One of the most vulnerable parts of the human body. Upper back, middle back & lower back pain can restrict our movement & prevent us from simply living well & enjoying life.

If the human were still on all fours the spine would be supported from 4 corners, shoulders and hips via the legs and arms.
However as we are an animal on two legs, we have to create stability to hold ourselves upright and be able to do things. Our muscles create tension up, across and around the spine in order to support the chocks/vertebrae in the vertical tower that they are designed to stand.  If the vertebrae and discs are NOT SITTING FLAT TO FLAT then there will be additional load on one or other side of the vertebrae/discs, which will cause bruising/ wear/ swelling/edema.

Below are some examples of what can go wrong.  Scans are a perfect way to see what is going on with the human body but surgery is not always necessary nor the answer.  In fact only 30% of current back surgery is successful and necessary.  It is less risky approach to work on correcting posture and alignment through mobilisation followed by muscular release techniques, along with stabilising and strengthening exercises. This will have a much better and more long term effect, especially when these actions are adopted into everyday moves, so used regularly and effecting body function and movement.

The reality is that looking after the posture can never be a waste of time, if surgery is deemed necessary then it stand you in good stead of the rehab. If surgery is not necessary, then by training the body to move correctly, in the way it is designed to move, will most of the time reduce the pain.

In order to understand what is causing the problem and affecting you spine it is best to start with a Biomechanics Assessment and see how you are actually moving. See where there are blocks, where movement lacks symmetry and so where there will be uneven loads.

You can then progress with Corrective exercises starting with Pilates and One2One training.