Question
I am not sure where to go or even if this is an issue.  For a couple weeks I have found that even though I dont have any pain I feel he need to bend backward to "strech" out my back.  Everything is good until I got to straighten back out and or bend forward.  I get a large sharpe pain in the central area of my lower back and feels like my legs want to give out.  Lasts for a few minutes and all free range motion forward is back and pain is very mild and lingers for a while but goes away. I carry a firearm in a holster daily and have a belt on around my waist fairly tight near the area in pain to hold it in place.

Any ideas where to start?

Thank you.


Answer
John,

Bending backwards takes pressure off of lumbar discs.   Bending forwards puts pressure on the discs especially when bent at about 30 degrees forward (e.g. bending at the sink to shave).    Prolonged sitting loads the discs, and it's worse if you sit slumped, and even worse if you sit slumped (e.g. low back flexed as opposed to extended backwards), and worse yet if it's while in a vibrating vehicle.   If you have a degenerating disc that is prone to being irritated, these postures will do it for sure, and extending backwards takes the pressure off.  Pain from a low back structure, especially the disc, will cause reflexes to the trunk and thigh muscles and cause them to turn off.  It's called reflex inhibition.   It's the reason someone will say their "leg gave out" when going down stairs.   Giving out is when the muscles get a burst of nerve signal that turns them off (in a split second).    I would suggest that you find a chiropractor that can assess whether you have a disc problem, lumbar instability, core weakness, etc., and find a way to get better.   There are various resources:   www.westhartfordgroup.com   www.acbsp.com   for starters...

'Regards,

Dr. G