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

So I’m sitting here at the Pearson International Airport in Toronto, Canada just preparing myself for one of the most physically challenging events that I undertake about a dozen times a year or so.

Flying.

My travel schedule is typically full of courses and seminars but this time I’m off to sunny Alberta, Canada for a family visits and a wedding.

Five days of Rocky mountains, prairies and family fun time.

The problem is Alberta is a significant distance from Toronto. It’s true. Canada is an expansive piece of landmass.

Which is why I fly.

Therein lies my issue (some of my friends may say that this is just one many that afflict me!)

I hate flying. I really do.

My thoughts exactly

If you’ve been following anything on my blog, you’ll realize that I’m not a big fan of sitting. And flying, especially long distances, typically entails hours upon hours of just that (the same could be said of trains and automobiles as well!).

In fact, I would say that the simple act of sitting is, or has been, one of the fundamental reasons why people have consulted me for physical therapy to relieve their varying and incessant aches and pains, most notably low back pain.

I could go on all the other issues that arise, but I’ll save that for another time.

Let me guess…at this point you’re probably rolling your eyes in disdain at me with my sitting equals doom and gloom decrees.

Well, let me clarify this a bit.

Sitting isn’t so bad in itself.

The problem is that we tend to sit for LONG periods of time.

Without moving. In set positions like the famous slouch. Especially in airplanes with their cramped seats and long delays.

And that, my friends, is the reason I hate flying.

Think of it this way.

How often do you really get a chance to stand up and move around on an airplane? Do you really stretch your legs? How comfortable can you really get? And those tiny bathrooms…don’t even get me started on those.

I’ll be the first to admit…I’m a chronic fidgeter.

And it’s pretty damn hard to fidget when you’re strapped to what could essentially be considered a flying “profit-maximizing” seat.

Now imagine taking a flight that lasts 8-10 hours (thankfully, most of my flights are 5 hours or less). Now imagine doing that 5 or 6 days a week.

What kind of chronic stress and trauma do you think is placed on your body? On your bones, joints, tendons, ligaments and muscles? Or even on your mental state?

For those of you out there who work in offices, sit at desks or drive for long periods…this is what you do to your body. Everyday.

You take that daily airplane ride, without the airplane.

Think about that for a few minutes and ask yourself about the power of your posture.

Yours in fidgeting.

Dev Chengkalath

“Pain is temporary. It may last a minute, or an hour, or a day, or a year, but eventually it will subside and something else will take its place. If I quit, however, it lasts forever.”

Lance Armstrong

Pain is an interesting phenomena.

No two people will feel it the same way. No two people will have the same experience. No two people will respond to it the same way.

It is as unique to you as your fingerprints are.

In my practice as a human movement specialist and physical therapist in Toronto, I am privileged to be given an inside look at how people deal with pain.

At times, this pain is acute with known cause, a fall, a trauma, or a sporting injury perhaps. And oftentimes, this pain is chronic, of “unknown” origin and having outlived the doctor’s pill prescriptions, become an accepted part of my client’s daily life.

which pill?

About 8 out of every 10 clients I see come in with low back pain, have had an episode of low back pain or have decided that they’ll have to live with their low back pain.

THIS IS NOT THE CASE.

You don’t have to suffer for the rest of your life. You don’t have to give up golfing. You don’t have to stop playing with your kids, nieces or nephews. You don’t have to resign yourself to a lifetime of discomfort and disability.

YOU DON’T HAVE TO SPEND YOUR BEST YEARS ON YOUR BACK IN BED!

But, it will come down to what you believe.

If you believe you will be in pain forever, you most likely will.

If you believe you won’t be able to relieve your low back pain, you probably won’t.

If you believe you will get better, you will.

If you believe you won’t let this stop you from living the life you want, the life you deserve, it won’t.

Times have changed. Knowledge has improved. The stakes are a lot higher now.

Why is belief so powerful? How can these simple thoughts become such powerfully allies in your quest for that pain free life?

Well, my friends, thoughts by themselves will accomplish nothing.

It’s when these thoughts become actions, behaviours and habits that the magic happens.

Not only for low back pain, but for every aspect of your life.

Send me your comments or experiences with pain.

Let me know what you think.

Believing in you.

Dev Chengkalath

I spent all last Friday moving apartments and I’ve spent the last few hours (more like all day) today helping a friend move furniture.

Oh, the aches and pains.

Moving boxes, bins and furniture of all shapes and sizes, through hallways, doorways and through elevators.

What did I learn from this experience?

Doing this all day can lead to back pain.

First off, let me tell you, I much prefer lifting weights at the gym! At least the load comes in neat, compact packages and the environment is controlled.

Secondly, no one is immune for a sore back!

I’m pretty certain, with all my physical therapy experience, I used solid biomechanics when lifting, pulling, pushing, dragging all those items, but I still couldn’t escape the dull ache that crept into the base of my spine.

It just feels like I need to dig my thumbs as deep as possible into those tight bundles of irritated muscle fibres along my vertebrae and force ‘em to relax.

In fact, this is one of those occasions where acupuncture is extremely helpful in decreasing pain and improving mobility. I’m on my way to get myself needled.

End result: improved movement!

But the lesson here is more important.

Next time, it’s all about outsourcing. I will hire movers.

To your healthy backs.

Dev Chengkalath