Disclosure: some of the links below are affiliate links. This means that Revealed Films may earn from qualifying purchases or clicks. *
Do you suffer from back pain? It’s one of the most common…and debilitating…sources of pain, and experts say that over 80% of us will experience back pain at some point in our lives.
For some, it can be a life-altering, chronic, and even crippling condition.
Guest writer Emily Lark knows first-hand how hard it can be to live with constant back pain… and her experience with this led her to become an expert in the field. We’re excited to have her share some important articles with Pain Revealed this week, beginning with her own journey:
By Emily Lark, E-RYT
Anyone who suffers from lower back pain and sciatica knows that it doesn’t just hurt your back, it hurts your whole life.
It still pains me to think of all the years I lost to this kind of debilitating pain…
Not being able to work. Not being able to stay active and healthy. And the worst part is the way my relationships suffered because the pain made me feel like I was under a constant cloud.
And I’m embarrassed to admit it now, but eventually, I even started lying to my family.
I would make up excuses to stay home and skip out on family gatherings because I didn’t want to have to “fake it” and pretend to be happy.
The sad truth was that the pain had taken over my life and caused me to slip into a mild depression.
For many years, I wasn’t myself.
And I was so desperate to get my life back that I almost went through with a high-risk back surgery that probably would have left me in even worse shape.
I thought it was my last resort and I didn’t know where else to look.
You see, like many of my clients I spent a lot of time and money on treatments to fix my back pain but nothing kept the pain away.
- Chiropractic
- Acupuncture
- Massage
- Physical Therapy
- Pills
- Injections
Sometimes I would get temporary relief, but the pain always came back. And every time it got a little worse.
I didn’t know why at the time but now the answer is so clear. And it all started with one 30-second stretch.
And if you’ve experienced this as well, you aren’t alone.
In fact, statistics show that 6 out of 10 people who seek treatment for back pain will experience a recurrence of pain within two years. (1.)
That’s an awfully low success rate, especially considering how many lives are being ruined by back pain every year.
But now, I can’t believe how much my life has changed all because of one stretch.
You see, many treatment methods are not giving people the relief they deserve for one very important reason…
Most doctors only treat the area of pain without addressing the root cause of the pain, so it just keeps coming back.
And this is especially true when it comes to lower back pain and sciatica.
For most of the 20th century, traditional doctors believed that the majority of back and nerve pain was caused by problems with the discs in the spine. So they treated back pain by forcing the spine into position, numbing the nerves with injections or pain meds, and even surgically removing the discs.
For many years these were the only options available to patients seeking relief.
This was certainly the case when I was completely debilitated by lower back pain.
But thankfully, I never had to go through with the surgery because I discovered a much easier solution. Click here to watch the video.*
It turns out that many of the most severe cases of back pain aren’t caused by disc problems at all.
Recent research has discovered that the root cause can be traced to a tiny muscle buried deep in the hip called the piriformis.
When this muscle is tight, it compresses the sciatic nerve and causes shooting pain in the buttock and even down the leg.
In addition to sciatic pain, tight hip muscles also pull the pelvis out of its natural alignment and cause the spine to take an unnatural shape.
When this happens the muscles of the back begin to spasm, posture is disrupted, and an undue amount of strain is placed on the discs – causing them to degenerate.
The imbalance caused by tight hip muscles causes a domino effect from the lumbar spine upward. (2.)
When I first learned this information, I didn’t know where to look so I turned to traditional gym stretches and even yoga to try to release my tight hips.
However, I was frustrated to find that most popular fitness stretches target the larger muscle groups in the hips like the glutes and hip flexors. But these stretches do not release the piriformis muscle that causes sciatica.
Releasing the piriformis requires the hip to be stretched at a very specific angle in order to target this small muscle. And once the precise angle is achieved the stretch must be held for at least 30 seconds.
Watch the free video here.
This might sound complicated, but once the correct stretching form is achieved, it can be felt immediately and it quickly becomes second nature.
I receive emails from people who have used my program all over the world telling me they never knew that releasing their back muscles could be so quick and easy.
And for years I have heard stories from my in-person clients about how this simple stretch has changed their lives.
One of my favorite stories comes from a client who was referred to me by his wife in 2016.
“I ran into this really difficult situation with this really terrible pain down the back of my leg. I found out later it was called sciatic pain. It was difficult for me to get out of a chair and walk down the hall.
My wife introduced me to Emily’s technique because I really needed to get rid of this pain because I was doing a hike with my son and I needed to get rid of it completely. I started doing Emily’s technique and after a few sessions I relieved my pain and it hasn’t come back for over a year!”
– Bob T.
*Results may vary.
How was Bob able to get rid of his pain so quickly right from home?
He simply learned the precise angle to stretch his piriformis muscle for 30 seconds and after just a few sessions his pain went away.
And the best part is that the pain has never returned.
Yes, it is possible to get relief from pain without injections, adjustments or surgery.
I have been teaching this technique to thousands of clients since 2009 and now over 200,000 people of all ages have learned it through my video series.
Watch This Free Video to Learn the 30-Second Stretch*
About the Author:
Emily Lark is known as America’s leading at-home healthy back expert. She is the founder of the revolutionary Back To Life System that has provided fast relief for hundreds of thousands of thousands of people of all ages and all walks of life. Her program addresses pain in the lower back, hips, middle back, upper back, neck, and shoulders. After living most of her life with chronic debilitating back pain, Emily is committed to helping people break free from pain without injections, medications or surgery.
Learn more in this free video.
- https://www.thegoodbody.com/back-pain-statistics/
- https://www.webmd.com/pain-management/guide/piriformis-syndrome-causes-symptoms-treatments#1