Back pain and lumbar disc herniations are in my opinion, some of the most poorly understood pathologies in the world of musculo-skeletal medicine and the last place you often need to look at is the back itself.
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The position of the pelvis is crucial to the health of your spine and associated musculature, and this is impacted primarily by the varying tensions in the legs and the hips. This can lead to the pelvis tilting excessively forward, backwards or developing a twist right through it. More often than not, back pain and disc herniation sufferers also have an inability to load through a single leg without the pelvis collapsing to one side and causing harmful compressions in the spine.
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As soon as we have identified the way(s) your pelvis is tilting, we can begin treatment and initiate Stage 1 of rehabilitation which is to realign the legs and hips and begin to restore healthy movement through this part of your body. More often then not, significant relief is experienced by the end of the first session, although in severe cases it may take several appointments for balance to be fully restored.
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Stage 2 is where we begin to condition the legs, hips and spine into their new alignment with corrective exercise, gentle stretches and attention to posture. This will help to compound the effects of the soft tissue treatment, bring lasting relief and make your body more resilient to the physical stresses of day to day life such as prolonged sitting, driving, standing and carrying objects.
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Stage 3 introduces neuromuscular repatterning exercises to regain the ability to keep your pelvis level as you shift weight from one side to the other as in walking, running and jumping. This is an essential stage for those wanting to perform athletically. We also help to improve the body's low threshold stability so your body's stabilising mechanisms can respond adequately to day to day activities.
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Your body has an incredible capacity to heal itself. Take a look at the images below which are a before and after MRI image of a completely prolapsed disc apparently in need of urgent surgery. If you look closely you will see firstly, the centre of the L5 disc protruding into the spinal nerve and then you will see the same spinal disc completely healed just 3 months later after just my treatment and no surgery.
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