Toe-Touch for Health

Here is a pop quiz question for you: which muscle group contributes most to low back aches? I’ll give you three choices: rhomboids, gluteus maximus, or biceps femoris. Go ahead, discuss amongst yourselves. I’ll wait.

Here is the answer: your biceps femoris, also known as the hamstrings. But wait, you might say, aren’t those muscles on the backs of my legs? Why, yes, they are. The attachments of these muscles are to the legs, but also to the bottom of your pelvis. When they are tight, they tug down on the pelvis. Some of your big spinal muscles attach to the top of your pelvis, which starts the tug-of-war and sets in a backache.

There are many causes of low back pain. They run the spectrum from disc bulges and ruptures, bone spurs, arthritis, joint strains/sprains, muscle strains/sprains, and, of course, the common subluxation. As my regular readers will remember, subluxation happens when one or more of the joints of the spine becomes misaligned and stuck, causing pressure at that joint and in the nervous system, because the spine protects the spinal cord.

Tight hamstrings can put lots of strain on the muscles of the low back, but they can also contribute to low spine/pelvic subluxation by inhibiting a healthy motion of the pelvis and low back. The biggest culprit of tight hamstrings is being sedentary. Sitting at a desk, in the car, on the couch, can all cause the hamstrings to tighten. I probably sound like a broken record at this point (maybe a skipping CD? or a corrupted MP3?) but most of what ails your muscles and bones comes from sitting on your butt. I have a three-step solution to change your life.

Step 1:  Stand up, then touch your toes. Feel the stretch! Do this regularly to loosen up your legs and low back. Step 2: Start a regular walking routine. Keep your legs and core engaged in exercise and you will have more energy and less pain. Step 3: Get adjusted by your chiropractor, of course! Keep your spine and nervous system functioning for optimal health.