Many of the aches and pains we see as remedial massage therapists are associated with
the lower back and shoulders/necks. Headaches, sore necks and stiffness in the lower
back first thing in the morning are far too prevalent in our society. However in a
significant proportion of cases these aches and pains are merely a symptom and not
the cause of the problem. The pain in the muscles at the back of our body is the result
of what is happening at the front.
Those who exercise are well aware of the importance of stretching muscles that are being worked during the exercise eg it is common to see runners stretching the hamstrings, quads and calves after a run. Exercising causes muscles to contract and if this is not counterbalanced at the end of the session then the muscle shortening can become (semi) permanent (or until the muscles undergo a specific stretching or massage programme, anyway).
However for many of us during a typical working day, several key muscle groups are being heavily worked without us realising. These muscles are the Hip Flexors (mainly Iliopsoas and a little of rectus femoris/quads) and Pecs (Pectoralis Major and Pectoralis Minor). Whenever you are sitting down at work, in the car or in the home then the hip flexor muscles are contracted. Whenever you work with your arms out in front of you at your desk, on the computer (or massaging!) then the Pecs are shortened and contracted.
Lower Back Pain
The Iliopsoas muscle group originate from the side of the spine , lower ribs and the pelvis, pass through the pelvis and connect to the hip at the inside of the top of the femur. When they are shortened through overwork then the pelvis tilts forward. Like everything in nature for every action there is a equal and opposite reaction. In this case the multifidi and erector spinae muscles in the lower back become overstretched as they try to counteract the shortening in the front of the body.
Obviously some back pain can be associated with herniated discs, nerve impingement etc. However in a lot of cases the hip flexor shortening is a minimum a contributing factor. Whilst releasing the lower back muscles through massage and bodywork can temporarily ease the pain, unless the hip flexors are released as well through remedial massage and/or stretching then the back pain is likely to re-emerge.
Shoulder/Neck Pain
When the Pecs are shortened with the arms working in front of the body, then they tend to round the shoulder bringing the cervical spine, shoulder blades and head forward. The back muscles whose action is to retract the shoulder blades, the rhomboids, are overstretched, feel tight and can develop trigger points. Also for the eyes to look ahead rather than down then the muscles in the back of the neck contract to tilt the head back. The resulting neck pain, soreness between the shoulders and tension headaches can be alleviated by stretching and massage.
Whilst massaging the sore areas can again provide some relief, a permanent solution will only be provided by a suitable stretching programme. Given that these muscles are being overworked daily then the minimum frequency for stretching should also be daily.
If you are after specific stretches for hip flexors and/or the pecs then please consult your health care professional (or check out any reputable stretching resource).
