What are the 4 stages of low back pain

Dealing with back pain can be a challenging journey. Recognising which stage you're in and knowing what actions to take can make all the difference. Here’s a guide to the four stages of back pain and how to progress through each one for long-term relief.
The Four Stages of Back Pain
1. Instability Phase
- Description: This phase occurs when certain joints in your back start moving more than others due to trauma, slips, falls, or poor posture.
- Example: Pregnant women often experience this due to the release of relaxing, causing instability around the sacroiliac joints.
- Exercise: Heel Touches - Lie on your back, keep your core tight, and slowly lower one leg at a time, touching the heel to the ground. This helps increase stability in your back.
2. Dysfunction Phase
- Description: If instability isn't addressed, it can lead to dysfunction. Here, joints and discs don't function properly, causing pressure on the discs and nerves.
- Exercise: Cat-Camel Pose- Get on all fours, arch your back up like a cat, then dip it down like a camel. This movement helps alleviate pressure and improve joint function.
3. Pain Phase
- Description: Pain is the body’s warning signal that something isn’t right. It usually appears when dysfunction and instability aren't corrected.
- Action: Address the underlying instability and dysfunction with appropriate exercises to relieve nerve pressure and reduce pain.
4. Recovery Phase
- Description After managing the pain and underlying issues, focus on building core strength and stability to prevent future problems.
- Exercise: Squats and Lunges- Using light weights, perform squats and backward lunges to strengthen your core and glutes. Ensure proper form by keeping your back flat and knees behind your toes.
Detailed Exercises for Recovery
- Squats: Hold a dumbbell in front of you, keep your elbows tucked, and squat down while squeezing your glutes and keeping your core tight. Perform 10 repetitions.
- Backward Lunges: Step back into a lunge, keeping your back straight and engaging your glutes. Perform 10 repetitions on each side.
Stay proactive about your back health,
Dr. Jeremy Andrews
You can get a copy of Jeremy's best selling book The Secret Cure to back Pain here www.amazon.co.uk/Secret-Cure-...
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