Probably the most common situation I have encountered is people simply vacuuming and aggravating two very important muscle’s in the low back namely the erector spinae and the quadratus lumborum, these will go into spasm and can leave the person in extreme pain and unable to stand up straight as these spasm’ed muscles pull them to one side. In my experience these muscles also have the highest incidence of latent (inactive) trigger points and often underlie the vast majority of chronic myofascial back pain. This may also result from a disc injury or facet joint sprain among other things, but either way the muscles surrounding the area will be in spasm.

The good news is that when ice and/or heat is used correctly it can be quite effective, safe and inexpensive. Just to mention one study that found the continuous application of low level heat over 5 days combined with gentle exercise is significantly more effective with dealing with acute back pain than either one alone. (Mayer 2005).

One thing I would also highly recommend is to read my self treatment article on low back pain and when your able to tolerate self treatment to these trigger points add these simple yet effective techniques to heat & exercise not only for acute but chronic or ongoing back pain, also make sure you cover all the trigger points in the spine and hips/pelvis. Im sure some of you who do this, will experience greater relief when combined with your current treatment by a therapist or practitionar or even on its own, so give them a go and hopefully it helps your back pain and saves you money at the same time!

If you would like to find out more about how your Syndey CBD & Waterloo chiropractor can help you overcome pain & injury contact me or visit me for treatment at my Sydney CBD or Waterloo chiropractic clinics.

References

Mayer JM, Ralph L, Look M, Erasala GN, Verna JL, Matheson LN, Mooney V. Treating acute low back pain with continuous low-level heat wrap therapy and/or exercise: a randomized controlled trial. Spine J. 2005 Jul-Aug;5(4):395-403.

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