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

Thanks to Shauna for showing me how those Liverpudlians do it.

Now go out and move.

And be happy.

Dev Chengkalath

Whatever you may say, the body depends on the soul.

Nikolai Gogol

I ended my last post with the underlying and unifying passion that drives me in this industry.

Empowerment.

Most trainers and physical therapists in the fitness industry believe there is no greater sense of satisfaction than to see tangible and dramatic changes in their clients. Their clients themselves will seek the same nirvana, the same raison d’être.

Everyone wants to see results.

Think about that for a moment.

Is it the weight-loss, or the muscle gain, or the 5″ of extra vertical jump that will allow you to lead the life you not only want, but deserve? Is it those “results” that let you take control of your destiny and allow you to follow your dreams? Is that what will get you out of bed in the morning, looking forward to the day? Is that what truly breaks your own personal “quiet desperation”?

“How much do you bench?”

Gym Dude

Sound familiar? When asked about their amazing transformations, my clients are more likely to talk about their numbers and their hard data:

“I lost 23 lbs”

“I dropped 7% body fat”

“I put on 8 lbs of muscle”

Or, they may talk about what everyone else is saying about their changes.

“At work yesterday, my co-workers asked me if I’ve lost weight.”

“I was out for lunch with my friends and they noticed the change in my arms”

But when taking the time to actually listen to what they’re saying, the message is quite different. It’s not just the numbers, it’s not just the physical changes.

It’s much, much more.

As a trainer and physical therapist, I’ve gotten caught up in the fitness game, aiming for those specific measures, aiming for that ideal percentage and following along in an industry dominated by numbers, facts, figures and a whole lot of fiction.

I lost sight of why I got involved in the first place, what my purpose was, what my reason was.

For my clients, those numbers offer instant gratification, at times worn like a badge of honour and pride. And deservedly so.

However, more importantly, and lost to me until just recently reminded, those numbers are actually an external display of a more important internal transformation.

From kitten to lion

It’s that fundamental soul-shift, that subtle change, that allows my clients to not only experience the life they want, but create the life they deserve.

The changes start gradually. Posture improves. Confidence and self-esteem slowly increase. Energy begins to appear in abundance.

They are empowered through exercise. And motivated by movement.

They can face our challenging world and all the daily stresses, battles, and commitments: deadlines, time lines, bills, family and friends. They can keep smiling. They can be true to themselves.

They can live guilt-free.

And because of this, they impact those around them and spread that positive energy.

They can live powerfully.

Dev Chengkalath

In this final installment of your low back pain fix-it plan, I was originally going to talk about deconditioning and its nefarious effects on your movement system.

I’m still going to write about deconditioning, however, I’ll also be writing about the miraculous GOYA therapy that can be used to fix it and your low back pain. GOYA therapy is so amazing it can even fix a whole host of other ailments, diseases and disorder as well.

That’s how good it is.

But first, let’s start with defining deconditioning.

You are out of shape. You are unfit. It’s that simple. You huff and puff after every set of stairs. The walk down your driveway is considered your daily marathon. Your body can therefore be considere deconditioned.

Severely Deconditioned

You may be carrying a few extra pounds. You may be carrying a few dozen extra pounds. This won’t help the cause either. To make things worse, if you spend 8-12 hours a day sitting, you aren’t going to be working your muscular, skeletal or cardiovascular system a whole lot. At least not according to those all important principles that I discussed here.

That’s deconditioning.

If you’re not in the kind of shape you should be in, chances are, you’re using poor posture, your muscular system is not working on all cylinders, you’re not as mobile as you should be where it counts, and most certainly your deconditioning combined with the above, will lead you to use faulty movement patterns as compensation.

In order to help you fix your deconditioning and all the other causes of low back pain, I’m going to introduce you to GOYA therapy.

The Ancient Art of GOYA

This ancient therapy has been around for centuries. Its history cannot be traced back to one culture or people as it has trancended the bounds of human migration. It has been practiced by the ancient Greeks and Romans, just as it was practiced by Aboriginals throughout the world. It was truly a ubiquitus and fundamental component of everyday life.

Alas, over the last hundred years or so, GOYA therapy has fallen to the wayside. Given up and forgotten. Lost to most. Replaced by pills and potions capable of masking symptoms but unable to alleviate the cause. Replaced by electrodes and mechanical devices.

The easy “solutions”.

This is where GOYA therapy really differs. It’s not easy. It takes time. Effort. Consistency. It’s hard work.

Many people don’t want to hear about it. These people want solutions to their back pain but will stop listening when GOYA therapy is mentioned.

“How can I try to explain, when I do he turns away again, it’s always been the same, same old story.”

Cat Stevens

But there’s also a strong undercurrent, a strong movement of people who want to bring GOYA back.

I am proud to say that I’m one of those people.

Are you?

If you are, stand up and join the ranks.

GOYA: Get Off Your Ass. Now that’s powerful therapy.

Dev Chengkalath

Yesterday I wrote about abdominal bracing. 

Today,  we’ll continue with fixing your aberrant movement patterns.

If you haven’t checked out my post on mobility issues, you’ll definitely want to check it out here before reading further.

That’s because the two, mobility and movement, are so intertwined. Along with posture. And Muscles.

Each of these areas has to be addressed independently and collectively.  

The big issue related to low back pain is still altered biomechanics at the hips and lumbar spine. 

Here’s how to fix it: The Bridge

When executed properly, the bridge (and its variations) will teach you how to mobilize your hips, stabilize your spine, activate your glutes and brace your core. 

All at once.

Now that’s efficient.

To your bridging.

Dev Chengkalath

If you stop and break down every type of movement you do throughout your day, you’ll notice that they can be broken down into a few patterns or combinations thereof.

Dr. Stuart McGill, one of the world’s premier spine researchers, describes them as follows:

• Squat/Lift
• Lunge
• Twist
• Push/Pull
• Gait
• Balance

Now what if you did one of these, or a few of these, incorrectly?

What if you repeated that over and over again, day in, day out, day after day, week after week, year after year?

What if your compensation movement just so happened to be in your low back?

Perhaps every time you squat down to sit in a chair?

Or every time you bend down to tie your shoe laces?

Or every morning when you brush your teeth or wash your face?

Gold star for you if you’ve come to the conclusion that your bad movement pattern is probably making your low back pain worse.

Be nice to your spine.

How do you fix it?

Because we’re dealing with low back pain, one of the most important movement pattern skills to learn is abdominal bracing. This simple (not easy) skill can help you accomplish all the patterns listed above more efficiently and effectively, while protecting and stabilizing your spine.

As well, abdominal bracing can be an important factor for improving your posture, fixing those muscle related issues, and optimizing mobility.

Here’s how you do it:

Start by standing up tall.

Place your thumbs in the small of your back, with your fingers wrapped around your abdomen.
Slowly start to lean forward at the hips until you feel the muscles in your back and under you thumb start to tighten up.

As soon as you feel them tighten up, slowly come back up to an upright position, feeling for the muscles under you thumb to go slack again.

Once they’ve gone slack, tighten up your stomach muscles until you feel that same tightness develop in the muscles of your back under your thumb.

There you have it, the abdominal brace.

This is the first part of my exploration of bad movement patterns and how to fix them.

Join me tomorrow for the next episode.

Yours in movement,

Dev Chengkalath