I've been dealing with back pain since I was about twenty. It didn't cause me any trouble for a long time. Occasionally, it would “ache and then go away!” Occasional flare-ups barely limited my mobility. And until I was thirty, it “went away on its own.” I can't say I didn't try to treat it, but I didn't really try. The doctor at the clinic didn't recommend anything either. Maybe a sick leave once a year… After a couple of weeks, the pain would subside, and the rest of the time, the problem wasn't particularly serious…
I understood that the cause of my problems (and the future proved I was right) was poor posture. I tried exercises to correct it from time to time. Without much result… although I wouldn't blame the exercises. I wasn't particularly diligent because I didn't have much incentive. Why treat it if it wasn't very painful and went away on its own?
After turning thirty-five, the pain became more frequent and intense. Naturally, I tried to correct my posture, intuitively sensing which position would provide relief.
And it would relieve the pain, sometimes completely disappearing. Incidentally, this didn't always work… Be prepared for the fact that overcoming muscle block by sheer force of will is very difficult!
But by and large, the condition gradually worsened.
One day, a trainer I knew suggested trying a new training method. No, no one was going to treat me. We were practicing martial arts, and the goal of the training was to increase strength and speed. Not by developing physical qualities per se, but by optimizing movement.
To be honest, I didn't do everything correctly. But I did achieve some noticeable results. However, they weren't comparable to those of my instructor, who followed the correct method and practiced for two to three hours daily. Let's be realistic: anyone who follows such a regimen would be either a complete fanatic or someone who has given up hope of recovery. But even my “partial” approach yielded an unexpected side effect after a week or two: my lower back pain disappeared.
The practice of “straightening the lower back” helped, the essence of which is to reduce lumbar hyperlordosis and restore the natural position of the back.
Lordosis is one of the natural curves of the spine. Problems arise when it becomes “hyper,” that is, excessive. There are many reasons for this, the main ones being lack of exercise and psychological “blocks” reflected in chronic muscle tension.
The emphasis on the lower back isn't because that's what we're treating. Firstly, in my case, treatment was completely out of the question. Secondly, changes in any segment of the spine (as a whole) inevitably affect all the others. The presence of lumbar hyperlordosis affects all the natural curves of the spine. And no matter where you begin the correction, the entire spine will be affected. It's simply more convenient to work with the most mobile sections—the lumbar and cervical.
Let's imagine the spine is rigid. Then, if its lower part moves, the position of the head will change. This is unacceptable, and the flexible structure compensates for the changes at the expense of other parts. This is normal; the spine is naturally designed to absorb stress and stabilize the head. And walking upright, often blamed for back pain, doesn't harm the spine… with proper posture!
A spine whose structure is distorted by a muscle block operates in an unnatural position, experiencing unnatural loads. And the damage isn't limited to the spine…
Try arching your lower back forward, keeping your head firmly in place beforehand. Don't inflate your stomach; it will expand on its own! How does the position of your head and pelvis change?
Head tilts are immediately compensated for by smoothing out the normal flexion of the neck and rotating it at the junction of the head and neck (the atlantoaxial joint). The pelvis tilts forward. If the spine is constantly in an abnormal position, both the compensatory head position and the pelvic tilt become permanent. We don't feel discomfort from the constant tension in the lumbar and neck muscles, perceiving this position as normal due to habit.
The chest flattens, and the shoulders move forward. The knees become more spread out. Another noticeable sign is the feet turning outward (the “Charlie Chaplin gait”).
The problems aren't limited to unsightly appearance… although that can be a motivator to improve your posture. Of course, if you understand that a belly isn't just caused by “fat” (although the causes can vary, from body type to serious illnesses). And there might not even be a significant layer of fat…
It's a mistake to try to correct individual symptoms without understanding their cause. I once struggled with foot inversion, forcing myself to return to a normal position. Adding another layer of tension to the existing ones…
The pattern of distortions is simple: the lower back is arched, the pelvis is tilted, the hips are turned out, the knees are spread apart, and the feet are turned out. And you need to try to address the underlying disorder, not just the local deviations. For me, once the hyperlordosis was corrected, the other (more obvious, but secondary) problems were easily corrected.
The practical work focused not so much on the lumbar region itself as on rotating the pelvis to a natural position. The rotation, naturally, was very slight, without the other extreme—flattening the normal lordosis. The pelvis and lumbar region are directly connected, and any change in pelvic position immediately manifests in the lumbar region. Changes in the lumbar region were monitored. Attention was also paid to the feet, although they weren't specifically focused on them. Simply, one of the mandatory aspects was keeping the feet parallel, which was periodically checked during the work.
I won't recommend specific exercises to avoid resorting to online therapy. Books on tai chi qigong and tai chi chuan can provide essential information on working with the lower back in particular and the spine in general. Independent practice is possible with a well-developed body awareness… and don't be fooled, it's not easy at all. It's best to consult a professional instructor. First, get at least a rough idea of the spine's structure and the causes of problems from books. This will significantly speed up the healing process.
Good luck!