Cell phone neck, lumbago, ruptured disc. Every seventh German suffers from chronic back pain! Common disease number 1! Perplexed doctors, overflowing physical practices. Help yourself with these seven tips from Berlin’s most popular physiotherapist!
«I have a back.» That’s how Harpe Kerkeling, alias Horst Schlämmer, spoke from the soul of millions of Germans in the film «Isch kandidiere» ten years ago. As can be seen from the current DAK health report, hospital treatments have increased by 80 percent – since 2007! There have never been so many! The Berlin physiotherapist Lloyd Lawson knows what really helps and what you can do yourself. His recipe for success: listening and looking. Address every problem, because it can trigger a lot of pain. This is the key to his treatment – and gives him an overcrowded practice and only good reviews on the net. With his seven tips, everything is guaranteed to straighten out!
1. Buckle your belt loosely!
Physiotherapist Lloyd LawsonPhoto: private
Back pain is the new headache. 70 percent of Physiotherapist Lawson’s patients come to the practice because their backs hurt! «Depending on the job, for office workers and students, the pain is usually in the cervical or thoracic region,» says Lawson. This comes from poor forward-bending posture. But even a strong back knows pain! The body expert explains: “Runners, for example, often complain of pain in the lower back. This is because the hamstrings attach to the lower back and are often shortened.”
From the trapezius to the rhomboid muscle – every muscle, no matter how small, has a big task: Here is an overview of all back muscles:
Lawson’s approach: «I get to the bottom of the cause in the muscles.» This is the most common trigger for complaints, because a muscle is often not flexible enough if it is not stretched. He compares: «A muscle that is too tight behaves like a belt that is too tight.» He needs more space again. This phenomenon can be observed in many strength athletes. For example, the pectoral muscle: “There is a large mass of muscle, but it is not stretchy and flexible. The pectoral muscle is shortened and pulls the upper cervical and thoracic vertebrae forward. The result is shoulders pulled forward.”
2. First build up all the muscles, then the individual ones!
According to Lawson, there are two types of patients: «The athletic type, but who moves one-sidedly in their sport. Certain stretches or exercises that restore balance often help here.” But the basic structure has already been created here. It is different for the men and women who do practically no sport: «Here it’s all about building up muscles with targeted strength training.» (see also Arthur Hein’s training plan for beginners here).
Effective and without equipment: push-ups strengthen the entire muscular systemPhoto: shutterstock
Lawson knows: “Our muscles work together! A trained thigh muscle or abs is just as essential for a healthy back as the training on the back itself. “You don’t necessarily have to be a member of a gym. You can do a lot even without equipment and with your own body weight. «Start with simple exercises: push-ups, planks, squats, lunges.» As many as you can at the beginning – don’t set your goals too high at the beginning. Because not achieving the goals has a demotivating effect and ends in frustration. Increase slowly. «After two weeks you will already see a difference,» assures the physiotherapist.
3. Stretching is as important as cuddling afterwards!
The answer to many back problems is: stretching! “This applies to any type of muscular activity! Anyone who takes a shower immediately after running has skipped an essential part: “You have to take care of the muscle that you just worked. It’s a bit like cuddling after sex. Your muscles also need that much love,” says the physiotherapist with a smile. Unfortunately, sweating alone is not enough. «It might be annoying at times, but it’s still better than a pinched nerve or feeling stiff!»
Most important for a healthy back: a stretchable back extensor, the long muscle that runs along both sides of the spine from the pelvis to the head and is responsible for straightening the body. Self-test: If you can no longer touch your feet with your hands when your legs are stretched out and your knees or shins are too tight, it means that your rear leg muscles and also some of the back extensors are already shortened. That calls for stretching!
Especially for those who don’t stretch: Lawson’s eight golden stretch exercises that can even free pinched nerves:
4. Soccer instead of Playstation!
“The big problem in our society is that we forget to be mobile in everyday life. We sit, think, discuss, ponder. But we don’t move anymore.” Physiotherapist Lawson is convinced that body and mind form one unit: “That’s not high Latin: A lot changes if you simply avoid the monotony. Change your sitting position often in the office. Get another chair. Sit on a wedge pillow. Walk the stairs instead of waiting for the elevator. Give your back muscles new stimuli!”
What counts is the variety, the agility: “Do it like the kids who run and jump around all day. Movement is never embarrassing,” adds the expert. «I recommend any form of movement and activity that brings variety.» And that from childhood: «Football instead of Playstation! If you lack exercise in childhood, it’s twice as hard to pick yourself up or even enjoy it later on,» Lawson warns.
5. «Unmatt» the muscles like wool!
Not all exercise helps with a sore back: «To soften the back muscles again, I recommend exercises that involve stretching or stretching,» says Lawson. A good back sport is swimming, but also yoga or Pilates.
Perfect for fast pain relief: roll out the muscles with the foam roller
Insider tip for back pain: the fascia roll! Fascia is connective tissue that wraps around muscles, tendons and bones like a protective cushion. In the event of a lack of exercise, stress or overwork, they can «stick together» or «matt like wool». Neck, shoulder and back in particular are often affected. The fascia roll (black roll) is a roll made of hard foam that relieves or even relieves pain through rolling exercises. Many patients swear by it because the rolling out immediately brings about a noticeable improvement – similar to a good massage. And a lot cheaper.
6. Internalize as in prayer!
If you want to stay upright all the time, you have to keep at it! «The biggest mistake is to neglect the back as soon as it gets better.» The physiotherapist emphasizes this again and again in his practice. “You have to constantly take care of your back with sport/exercise, stretching and small exercises in between. Preventively and not just when the pain comes!”
The decisive factor here: It doesn’t have to be a quantum leap! Schedule one or two sports days a week. «Ask yourself: what can I do? What can I endure? Take your back with you into your everyday life, integrate it into your daily routine. This will automatically increase you,” Lawson promises.
Every back is different and needs to be «cared for» individuallyPhoto: shutterstock
7. Every back is unique!
Is there a Lawson recipe for success? “I was never the best in physio training. But what I’m good at is putting myself in people’s shoes. With every patient I start from scratch.” For Lawson, everyone is unique and deserves a fresh and curious look. This is the only way to find and solve problems. «Unfortunately, the diagnoses made by many orthopedists are often imprecise and general.» Here he would like more correspondence and exchange with the respective doctors – for the benefit of the patient. For Lawson, a good physical therapist is one who is flexible in their treatment. “My diagnosis starts with the patients coming in. I can already see a lot from the individual gait pattern,” says the professional.
Every body is special and every back is receptive to something else! We should treat it as such, responding attentively and mindfully to it. Lawson wants to convey this to his patients and he shows this respect to everyone in his practice. Because he knows: Your back will also be grateful! And this is how you become the most popular physiotherapist!