Relieve Low Back Pain | Reduce Low Back Pain | Canada's Leading Authority in Human Movement | Dev Chengkalath

Let’s face it.

Back Pain Sucks.

And it really does get in the way of life.

But it doesn’t have to!

Over the past few years in my physiotherapy practice I’ve had the pleasure of working with some wise and insightful clients on their journey towards a back pain free life.

For some of these individuals, the constant irritating pain has been a loyal companion over long stretches. At times abating to a dull nagging “friend” that tags along for the ride. And at other times rushing to the forefront of their awareness in crushing, life-altering waves of excruciating spasms.

Through their pain, suffering and journey towards salvation, each of these clients has taught me something new about living life with back pain.

Without further ado, here are the top 5 things that my clients have taught me about back pain:

1. You can do something about it: You don’t need to live with the pain. There are solutions out there. You may just need to dig a little deeper and search a littler harder. Ask around. Find out what others you know who have had back pain have done. This doesn’t mean their solutions will work for you, but at least it’ll give you someplace to start.

2. Keep moving: Exercise almost always helps. In most cases of low back pain, appropriate movement will help. It will keep joints lubricated, muscles working and mental outlook up. If you’re carrying a few extra pounds, losing those will ease the load on your spine and other joints. Even dropping 10 lbs will significantly decrease the wear and tear on your body. Getting in shape will dramatically improve your capacity to tolerate various stresses, mental and physical.

3. Empower yourself: Be your own best advocate. Only you truly know how your back pain impacts you. Only you are the “expert” on your own life. It’s easy for someone else to sit across a desk from you and say “stop doing ____.” They aren’t the ones living your life. It’s much better if the people who are supposed to help you, work with you, to generate workable solutions that can be implemented in your “real world” and not in some imaginary or unattainable “ideal world”.

4. Consistency is key: Stay on track and keep at it. Don’t give up. Be relentless. There will be peaks and valleys on your journey towards relieving low back pain but in the end, you will find a solution that works for you, a solution that will let you get back to the business of enjoying life.

5.  Know and respect your body’s limits. The body is capable of some pretty amazing feats. It can heal and repair itself from some pretty incredible situations if given the opportunity. This does not mean you can’t push the limits or even reset them. By all means, this should be the goal when looking at reaching new heights of human movement and performance. Just do so safely within the tolerances of your body structures.

If you have any insights on relieving low back pain, I’d be interested in hearing about them. Drop me a comment and let me know.

Yours in movement.

Dev Chengkalath

It seems to me that people like lists.

They’re short. Concise. And should be to the point.

And if created correctly, they’re pretty easy for most people to remember.

So here goes…

This is my list of the five worst things you’ve done to you low back today:

1. You’ve flexed through your lumbar spine on fully hydrated intervertebral discs (yup, these are the same discs involved in those famous disc herniations or “slipped discs”). In fact, this was probably the first thing you did this morning upon awakening from your more than likely short and insufficient sleep.

• Sitting bent forward on the edge of your bed in that sleep induced haze right after you wake up.
• Sitting in that same bent forward and flexed position on the toilet.
• Brushing your teeth, washing your face, and maybe even standing slouched in the shower.
• Hunched over the breakfast table (you SHOULD be eating breakfast!).

2. You’ve spent more than 30 minutes (this being a fairly conservative guess) in a static and continuous slouched posture.

• Collapsed on yourself with your ribs resting on your pelvis during your commute to work (this includes planes, trains and various forms of automobiles).
• In your standard computer posture in front of that technological wonder that was designed to make your life easier and more manageable. This position likely has you with your head protruding and your shoulders rounded forward for extended periods of time.
• On the couch watching your favourite television programming (typically for a few hours) after a long, grueling and tiring day at the office.

Slouched Sitting Postures: Over time can lead to injury.

3. You sit. And sit. And sit. Enough said. Follow the link if you need more info on the dangers of sitting.

4. You wear high heels. This one is mostly for the women out there, although, who am I to judge? This piece of fashion will confer the wearer with an instant and noticeable alteration of lower limb appearance. But at what cost?

• Centre of gravity shifts with resultant changes in weight bearing
• Increase in lumbar spine curvature (increased lordosis, possibly excessive)
• Altered muscle recruitment patterns, biomechanics and gait patterns

5. You decided that you were too tired to exercise today. This follows along with number 2. And number 3. I think everyone is aware that exercise is good for you so there’s no need to belabor that point. It’s just a matter of prioritizing it to get it done.

Yours in movement.

Dev Chengkalath

It seems as though my  Toronto physiotherapy practice doors act as some sort of magical entrance to the land of body awareness.

For the brief period of time that they’re with me, my clients allow themselves to be aware of what’s going on with their bodies.

For those brief moments, they reconnect with how their bodies function.

For that period of time, they are in control of their pain.

It’s true.

The number of times I have seen my clients turn their pain on and off in my treatment room is astounding.

While I don’t believe in physiotherapy miracles, I would even go so far as to say it’s almost magical.

And what’s more amazing about this pain control is that it’s done without powerful drugs, fancy high tech machinery, or, in most cases, any equipment at all.

There are almost no adverse reactions.

Contraindications are almost non-existent.

And the time investment, surprisingly, is just a few seconds at a time.

So at this point, you’re probably wondering what this panacea for pain relief really is.

It’s movement.

Don’t be confused.

It’s not just any movement, but movement with a purpose.

The simple act of moving your body in a precise fashion to retrain your tissues to respond in a specific way.

It’s movement designed to unload certain irritated joints and tissues, while activating inhibited ones.

It’s movement designed to improve your motor control and put you back in the driver’s seat of your body.

The Movements:

Over the last couple weeks I’ve had great success addressing a variety of aches, pains and dysfunctions with the following two motor control movements.

The first one, a forward wall slide, is fantastic for dealing with tight, painful shoulders and upper backs.

And the following video clip of quadruped rocking is extremely helpful in addressing hip and low back issues.

So if you’ve got some of those aches and pains, give these movements a try.

But remember, it’s not just about doing the movement for the sake of doing it, it’s about doing them with purpose. It’s about feeling what your body is doing. It’s about breathing. It’s about taking control of your body back.

Yours in movement.

Dev Chengkalath

Well my friends, it’s time for me to garner some reader feedback so that I can improve your blog experience.

What I’m looking for here is either comments or emails letting me know what you, as the reader, would like to see on my blog.

Is there certain information you’d like to see me discuss?

Are there any specific injuries or rehab protocol you’re curious about? Are you interested in more performance based blogs?

Would you like me to go more in-depth with greater detail?

Or are you looking for simple, straight-forward posts?

More video? Audio? Pictures?

Shorter posts? Longer posts? Guest posts?

Here’s your chance to let me know how I can help you!

Yours in movement.
Dev Chengkalath

Faster, Higher, Stronger

Since the Olympic winter games are taking place as we speak in beautiful Vancouver, British Columbia, I thought it would be a great time to discuss a topic that does crop up every so often in my physiotherapy practice in Toronto.

While watching the Olympic games, we can see incredible feats of athletic prowess and extraordinary examples of the constantly evolving boundaries of human performance.

With the constant chant for “Citius, Altius, Fortius” reverberating in their minds, athletic limits are being tested and achievement records are being broken.

So this begs the question: Is performance really healthy?

Just perusing the biographies of almost any of the elite athletes that have qualified to represent their countries at the highest level of competition, one can see an almost infinite variety of minor to serious injuries that these extremely conditioned individuals have overcome to reach their personal achievements.

Multiple knee surgeries, broken bones, concussions, separated shoulders, sprains and strains.

The list is essentially endless.

Now going back to the question regarding performance and health, here’s my take in one word.

NO…

And here are a few more of my words…

Performance is very seldom healthy.

Olympic Weightlifting Injury

Before I get pilloried on the internet, let me qualify that preceding statement.

In the pursuit of extremes, in the pursuit of redefining the boundaries of human athletic performance, in the pursuit of winning medals at the highest levels of competition, athletes must be in peak physical and mental condition and must undertake rigorous training programs.

But in order to do what has not been done before, risks have to be taken.

This is where limits are pushed, where boundaries are stretched.

This is where that razor thin line between risk and reward is often crossed.

Nodar Kumaritashvili

This is where, as was witnessed just a few short days ago, a young Georgian luger by the name of Nodar Kumaritashvili, lost his life in a horrific crash while he was pursuing his dream of winning an Olympic medal for his country.

I’ve always believed that the human body is capable of incredible feats.

And that as time passes, as science and technology advance, we’ll be able to perform at even higher levels.

But for most people, are these levels of performance required?

Do most people need to test the limits of their bodies?

When these athletes train to extremes, they constantly put their bodies at risk.

Risk of injury, risk of over-training.

At what point does the average human being decide that the risk is not worth the reward?

Or, when does one decide that they are okay with being just average?

Yours in movement.

Dev Chengkalath