Back Pain Liberation with Iain Barker

Hips and Lower Back Pain

Learn about techniques you can do at home to release tight muscles of the hip, specifically the glutes, piriformis, the deep hip rotators and of course iliacus.

According to physical therapist and author of Tight Hip Twisted Core

Christine Koth

"When the iliacus and the psoas are tight, they play tug of war with the back of the hip.

So that's the glutes, the piriformis, the deep hip rotators and those muscles have chosen to also contract oftentimes as a result of iliacus and psoas being tight.

So we want to release, not just the front, but also release the secondary effect of that which is tightness in the back.

Really using a ball to put prolonged pressure on the muscles that are to the side of your tailbone will help with that."

We also cover the types of exercise you want to avoid if you have back pain and tight hip flexors, such as deep lunges and deep squats among others.

You will learn the serious problem with Yoga and the way it is taught these days, in the Western world, and how to make sure that if you do practice Yoga, you do it in a way that helps your back pain rather than puts you at risk of injury.

Quote of the day.

Which sportsman, holder of a congressional gold medal, who was featured on a £5 note issued by the bank of Scotland, said:

When I want a long ball, I spin my hips faster

Answer at the end of today's show.

Muscle Knots with Christine Koth

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This is the second part of the interview with Christine, physical therapist and author of Tight Hip, Twisted Core: The Key to Unresolved Pain.

Today we're talking about muscle knots. Christine tells us:

“Tight actually means that either the muscle will not lengthen to its proper length;it's unable to fully lengthen (usually because the brain tells it not to) or there's actual contraction inside the muscle itself, a part of the muscle that's contracted. We would commonly call that a muscle knot, a section of the muscle that is not letting go.”

You'll learn the causes of muscle tightness and the best way to treat tight muscles.

Anterior Pelvic Tilt Test

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You'll discover the significance of anterior pelvic tilt when you have chronic back pain. As well as how to test yourself to find out if your pelvis has an anterior tilt.

Pregnancy Back Pain

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On the opposite end of the spectrum from muscle tightness you'll find out how hypermobility can lead to joint instability and back problems and how it's linked to back pain during pregnancy.

Stay tuned for the for all that good stuff and more.

Quote of the Day

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Which Canadian poet, writer and filmmaker. Recipient of multiple literary awards including the Booker Prize, said:

“We all have an old knot in the heart we wish to untie.”

Answer at the end of todays show.

Thanks for joining me for episode 42 of the Back Pain Liberation Podcast.

My name is iain Barker, here to help you find your way out of chronic back pain.

Find all the links for today's episode in the show notes at www.backpainliberation.com/episode42

Music courtesy: Jahzzar www.betterwithmusic.com/

Tightness in the iliacus is is something that a lot of people have...it's not being addressed

Iliacus Dysfunction and Pain With Christine Koth

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In today's epsiode, we're talking about the iliacus, the lesser known relation of the psoas. Together these 2 muscles make up an important hip flexor composite muscle known as the iliopsoas.

Tight hip flexors, particularly a tight psoas, are often considered responsible for back pain.

In her 20+ years of hands-on experience, Christine found that the illiacus was also a common source of dysfunction and pain. It just didn't receive anything like the same attention as it's big brother the psoas.

In this episode, you'll learn how she developed release techniques specific to the iliacus that are central to her therapy practice.

And You'll discover how Christine found ways for her clients to do these release techniques on themselves when she moved away to another state and wouldn't be able to treat them any more.

Tight Hip, Twisted Core: The Key To Unresolved Pain

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In her book, Christine explains how iliacus dysfunction is often overlooked as the cause of chronic pain conditions, including back pain.

And, of course, what we can do to address the issue to release the excess tension, relieve the pain and restore function.

For your chance to win your very own copy just enter the giveaway at

www.backpainliberation.com/episode41/

Quote of the Day

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Which musician, DJ and producer who made an award - winning music video featuring a solo dance performance by Christopher Walken said

'I make music for the hips, not the head'

Answer at the end of todays show

Thanks for Listening

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Thanks for joining me for episode 41 of the Back Pain Liberation Podcast.

More from author of Tight Hip Twisted Core and inventor of the ‘Hip Hook’, Christine Koth

If you find the show helpful don’t forget to rate, review and share with anyone else you know who has back problems.

All the best

Iain

What to Do If Your Doctor Doesn't Listen to You

You don't have to put up with a doctor who doesn't listen or doesn't believe what you say.

It's usually straightforward to change doctors.

In this, the third and final instalment from Amy Orr we talk about what to do if your doctor doesn't listen to you.

This can be a real problem for people with chronic pain conditions.

Amy has some very down-to-earth and practical advice for you if you find yourself in this situation.

“You definitely don't have to just sit with a person who doesn't believe you or doesn't trust you or is telling you that your experience is false”

It's usually difficult to pin down the exact cause of chronic back pain.

In the absence of an easily identifiable illness or injury, you may find that your doctor is rather dissmissive and doesn't really listen to you.

Many people get the feeling that their doctor just doesn't believe them especially in the wake of the Opioid Crisis.

These days, doctors have to follow strict guidelines to prevent the misuse of pain relief medication.

While long term use of painkillers is best avoided if at all possible, this shouldn't lead to a breakdown of trust between you and your doctor.

When you are suffering chronic pain, a good relationship with your GP or consultant is essential.

Stay tuned to find out what to do if you are not getting the support you want from your doctor.

How to Retrain Your Nervous System

Also in today's episode we talk about how to retrain your nervous system to shift your attention away from pain and towards more pleasant feelings and associations.

Amy says that “Maintaining positive stimuli helps reduce pain. So it's teaching your body that things can feel good.”

Quote of the Day

Which Nobel Prize winning author who saw combat in both world wars said

“When people talk, listen completely. Most people never listen.”

Hear the answer at the end of today's show

Show notes at www.backpainliberation.com/episode40

Music courtesy: Jahzzar www.betterwithmusic.com/

Photos by National Cancer Institute and David Pennington on Unsplash

This content is for your information only. Consult your own doctor for medical advice.

Any guests express their own views and no endorsement by the Back Pain Liberation Podcast is implied.

The pain cycle has both physical and psychological elements.

Chronic pain and bodily vulnerablity cause anxiety, fear and anger. Anxiety, fear and anger will in turn cause physical tension, restriction and pain.

Breaking this pain cycle is an essential part of self care for chronic pain.

Hello and welcome to episode 39 of the BPLP.

I'm Iain Barker, here to help you find your way out of chronic back pain.

“I can't think of much that's more frightening than not being able to trust your own body. That's that's just scary and not being able to sort of predict what it's going to do or how you're going to hurt on any given day. Or if something small like I don't know, picking up something off the floor will suddenly throw your back out. That's not going to keep you calm. Having that in the back of your mind.”

So says Amy Orr author of:

'Taming Chronic Pain: A Management Guide for a More Enjoyable Life.'

I had a really interesting chat with Amy - and she shared her top tips for chronic pain management.

In this, the second episode from her inteview, we talk about the pain cycle; with anxiety, fear and anger causing tension that feeds the pain which in turn causes more negative emotion and so on, in an endless loop.

Also how chronic pain affects cognitive ability. As if your back pain wasn't enough you may also be getting some brain fog into the bargain.

So more great advice on dealing with these issues and a whole lot of other useful stuff besides.

Quote of the day one more time - which comedian said:

“When you find yourself on a vicious cycle, for goodness sakes, stop pedalling!”

Answer at the end of the show.

Show notes at www.backpainliberation.com/episode39

Music courtesy: Jahzzar www.betterwithmusic.com/

Photo by Reid Zura on Unsplash

This website is for your information only. Consult your own doctor for medical advice.

Any guests express their own views and no endorsement  by the Back Pain Liberation Podcast is implied.

Don't passively rely on your doctor to manage your health care.

Instead, you should do your own research and find what works for you.

This is the message from todays guest, Amy Orr.

“There's just such a breadth of tools and therapies and other people's stories and other people's clever solutions to things that, you just have to read a lot and do a lot of research” -Amy Orr

Amy is what you might call a chronic pain survivor, suffering from back problems since early childhood, fibromyalgia and other chronic pain conditions.

She has distilled everything she's learned over the years, about, amongst other things:

Getting the best out of different health care systems

Your own mental game

How to handle other people, their expectations and attitude towards you and your pain

And the result is her new book Taming Chronic Pain: A Management Guide for a More Enjoyable Life which is available now on Amazon where it has 5 star review status!

Quote of the day, which great dramatist wrote the line

“Our bodies are our garden to which our wills are gardeners.”

Answer at the end of today's show.

Show notes at www.backpainliberation.com/episode38

Music courtesy: Jahzzar www.betterwithmusic.com/

Photo by Jonas Friese on Unsplash

This website is for your information only. Consult your own doctor for medical advice.

Any guests express their own views and no endorsement  by the Back Pain Liberation Podcast is implied.

Thanks for joining me for Episode 37 of the Back Pain Liberation Podcast.

My name is Iain Barker, here to help you find your way out of chronic back pain.

Today's guest is David Hanscom MD, author of Do You Really Need Spine Surgery?: Take Control With a Spine Surgeon’s Advice.

We're talking about the causes of chronic back pain, which is defined as back pain that persists for more than 12 weeks.

You'll learn how chronic pain is completely different to acute pain which means that it has to be tackled in a completely different way

You'll discover the essential mindset which is the starting point for getting out of chronic back pain

You'll be shocked as David goes into more detail on some established surgical treatments that just do more harm than good.

Quote of the day

Which international influencer said

'In order to carry a positive action we must develop here a positive vision.'

Answer at the end of todays show.

This is the second half of the interview with Spine surgeon, Dr. David Hanscom

We talk about neuroplasticity, the ability of the brain to change continuously throughout your life.

How, chronic pain is more about changes in the brain and body chemistry than structural problems.

So these are the areas we have to address if we want to get out of chronic back pain.

Music courtesy: Jahzzar www.betterwithmusic.com/

If you are considering back surgery, especially if you are in the USA, I would strongly urge you to listen to this show, to the end. As well as the next episode number 37.

You're going to learn why spine surgery is not appropriate for the vast majority of people with back pain and find out what you should be doing instead.

Quote of the day, which Oscar winning actor said

“My doctor gave me six months to live, but when I couldn't pay the bill he gave me six months more.”

Answer at the end of today's show.

Todays guest is Spine Surgeon David Hanscom MD, author of Do You Really Need Spine Surgery?: Take Control With a Spine Surgeon’s Advice.

Which is a very interesting read about the real causes of back pain and explains how back surgery gives near miraculous results - but only when it's done for the right reasons.

Dr. David says that these reasons don't apply for over 95% of back pain cases. Far too many operations are being carried out and the to use his phrase “juggernaut of aggressive spine surgery” is doing more harm than good.

Thanks for joining me for episode 36 of the Back Pain Liberation Podcast.

My name is Iain Barker, here to help you find your way out of chronic back pain.

One of the physical symptoms of chronic stress is muscular tension and pain, particularly back pain.

Some stress is unavoidable, whether it's from work or studying, maybe you find some of the people in your life difficult to deal with.

This time we talk about how to handle the stress that you can't get rid of.

So listen in for practical strategies on managing stress and anxiety for back pain sufferers.

Quote of the day

"Training gives us an outlet for suppressed energies created by stress and thus tones the spirit just as exercise conditions the body."

Who said that?

Answer at the end of today's show

Music courtesy: Jahzzar http://www.betterwithmusic.com/

Photo by Jay Castor on Unsplash

The Back Pain Liberation Podcast is for your information only and is not a substitute for medical advice.

You spend a fair chunk of your waking hours at work, so your work environment has quite an impact on your life.

There's a whole lot of advice, online and elsewhere, on how to relieve back pain at work.

Most of this advice is about ergonomics or lifting safely.

While this stuff is important, I think it's easy to miss out on a major, even the main cause of work related back pain.

In todays show we continue to explore the themes of personality type and social environment in the work place.

Even if you love your job there can be stress that causes a build up of tension which leads to discomfort and pain.

Quote of the Day

“Television is NOT real life. In real life people actually have to leave the coffee shop and go to jobs”.

Who said that?

Answer at the end of today's show.

Music courtesy: Jahzzar http://www.betterwithmusic.com/

Photo by Alex Kotliarskyi on Unsplash

The Back Pain Liberation Podcast is for your information only and is not a substitute for medical advice.