00:00All right, the tail wags the dog theory
00:02as to why low back pain develops.
00:04This theory, in my 32 years as a physical therapist,
00:07has held up pretty well as a way to treat low back problems.
00:10Basically, it states that we sit so much
00:12and don't move enough so we get stiffness in our hips.
00:15And then our body compensates for that stiffness in our hips
00:18by moving too much through the lumbar spine,
00:20especially L4, L5, those bottom two segments.
00:23Interestingly, most herniated discs,
00:25degenerative disc issues,
00:26most low back pain comes from L4, L5.
00:30So to treat this, you need to stretch the hips
00:32and strengthen those muscles that limit movement at L4, L5.
00:35Here are the exercises I've used over the years
00:37to try to get the tail to quit wagging the dog.
00:40The hip muscles that need stretching
00:41are most importantly the hip flexors because we sit so much.
00:44Then we have piriformis and hamstrings.
00:46For stabilizing L4 and L5,
00:49we want to target the deep abdominals.
00:50Remember to pull in the stomach while leg lowering,
00:53along with gluteus maximus and the deep low back muscles,
00:56which bridges, and the bird dive flows.
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