Tag Archives: Muscle

The Positive Rest Position

Posture Reprograming, Self Care, Understanding Pain Sources, , , , , , , , , , ,

The Positive Rest Position Explained

The positive rest position is a common recommendation among Chiropractors and Physical Therapists. Chances are if you have seen one of these practitioners they have shown you this position. The idea behind The Positive Rest position is similar to that of the Lateral Stretched Leg. Similarly they both work on Positional Release.

How The The Positive Rest Position Works

During this relaxation technique you are positioning your body in what is also known as a “Zero Gravity Position”. This position places your legs higher than your torso which reduces pressure on your low back. While reducing the pressure on your low back you are allowing the muscles to relax and self heal. As with the stretched leg exercise you can maintain this position for as long as is comfortable.

Getting Into Position

In short, your torso will be on the floor and your lower legs will be elevated above you on a couch or chair. If your floor is hard you can place a pillow or two lengthwise under your torso. Similarly if the seat of your couch or chair is too high you would use the pillow to bring your legs to a 90 degree angle. You can lay in this position for as long as you like.

Add A Pelvic Tilt

For added benefit you can preform pelvic tilts. These motions are easy. Just rotate the top of your pelvis in the direction of your head. Hold the rotation for 1-2 seconds and release. First The key with pelvic tilt is to not tense too much. Second is to use your stomach muscles to initiate the motion. Using your stomach muscles will allow your back muscles to “Turn Off” thus increasing the Positive Rest Position benefits. As mentioned above, you can do this to your comfort level.

Most importantly, if you feel discomfort, stop. That should go without saying.

Finish Easy

An important note is to get up from this position slowly. Trying to get up too quickly can cause you to tighten your low back. Rather exit the position slowly. You may want to twist your torso or push away using the floor.

In conclusion The Positive Rest Position is a passive exercise designed to reduce low back pain. Likewise this position can be achieved by using a Zero Gravity Recliner.

What Is A Zero Gravity Recliner?

As I have said a Zero Gravity Recliner is simply a chair that puts you in The Positive Rest Position. While there are many versions of Zero Gravity Recliners on the market, the quality is not equal. I recommend you use Relax The Back to make your purchase. The reason is Relax The Back will handle any warranty issues you have in the future. For example, the chair breaks. No problem. Call Relax The Back and they send out a tech to fix the chair. You don’t have to deal with the manufacture. Moreover you don’t have to ship the chair.

When shopping from Zero Gravity Recliner chairs there there are two different feelings you will get. One style your will feel you are sitting ON the chair. Compared to the other feeling of sitting IN the chair. Here is an example.

This style you feel “ON” the chair

Novus Zero Gravity Recliner Positive Rest Position Chair
This Novus Zero Gravity Recliner will give you the feeling of sitting ON the chair in the Positive Rest Position.
This style you feel “IN” the chair

Perfect Chair Zero Gravity Recliner Positive Rest Position Chair
This Perfect Chair Zero Gravity Recliner will give you the feeling of sitting IN the chair.

At this point I will open up for questions about the Positive Rest Position or Zero Gravity Recliner. Leave a comment or Contact Me.

Clinical Massage Treatment Hip Tension And Low Back Pain

Hip Tension And Low Back Pain

Self Care, Understanding Pain Sources, , , , , , , , ,

There is no doubt of the relation of hip tension and low back pain. As a rule when a client complained of low back pain, hip tension is almost always present. In this article we’ll be looking at how hip tension and low back pain are related. Additionally, steps you can take to reduce both.

Hip Tension

In my years as a clinical massage therapist I have had hundreds of clients see reduction or outright elimination of low back pain. By and large majority of them get amazing results from releasing the tension in their hips. I’m going to let you in on a secret. The legs and the back are not two separate parts. They work together 100% of the time. There are muscles in your hips that directly relate to and release muscles in your low back. In fact there are multiple hip and leg muscles that can have positive effects for low back pain.
To stop low back pain the best is to find a clinical massage therapist that understands myofascial, trigger point and muscle belly release techniques. On the other hand regular relaxation massage will not help you. Your massage session should be 1 hour minimum and focus strictly on your low back and hips. That means no fru-fru, oily slip and slide. A good clinical massage therapist with use very little oil, if any at all.

Read More On Hip Tension >


Topical Balms Are Only Temporary. Seek Clinical Massage.

Hip Tension and Low Back Pain And How They Relate

To truly understand low back pain you need to learn a little anatomy. Getting a basic grasp of what is going on will help you understand hip tension and low back pain and how they relate. In short, all of the muscles in your low back, hips and thighs attach to each other in one way or another. Furthermore, there are muscles such as Illio-Psoas that directly attach to your thigh bone (Femur) and you lower back vertebrae (L3,L4,L5). Additional back pain contributing muscles are Gluteus Medius, Gluteus Maximus, Piriformis and Quadratus Lumborum. These muscles are just a few of the key players that cause low back pain. What ties them all together is your pelvis or Illium. Here are some gif’s and illustrations to help you understand.

Psoas Major Muscle Low Back Pain Cause Rotating Anatomy
This is Psoas Major. You can easily see how the muscle attaches to the lower vertebrae, the pelvis and the thigh bone.

Gluteus Maximus Hip Tension Pain Cause
This is Gluteus Maximus. Here you can see how it attaches to the Sacrum, the Pelvis and the Femur
Gluteus Medius Causes Hip Tension Low Back Pain
This is Gluteus Medius. You can see how it attaches at the Pelvis and Femur.

Quadratus Lumborum Muscle Causes Low Back Pain
The bright red is Quadratus Lumborum. You can see how it attaches at the each Vertebrae and at the Pelvis.

Why These Photos Are Important

There is a huge reason why these photos are important. The above photos show you how your low back, pelvis and hips are all connected with muscles. Each muscle relies on another to function correctly. If one or more of the muscles are not functioning correctly the other muscles will try to compensate. The compensation is what generally leads to pain.

The Hips Are The Hub

Imagine the hips are the hub connecting your lower body to your upper body. The muscles that attach at the hips and pelvis are some of the strongest muscles in your body. Thus they can do a lot of damage especially when it comes to low back pain. For this reason releasing hip tension is an important step to low back pain recovery.

Self Care Technique

With the topical treatments below, use this effective self care technique to help release hip tension and low back pain.

You Will Need:

3 Pillows
Relaxing Music/Guided Meditation With Headphones

You Will Do:

1.) Apply topical treatment cream or gel.
2.) Put on loose fitting clothing such as Thai Fishing Pants or Loose Yoga Pants.
3.) Lay face up on your bed with your legs spread apart as far as you can comfortably get them.
4.) Place one pillow under each thigh just BELOW your buttocks.
5.) Place a pillow under your low back if needed.
6.) Put on your headphones with relaxing music or meditation guidance.
7.) Relax.

What Will Happen:

During your relaxation session you will begin to notice release of tension. Next, you may experience non-painful twitches as your muscles release. In fact, this is normal and very beneficial. The topical treatments will assist in relaxing the muscles in your hips and low back. The relaxing music or guided meditation you use will assist in quieting your mind. It is important that you turn off your thoughts to allow your body to self heal.

Positional Release Technique

This self care exercise is know as a Positional Release Technique. By placing your body in a position where muscles are in a slackened or loose state, the muscle will naturally reprogram itself and release. I strongly recommend a Guided Relaxation Meditation with this technique because you will be guided on how to properly relax. In my opinion guided meditations are a necessary part of self healing.

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Non Invasive Pain Healing

The Non invasive pain healing technique mentioned above is one of many that can help you self heal. At this point you should have a very basic understanding of hip tension and low back pain. As a result you’ll get amazing pain reduction from Positional Release. Please leave a comment with how you felt before and after using the technique. No doubt your comments will help future visitors.