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lower back pain

Back Pain Auckland

Shane Lyons Back Pain

As a C.H.E.K. trained Exercise Coach and former high-performance athlete, Shane Lyons has been successful with rehabilitating many low backs and getting clients pain free from dysfunctional muscle syndromes associated with poor posture and unresolved sports injuries.

As a former International Gymnast having representing New Zealand at the highest level, Shane has evolved a sixth sense with posture and muscular balance and today enjoys working with many in the community to resolve back pain dysfunction.

We caught up with Shane to find out more about causes, treatments and what he offers at Back Pain Auckland.

What is the most common type of back pain you see?

Lower back and hip pain is by far the most common complaint.

What is the cause of this and what are the treatments?

Excessive lumbar curvature and a weak dysfunctional core, in combination with posture imbalances are typically the catalyst for this type of pain syndrome. Our modern day lifestyles are also a huge contributing factor to this kind of pain. In this digital age we are bombarded with devices, we spend long hours each day hunched over a computer with poor posture, and typically our lifestyles even outside the office are quite sedentary. Just think about how much time a week you typically spend driving and watching TV!

While we of course treat specific sports related injuries, recently I’m seeing more and more people presenting with ongoing, unresolved pain that is driven by posture imbalances.

A comprehensive posture, spine, and core assessment is a must to identify the weak and tight muscle imbalances. Once we have established the muscle imbalance(s), we can then address these with a corrective exercise programme to restore function, muscle balance and harmony.

To what extent is a weak and dysfunctional core responsible for lower back pain? Is there a way to improve this that doesn’t involve hundreds of planks and crunches?!

Our core muscles are the primary stabiliser muscles for our lower back and essentially our foundation between the upper body and lower body. In most cases under specific testing protocols core co-ordination and strength is limited and or dysfunctional.

Yes, there are some surprisingly simple exercises to re-establish the neurological connection between the deep core stabiliser muscles and the brain. They are very safe and can be progressed through quickly providing they are executed correctly. It’s really just about re-establishing the right mind-body connections and building a strength response.

Are most clients coming to you for sports related injuries or ongoing pain that isn’t the direct result of a specific type of physical activity?

It’s a mix really, but I’m seeing more and more people presenting with ongoing, long standing, unresolved pain that is driven by posture imbalances.

To what extent is back pain the cause of neck pain, hip pain and headaches? Can patients come and see you for an assessment if they experience pain in any of these areas but not in the back specifically?

There are definitely profound connections to other sites of pain expressed in these areas which is why a comprehensive posture assessment is necessary. Our bodies are complex and can establish faulty movement patterns and compensation patterns in order to maintain basic instinctive functions.

Yes! Our comprehensive posture assessments identify imbalances throughout the anatomy and we use these to determine the priority areas in relation to the type of pain the client is presenting with. A great example of why we do a full posture assessment is that the pain being expressed may not necessarily be the result of muscles in that location, but rather a dysfunction in another area of the body that is driving the pain to that location where the pain is being felt.

Once back pain has been treated, what are some ways that your patients can self manage this in their own homes?

Great question – Once we have re balanced the muscles that were creating the pain and dysfunction we then ensure our client has a maintenance home program that they can work from to ensure they maintain the appropriate ongoing balance and harmony they achieved with the corrective exercise programme. This typically consists of a few key stretches, a movement pattern reminder, and a simple core exercise to maintain co-ordination.

If we don’t currently suffer from back pain, what simple measures can we take in our everyday lives to ensure that we continue to prevent it?!

From my experience I see far too many people using their backs rather than their hips to bend from, creating unnecessary stress and loads on their backs. So simple lifting techniques and the ability to dis-associate their backs from their hips is a big win here!

What can your clients expect on the first appointment? What does a comprehensive posture/spine assessment look like?

If you’re hesitant about signing up for a comprehensive back pain assessment, we understand. It can be intimidating to take the leap to fix years of bad habits. However, we promise, there’s nothing to be nervous about.

Much of your back pain assessment will be chatting about your day to day life and habits. You’ll also be asked to do small movements within your comfort zone to determine your range of motion. While each appointment is different, your C.H.E.K practitioner will likely take a look at your spine to rule out any major issues. From here, you may do some stretches, simple core exercises, a reflex test or a motor exam. Each of which is designed to check for tight muscles or muscles that aren’t doing their job correctly.

You’ll leave your comprehensive back pain assessment with a better idea of how severe your back pain is and the next steps to eliminating it altogether.

Have you experienced back pain yourself?

I have experienced right side low back / hip pain from a previous sporting injury. The main issue here was inflammatory responses shutting down the muscle function along with old scar tissue inhibiting function. With some focused, targeted muscle release work backed up with functional movement patterns to re establish the correct function of the muscles the pain subsided and I now have just a few maintenance exercises to keep the pain at bay.

What has been the most uplifting success story you have received from a client?

A young lady that came to see me just recently who was suffering from long term chronic back pain to the point where she was not sleeping well, on daily pain killers and struggling with the day-to-day activities at work.

She’d been to many other health professionals but was just not seeing results. After our initial posture, spine and core assessment, it was clear there was some core weakness and posture issues driving her back pain. So, we addressed these with a corrective exercise plan and within 4-6 weeks she was sleeping pain free, off pain relief medication and getting through the day pain free too. She was very happy with her results and has a plan of a few targeted maintenance exercises to keep her back happy. It’s just so rewarding to see people out of pain and the positive impacts on their lives.

http://backpainauckland.co.nz