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In 1957 a comprehensive research study proved that abdominal strength has absolutely no correlation with how our lower back feels or functions. Yet I still see Doctors, physical therapists, chiropractors, personal trainers giving people core strengthening exercises to help relieve their lower back pain. Good luck because there is no evidence to suggest that abdominal strength has anything to do with how your spine is functioning. You must look at the areas above and below the spine for the answer.

A long-time mentor of Superior Physical Therapy, Gary Gray, has described the lumbar spine as the “crossroads” of the body. Movement and forces from the arms and thoracic spine move down through the lumbar spine to the pelvis and legs. Movement and forces from the legs and pelvis are transmitted up to the thoracic spine and arms.

Because the lumbar spine is the movement “transportation” center, it can develop symptoms if the movement flow in the body, known as the kinematic chain, is restricted.

The frequency of symptoms in the lumbar spine resulting from movement has led to the development of lumbar stabilization programs to prevent motion of the lumbar vertebra. These programs, while well-intentioned, are ill-conceived. Instead of limiting motion, we at Superior Physical Therapy assert that the lumbar vertebrae must move in all three planes. The goal is to promote bone motion while normalizing (not eliminating) the relative motion between adjacent vertebrae.

Did you have x-rays or MRI’s that showed a herniated disc, stenosis or arthritis? Have you had back pain or sciatica in the last 30 days? Were you told by a surgeon, “You might not be able to walk in a year if you don’t have surgery?”

If this sounds like you, then I’m sharing with you the 5 secrets that we have found in our research of back pain and sciatica sufferers who heal naturally and avoid surgery.