Over the past 10 years I have struggled with lower back pain. I am speaking of pain that would keep me on the floor in such intense spasm that I had to go to the emergency room. At first I was sure it was heavy squatting that did it to me, so my reaction (back then) was to go to the leg press instead. Well a few leg press workouts later intense back pain would reoccur. After numerous trips to my chiropractor and massage therapist I would return to my workouts. I thought I had found my solution when I realized that I should probably just do body weight squats and lunges (don't tell Pavel) and planks for awhile instead. First session of body weight exercise set me into such a spasm I was walking as if I had severe scoliosis. This was my first trip to the Emergency room. Now take the above scenario and repeat it for nearly 10 years. Periods of brief relief followed by intense spasm. Working out or not working out and everything from leg workouts to abdominal exercises would set me off. I always felt tight even when I was resting.

Prior to my RKC certification I caught on to a few things when I was teaching a kinesiology and postural assessment class. I began a foam rolling and light stretching routine that seemed to decrease the number of episodes, but didn't make me immune from back issues. Even when I wasn't in spasm I would always feel a hint of annoyance above my left hip and lower back. As I started training for the RKC my back felt better than it ever had. I began to realize that the motion of the swing was bringing some new mobility to my hips and I was feeling some relief. Then about 3 weeks before RKC, after some sprinting drills I went in to the worst episode I have ever had. I went to RKC in tremendous pain and nearly canceled my trip. Glad I didn't, I actually came out feeling better, even after all of the physical exertion. The fact of doing thousands of swings, lying on my stomach during instructions, and the RKC hip flexor stretch were invaluable. Each of these motions do similar things. Each stretches the hip flexors by putting the hips in extension and glutes in a state of contraction. After RKC I had a few more bouts of spasm and reverted back to my tools. The key for me was to now expand upon what I had learned at RKC.

The fact for me was my Hip Flexors, Psoas, and Abductors were in a state of constant contraction, and if they weren't, they wanted to be. Massage therapy helped soothe the pain temporarily, but ended up masking the real problems. The results needed to come with some serious work on my part instead of having others rub my muscles to relax.

When rectus femoris is in a shortened state it pulls the hips forward and takes the posterior back muscles attached to the hip for a ride. The psoas (once thought a hip flexor) also played a role that increased my symptoms. The psoas attach to the inside of femur come up over the top of the hip and attach to all of the the lumbar vertebrae. When the psoas decide to spasm and contract without being asked, they also yank the torso and pull the lower spine forward. The abductors, located on the side of the hip attach to the lateral side of the femur also played a role as well. There are many muscles located in this area and I don't need to list them all off. As Grey Cook would say.. "Is it the glute medius or the Tensor Fascia Latae or the Glute minimus or.....?" the answer... YES!!! I could go on to name 10 other muscles associated with lower back issues. The problem really was poor hip mobility....PERIOD. Poor hip mobility I am certain lead to my lower back pain. Stretching the lower back muscles actually lead to increased pain because stretching the symptom rarely ever works.

The key to defeating lower back issues was to tone back my training, and spend serious time on flexibility. In Relax into Stretch there are numerous tools for stretching the hips, each with a great benefit. In my experience utilizing the PNF (proprioceptive neuromuscular facilitation) techniques was invaluable. In using this technique, you contract a stretched muscle to trick the nervous system into overriding the stretch reflex. To say the least this worked a miracle on my lower back. I have had others assist me in PNF stretching for years, but nothing compared to doing it for myself. It is not my goal to recreate the book in this article, but the following 3 tools were a miracle for my back.

Some of the biggest keys utilizing these stretches in my experience is to be warmed up first and some times I like using the foam roller or "the stick" for a few minutes prior to stretching since it loosens up the fascia a bit.

Right after these stretching sessions I would pick up my Kettlebell and do about 5 sets of swings. The hip pop, the glute contraction, and overall feeling of the swing is great.

I will finish with this… I have spent years trying to stretch stiffness or uncomfortable muscles away. Unfortunately, many times this increased pain or did nothing at all. The reason being is that sometimes there are certain muscles that just don't need to be stretched. The problem is probably coming from a movement or stability issue rather than a flexibility issue. I have studied postural alignment for years but nothing comes close to breaking down the difference of flexibility, stability, or a movement timing issue as the CK-FMS has done. It has really allowed me to see which tools need to be used and more importantly, WHEN they need to be used.