Lower back

The jarring effects of accidents
and falls may cause body stress
to become locked into the lower back

The jarring effect of accidents and falls may cause body stress to become locked into the lower back. Also, heavy or incorrect lifting or bending may strain ligaments and muscles and result in stress becoming stored in the body. The wrong form of exercises, such as those that involve twisting movements or repeated forward bending, may stress the lower spine.

Another cause is poor posture, especially sitting in a slumped position, which reverses the normal lumbar curve. Sitting slumped may give temporary relief from back pain, as it causes the joint spaces to open up at the back and thus reduce pressure on the discs, but in time the back walls of the discs may weaken and develop a bulge. This would result in pressure being exerted on a spinal nerve.

Irritation to the spinal nerves of the lower back may result in back pain and this can be referred along the nerve pathways into the abdomen, groin, hips, legs or feet. Often pain is felt along the large sciatic nerve, which passes through the buttock and down the back of the leg. There may also be sensations of numbness in any of these areas. Muscle function may be affected, resulting in stiffness or weakness. The compression effect in the lower back may be so severe that the back muscles lock up in a protective spasm, pulling the spine sideways or forwards.

Over time, poor posture may cause
the back walls of the intervertebral discs to
weaken and develop a bulge. This would
result in pressure being exerted
on a spinal nerve

While the body stress remains stored in the lower back, the irritation to the nerves may undermine or disturb the normal functioning of the areas and organs they supply. Thus body stress may lead to digestive problems such as constipation or diarrhoea, bladder complaints and may adversely affect sexual function.

Sometimes a person may not be aware of the body stress in the lower back, other than feeling stiffness on arising in the morning. After BSR, a person may be pain-free for a period and then experience a return of the problem for no apparent reason. This signals that the lower back is ready to undergo further deeper release of body stress.

If the body stress has been present in the lower back for a long time (the cause may have originated in childhood), it may be necessary for the stored tension to be released in layers over a period of time.

As the foundation of the spine, the lower back area affects the stability of the rest of the spine. Therefore, if body stress is stored in the lumbar area, muscular tension will be referred to the upper back and neck.