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In this video Simon King shows you the special tests he uses to uncover the hidden causes of low back pain.
We all hope that X-Rays or MRI scans will help someone see what’s wrong with us – finally!
The reality is often disappointing. Very few X-Rays or scans result in a meaningful solution.
There are rare times when X-rays might reveal a hidden fracture or disease but most X-Rays taken for low back pain show nothing abnormal – or they show degenerative changes that are classified as
What about MRI scans?
MRI scans are more sensitive for soft tissue injuries but they leave you with the same basic problem – you can see tissue damage but you can’t see what caused it or how best to fix it.
Medical images are just like photos. A photo of a car accident shows you the damage but you can’t tell if the driver fell asleep, there was oil on the road or the brakes failed.
Back pain is a sign of tissue damage. It’s caused when the normal protect and repair mechanisms fail.
These mechanisms rely on muscle reflexes.
Muscle reflexes control your muscle tone every second of every day. They keep your body safe.
Every time you bend, stretch, run, jump, lift, sit or stand, muscle reflexes hold each vertebra and bone securely so you don’t damage your joints. As each muscle contracts, an opposite muscle is inhibited slightly so the joint can move, but not so much that it is sprained, dislocated or damaged. This constant balance between muscle pairs is what keeps us mostly free of pain and injury.
When our muscle reflexes suffer any interference, our muscle tone is altered. We have either too much muscle tone (spasm, tightness, cramp) or too little (weakness, paralysis, aches).
What causes muscle reflex failure is a mystery to most doctors and therapists. They might check the knee-jerk reflex but they have never been taught how vital this reflex is to every movement and muscle. They are NOT checking the 99% of muscles and that is why most back pain goes unrecognised and untreated.
Fortunately, there are a group of practitioners who check every muscle on every patient on every visit. They are afferent input practitioners.
An afferent input practitioner aims to eliminate weakness and increase strength without exercise.
Exercise RELIES on muscle reflexes and the neurological control of muscle tone.
You can’t strengthen or fix faulty nerve messages with exercise. If this were possible, Andy Murray wouldn’t have needed a hip replacement.
Afferent input practitioners encourage exercise but only once your muscle tone is normal. Without good muscle reflexes and good muscle tone, you risk injury when you exercise.
Simon King is a musculoskeletal expert who’s primary focus is to treat and prevent musculoskeletal injuries.
Simon is available Mondays, Wednesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays.
He enjoys taking care of amateur and professional sports people as well as patients with chronic pain and/or disability.
