Why Does My Back Still Hurt?

I stretch, massage, exercise, get injections, and use creams...So WHY does my back still hurt?

Everything in the body is connected, even if it is in a way that is not as obvious as you might think. Back pain, specifically, is something that a lot of people deal with in their day-to-day lives, regardless of age. There can be a lot of different factors that contribute to back pain, such as poor posture, sitting for long periods of time, and jobs that require a lot of taxing physical activity that can lead to long-term back pain. What a lot of people don’t realize, is that back pain can also stem from issues that originate in the pelvic floor.

The pelvic floor is the base of our bodies, and injuries or stress to this area can lead to a number of different issues within different parts of our bodies that we might not even be aware of.

The pelvic floor is made up of muscles and connective tissue, called fascia. The muscle and fascia form several intertwining loops that support the pelvic organs. The pelvic floor muscles act as a trampoline to support the organs, and as downward pressure is pressed on it if it’s working properly, it will push back up to support the muscles.

Pelvic floor muscles create the base of the muscles otherwise known as the “core.” These core muscles work to support the abdomen, diaphragm, and back muscles, and spine So, it’s no surprise that back pain is often caused by pelvic floor dysfunction. There can be too much or not enough tension of the pelvic floor muscles, resulting in things like urinary incontinence, pelvic pain, vaginal pain, or the inability to complete a bowel movement.

Childbirth is the most common trauma to the pelvic floor, which in turn causes many women to experience back and/or lower back pain when they are postpartum. Pregnancy causes a lot of strain on the pelvic floor and abdominal muscles, separating the abdomen to a certain extent and weighing on that pelvic floor "hammock." This causes many new moms to have weak abdominals leading to incontinence, pelvic pain, the mommy "pooch", and you guessed it, back pain.

So why is any of this relevant? Who cares why or how it started? It's important to understand where your pain is coming from in order to treat it the right way so that your pain never returns!

That's why we prioritize a whole-body approach to healing here at Arancia Physical Therapy. We like to figure out where your pain is coming from at the root source so we can treat it and not just put a band-aid on it. If you are interested in conquering your back pain and or pelvic dysfunction for good, give us a call at (401) 602-7006.