Self-Help Movements for Low Back Pain

Low back pain is one of the most common and persistent pain problems, affecting millions of people. Besides working hands-on with clients, I try to help them understand how pain works and to find ways they can continue to help themselves at home.

Cory Blickenstaff is a physical therapist in Vancouver, WA. My clients have found his videos on "edgework" and "novel movements" to be helpful and enjoyable.

"Edgework" is finding the point in a movement where it begins to transition from easy and comfortable to slightly guarded or painful. Movements should be done slowly, watching carefully for the first sign of holding the breath, muscular tension, or pain. The movement presented in the video is one possible movement. Other movements can be used as "edgework" using the same approach.

"Novel movements" are movements that are a little different from the way we normally move. As Cory says, they are movements about which the brain has not yet formed an opinion. By practicing novel movements, we can try to find movements that are not painful and break the association between movement and pain.

As always, do these movements only to your comfort level and if they seem to aggravate your condition, stop immediately.

If you'd like to see some of Cory's other videos, check out the Novel Movements for the Neck or Novel Movements for the Hand, Wrist, Elbow, and Forearm. You can also find more of Cory's other videos on YouTube by clicking on the "YouTube" box at the bottom right of the video.

Let me know how these movements work for you!