Leashing Back at Hip Pain

Groomfit with Vera Needham

Sometimes back pain comes from the back and sometimes it comes from the hip. Sometimes hip pain comes from the hip and sometimes it comes from the back. Like the chicken and the egg the mystery, hip-related back pain is difficult to unravel.

Back pain is the second most common reason for groomers to take time off of work, only surpassed by the common cold. Today we’re here to solve this very real problem in the grooming industry.

It’s time to shed some insight on the origins of pain you may experience and give you stretches that help reduce pain and get you back to work.

Back pain can often be mistaken for hip pain because the hip joint is so close to the spine and share many groups of muscles.

Your lower back and hip are codependent joints. A reduced range of motion in the hip can change forces on your low back. This means if the hip has limited rotation the low back has to compensate.

How do you tell if the pain you are feeling is from the spine or the hip? The first indications that the low back pain you are feeling is actually hip-related is pain in the groin on the affected side.

Sometimes the pain will radiate into the front of the thigh but very rarely goes past the knee. Groomers who suffer from hip pathology find it difficult to walk after sitting for a prolonged period of time. When you stand up, you will notice a fairly sharp pain and limp for the first couple of steps, but then the pain subsides. Pain above the belt line is not a considered hip issue. The most common cause of lower back pain is a herniated disk that presses on nerves in the spinal column. This pressure against the central nervous system is the root cause of the pain known as sciatica which can be felt in the hip. You may have a herniated disk if pain is limited to your back, buttocks or hip.

Sciatic pain often goes down the back of the hamstring, past the knee, and to the outside or back of the calf. It worsens with sitting or bending and often improves when standing or walking. It all depends on where the pain is shooting from.

If pain starts in the buttocks and shoots down the back of the leg past the knee to the ankle, it is most likely a pinched nerve. Patients with a pinched nerve in the back often can’t lie down flat, and they will have use a recliner. If you think you have a herniated disk be sure to consult a physician.

If you are experiencing hip-related back pain, the first muscle to consider is the

(Continued from page 58) ing pain. This means every step we take slowly erodes our spine.

There is another muscle that is often overlooked when considering hip related back pain. The Sartorius is the longest muscle in your body, stretching from the front of the hip to the inside of the knee. It operates on two joints, the hip and the knee.

When we lift our foot to tie our shoe the Sartorius is the key player. A tight sartorius can cause acute discomfort at the front of the pelvis. Just like the iliopsoas, it can shorten while sitting, which results in chronic dysfunction. The downward pull of the sartorius on the hip has the potential to cause stress and impingement in the lumbar spine.

The Sartorius crosses at the knee, it can also be a cause pain inside of the knee. Who is better equipped than a groomer to leash the bite of back pain? To do this, we must work on flexibility and strengthening for the hips.

hip flexor muscle or iliopsoas. The iliopsoas is made up of two separate muscles, the iliacus and the psoas. They run from the front of our lumbar spine and hip bone (ASIS) to the front and top of our femur.

When you sit your hip flexors are short, or contracted. When your hip flexors tighten, they can tug on the pelvis, pulling it forward into a hyperextended position called and anterior pelvic tilt.

This change in posture forces your hip and back muscles to work overtime and places a lot of pressure on the low back. When feeling this type of strain it is important to consciously connect ribs to hips in front by engaging or bracing your abdominal muscles.

Tight hip flexors reduce your hips ability to extend while standing or walking. This is a problem for groomers who are standing much of the day. The spine may compensate for this lack of extension, and put extra pressure on the lumbar spinal vertebrae and discs and caus-

Reach back for your foot or place a strap around the foot or ankle. Whichever option is comfortable for you. Body positioning is the same as the hip flexor stretch with the enhancement of a gentle pull on the strap to lengthen tight quad muscles.

Lying Hip Flexor

Start by lying on your stomach propping up on the elbows. Next bend one leg and imagine you are squeezing a tennis ball behind your knee. Next place more weight on the front of the hip on the side that the leg is bent. Now think about lengthening the knee away from your shoulder lengthening the front of the hips. You can enhance this stretch by placing a pillow under the bent knee. Hold for 30 seconds and repeat 2 times.

Wide Knee Sway

Start this exercise lying on your back with knees and feet wide. Let the knees fall to one side trying to let the top leg release towards the floor.

Start by placing a belt or pilates ring above the knee so knees are hip width apart. Engage the abdominal muscles, squeeze the buttocks and press against the belt as you lift your hips. Hold for a count of 5 seconds. Repeat 5 times. ◄

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Vera Needham is a Medical Exercise Specialist, pilates trainer and has been a dog groomer for over 35 years. Vera invented the Tubee-Fit training tool for groomers. The Tubee has proven to be a wonderful addition to her older adult classes and in long term care facilities. If you have any Goomfit question or want more information about the Tubee contact Vera at groomfit@yahoo.com