What is low back stiffness/tightness?
Low back stiffness is when there is difficulty moving the low back. This is often seen with a lack of Range of Motion. Joint instability, joint locking, muscle spasm, degeneration are just some of the reason why you are going through low back stiffness. However, it may not always be painful.
Why does structural chiropractic work so well for low back stiffness?
Structural chiropractic works very well for low back stiffness because it looks into correcting the cause of all this. By restoring optimal structure and function of the spine it allows the spine to support itself better through strengthening the deep spinal muscles. Whether the joint is locked up or unstable, the joints, ligaments and muscles are strengthened through adjustments. By doing so the spine is stronger and can support itself better thus allowing optimal muscle. Thus gradually reducing stiffness
So how does this all happen?
When your joints (any joint) are misaligned, they cannot move correctly. When a joint does not move correctly, the stabilising muscles that support that joint become lazy and weak and the nerve connection to those muscles diminish as it’s not getting used much.
It’s use it or lose it for the body, brain and nerve connections and Just like having a cast on your arm or leg, without moving the joints for just 1-2 months you will see a huge reduction of muscle tone and strength and nerve connectivity.
More specific to the spine, without proper movement of the joints and strength of the muscles and ligaments of the spine, the spinal curves lose their most functional shape and instead of acting like springs to distribute everyday forces, all the forces go onto the bones and discs of the spine and cause degeneration, damage/injury and other dysfunctions to occur.
The deep stabilising muscles and their strength and activity are important as when they are not supporting a joint properly a whole host of problems can arise.
These muscles keep the joints in their proper position… so when they are weak:
- The joint is not getting any support.
- It’s not in it’s optimal position.
- Keeps locking up and lacks proper movement.
- The muscles keep getting weaker.
- The cycle keeps getting worse over time.
- Creates damage inside the bones, joints, discs and nerves
This weakness and instability within the deep stabilising muscles also creates tightness and stiffness in and around the bigger muscles around the body such as the neck (causing tension headaches), chest, shoulders, lower back, buttock and even arms and legs, creating a whole chain of improper movement and stress through the body.