“I have had pain in my low back for years. It hurts after I’ve been sitting a lot and even when I turn over in bed. What do you think it is?”

Answer: Well, to be specific, I would have to examine you first. But, most commonly, low back pain can be caused by different conditions, namely, spinal nerve stress from spinal fixations and myofascial trigger points. A fixation is when there is a lack of motion in your joints. A fixation of the pelvis can irritate spinal nerves and inflame tissues in the lower back. Myofascial trigger points are caused by hypertonic (overly tight) muscles. A hypertonic muscle is a weak muscle which means it will fatigue faster, at which point, you will feel pain when you try to move. If you have a job where you do a lot of sitting, your Gluteus muscles (butt muscles) will become weak because you are not moving around. In other words, if you sit all day, you need to literally “get off your butt”, move around and exercise to strengthen your gluts. Along with specific exercises, I do spinal adjusting (by hand or use of a high speed instrument) and myofascial trigger point therapy. A spinal adjustment is designed to relieve nerve stress and restore normal motion to a joint. Trigger point therapy releases very tight muscles, breaks up scar tissue and helps restore normal muscle movement. Combining all three-spinal adjusting, myofascial therapy, and exercise gives you the very best weapon to relieve pain and restore normal function without the use of harmful drugs. You won’t believe how much better you will feel! Call (479) 587-0227 for an appointment and go to www.thegibsoncenter.com for more information.