Northallerton Osteopaths Osteopathy & multi-disciplinary healthcare clinic

Morning routine for lower back pain and stiffness.
Try alternating between each exercise every 20 seconds, until you have done a total of 2 minutes on each exercise before getting out of bed on a morning.

Warm up routine for gardening, along with do's and don't's with low back pain in mind. Things to take away sticking to the 20 minute rule and avoiding repetition.

Low Back Pain- Dynamic Stretch for the Quadratus Lumborum (QL) muscle.
This stretch can prove very effective when tension in the lower back is one sided. The benefit of changing the hand position from the side to the front of the thigh is that it allows the stretch to work it's way from the lateral fibres of the QL on the flank of the body, around to the posterior fibres of the Lumbar Erector Spinae muscles which are more posterior and central in the lower back.

This video shows you how to stretch both the Anterior and Posterior structures of the neck.
Most patients present with pain in the back of the neck (posterior) or the side of the neck. However issues are often caused by the muscles in the front of the neck (anterior) as they become short and tight with a forward head posture. Whilst pain may be at the posterior, it is just as important to stretch the anterior neck so that the forward head posture can be reduced. As the head's alignment on top of the neck improves, less stress is put through the posterior structures which may lead to less pain felt there.

This video shows you how to Self-Myofascial Release your Upper Trapezius muscle, a common area for trigger points and tenderness in many patients.This is a useful exercise for those suffering with general tension, shoulder pain and/or neck pain. For almost all neck/shoulder issues that we treat we will take the Upper Trapezius into consideration as it plays such a pivotal role in the movement and support of these structures.

The Gluteals and Piriformis play a pivotal role in the biomechanics of the Lumbar Spine, SI and Hip joints. When dysfunction occurs within these joints, it is often that Gluteal and/or Piriformis dysfunction follows as a result. Whilst stretching alone may not be enough to correct the dysfunction within these joints, these are 5 stretches that may be prescribed to patients being treated for pain in the Lower back, SIJ or Hip.

There is actually very little rotation offered from the Lumbar spine. The majority of spinal rotation comes from the Thoracic Spine. Golfers often get pain in the lower back if the T/L junction isn't moving correctly, because the lumbar spine has to do the rotation instead. As the lumbar spine doesn't offer much rotation anyway, pain often follows as the rotational stress through the lumbars is too great for them to handle. Whilst it hasn't helped Ross hit the ball any straighter, he is in less pain when he hits it into the trees!

This bridge/unilateral hip extension exercise may be used in the treatment of low back pain as it helps to establish symmetry within the Gluteal muscles (buttocks). The Gluteals play a pivotal role in the biomechanics of the lumbar spine and pelvis. With low back pain it's common for there to be a dysfunction in one of the Gluteal muscles - usually on the side of the lower back dysfunction.

Stretch for the Hip Flexor muscles (Rectus Femoris/Psoas) in management for low-back pain caused by lumbar facet irritation. Spending a long time sitting down can increase the tension in the hip flexors. When standing, if there is too much tension in the anterior structures of the hip, they will pull the lumbar spine into extension and could cause Low-Back pain via Lumbar Facet Irritation.