The case of the angry low back

For those of you who have read some of my earlier posts you will know that I love to use Neurokinetic Therapy (NKT) as one of my assessment/treatment tools. This system consists of muscle testing and palpation to highlight faulty compensation patterns where one muscle is overworked and another isn't pulling its weight.

Today, one of my patients came in after waking up with a back spasm earlier in the week. He has been working long hours from home for the past few months and has been noticing a steady increase in back tension. This week, it seemed as though his nervous system had had enough and sent his low back into spasm, causing intense pain and limiting his ability to walk.

He walked into the clinic making slow, deliberate movements to protect the right side of his back, all the while standing with a slight lean to his right. His range of motion was limited in all directions, with any movements to the left causing significant pain to the right low back.

In my NKT assessment I found that he had a very difficult time activating a few muscles in his core, failing the muscle test completely. When he put his hand on the tense area of his low back, the core test changed and became strong. After testing these two areas against each other to make sure we were working with the correct pair, we reduced the tension in his low back with some hands on work and then did some core activation exercises.

After the NKT treatment we re-tested his walking and range of motion. He said it was the first time he's felt he was walking normally since the spasm! His range of motion had improved in all directions with a reduction in his pain levels. I sent him home with two easy corrective exercises: stretching out the right side of his low back, and some core bracing with leg drops.

The thing I love the most about NKT is the fact that the homework aspect of treatment becomes very easy to prescribe. You release tension in the facilitated muscle, and then immediately activate the inhibited one. Each exercise takes roughly 30 seconds and needs to be done at least twice a day--a small commitment for a happier back and walking normally!

#NKT