What is the pattern of your pain?

An important question I learnt to ask from the work of Professor Stuart McGill.

The most important step in a successful lower back rehab program is to understand what is actually causing your pain. Approach this task from the idea that your back is not weak, but rather over-worked.

A useful analogy to use to help demystify the nature of your back pain is that of the bank account. The bigger the balance, the better you will feel and the more you can do. ..

“I am a 16-year-old student, and I began working with Brian after experiencing a failed microdiscectomy at just 15 years old.  In February, following the unsuccessful surgery, I started Brian’s program. Sport is my life, so having to stop playing while I healed was a huge blow. However, I knew this was the only way to get back on the field….”

For Effective Core Stability – Should we use the TVA or Bracing?

“My physio has told me to focus on Transverse Abdominis strength for my back pain, but McGill says different. Who is right?”

We MUST always do a thorough assessment first to understand the problem BEFORE we dive into possible solutions.

Former UFC veteran Middleweight champion Luke Rockhold (@lukerockhold ) competed in the CJI grappling event last weekend. A few days before, he posted an interesting video displaying a lateral shift in his upright posture as a result of a back injury.

“After injuring my lower back in November 2023 I was in acute pain, so I followed the usual advice when this happens and took some painkillers while spending a lot of time flat on my back.”