Have you ever had such severe back pain that you can’t move? Maybe it was unpacking the dishwasher or just turning around and then bam you are hit with this 10/10 pain?

Then make sure you read this incredibly important blog as I’m going to tell you 1 simple tip to help you move a bit easier when you are in this state.

It’s my mission to help people live the lives they want which is why I wanted to bring you this really useful tip.

Back pain is a massive issue. It’s the most common type of pain. Over 80% of people are going to have back pain at one stage of their lives. And of those people over 80% of them will continue to get relapses again and again.

Back pain ultimately stops you from doing the things you love but it can also greatly affect your income by preventing you from working the roles you want to do.

It doesn’t have to be like this. At Elite Physiotherapy we’ve created an amazing way of helping people understand their pain, get better and ultimately get rid of it. This system of treating pain is based off the copious and ongoing research we do on the topic along with the work we do with our health professional mentors both in Australia and around the world. Our patients are always surprised by how different we are to standard physiotherapists and love the results they get.

Now let’s get into it.

There are lots of reasons why people end up in this stuck, bent over, can’t move, 10/10 pain state. But most people have a very common reaction on how they react the second the pain kicks in.

They hold their breath in.

Let’s get into why holding your breath in is the opposite of what you want to do.

Most people have heard that your stomach muscles form part of your core muscles that help your back. When you breathe in what happens is that your diaphragm, which sits at the bottom of your ribcage between your lungs and stomach, should contract and push your ribs out to the side. When you then breathe out it will relax and your stomach muscles may also contract to help push the air out.

So in essence if you hold your breath in you will have less of your core active.

But let’s go 1 step further.

That breathing style is what happens when we are nice and relaxed. When we are stressed, being chased by a tiger or when you’ve just experienced that 10/10 pain you change the way you breathe in. Instead of using your diaphragm you use muscles that attach to your neck and the long muscles down the middle of your back. These long muscles in your back can further compress your back causing more pain.

So to sum it up if you hold your breath when in a 10/10 pain state:

You turn off your core muscles
You put more pressure on your sore back

So the next time you have severe back pain when moving… try breathing out just before and while you are doing the painful movement. It won’t cure you and have you instantly cartwheeling down the hallway. But it can make those movements like standing up, getting out of bed and bending over a lot more comfortable.

If you’d like to get these results too then click HERE to book online or give us a call on (07) 4999 9773 so we can get you back to doing what you want to do and what you love.