the back. To read more in detail about how that happens, you can read my previous blog post on this specific topic here.
If not treated at the root cause level, the problem will keep reappearing and never get full resolution. Hence, always key to address the source of the problem and not just manage the pain.
5. Stress and Other Factors:
Factors like Stress- environmental, physical or emotional or lack of proper sleep or nutrition can oftentimes delay the healing process too. It is therefore important to address the body holistically instead of just focusing on a localized program.
Want to learn more?
If you or someone you know has long standing back problems and never got a full resolution consider working with a Mckenzie Method Speciality practice like ours.
You can request a Free Discovery Session by filling out a short form here. You will meet our specialist (in-person or video), talk about your problem and decide if we are the right fit for you.
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