Treating Low Back Pain with a Lateral Shift

#295: We've all had the patient that comes in with low back pain and a huge lateral shift. It looks so uncomfortable!
In this week's podcast we talk about why this occurs, and some treatment suggestions.
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[@mightyzane5400]

Congratulations 🍾 on the 29 K subscribers

[@india6039]

I had trauma so it was lower back pain and literally shifted it is overcompensating but for me I felt better bent forward. I could walk for ten seconds muscles so weak. Crazy though,it was my ab muscles had tightened up from the trauma. When I began treating that stretching them out it began fix itself.

[@miker.5495]

I was hoping for a visual instruction of the possible remedies mentioned for a lateral shift. I have lateral shifted the same exact way at least a few dozen times since I was a teenager. I just turned 42 and received the same lateral shift as a birthday present. Shoulders to the left of center and acute pain in the right lumbar area. If I try to manually correct the posture by leaning my left shoulder against the wall with my feet about a foot away and forcibly pushing my right hip to the left, I get a sharp pain down the inside of my right thigh stemming from my groin and of course pronounced pain in my right side lumber area. Over the counter pain meds do nothing, but a little HiDow TENs unit does provide substantial pain relief and allows me to walk. The shift does occur after number of hours/ days of noticeable lumbar pain, but no amount of preventative maintenance seems to be able to prevent the shift. It has probably been over a year since my last shift though and it always seems to stem from something totally weird like moving a kiddie pool filled with two inches of water or picking up a pen off the floor the wrong way. Never shifted as a result of weight lifting, though I avoid squats and dead lifts.

[@SilverSparkles22]

McKenzie method, side glides👍🏻

[@BandariVahab]

I'm 36 and experiencing my 3rd or 4th lateral shift. Mine is on the left and very similar to you, happens from something very silly... two weeks ago I started jogging and I thought I start jumping up a maybe a 20 cm high step to strengthen my core along with other core exercises and all of a sudden felt soreness and later stiff right hamstring closer to under the glute muscle. I have been doing some light yoga moves to stretch it and a few days ago I did about 90 degrees bend forward with both knees straight to stretch the hamstring and the next few days I started feeling weird in my lower back and hip. I have LLD in my right leg (I have orthotics made for me) and scoliosis so I thought it will go away but the next day I was covering and event (I'm a photographer) and felt really my right leg is sort of feel shorter than how I usually feel it.. fast forward came home and the afternoon I developed more pain... the next day I had hard time standing up.. this morning (the third day) I walk to a local workout park and did a spinal decompression and immediately felt better but walking is also hard... so I am concerned about my future and trying to figure out what caused this and how can I do a thorough scan (CT/MRI/experienced phisio) to see first where all these are coming from... bad posture, traumas and maybe a defect that I was born with.. i feel the correction of LLD lead to this over the past few years.. previously my lower back would be get sore but not like this... any inputs and help would be appreciated

[@BandariVahab]

​@@SilverSparkles22I have done the side glide, it help to force it back in place but I feel there is anything else I can do fix the problem causing it?

[@elisabethwentlent5270]

Dave made note of some work by Ersin while discussing treatment considerations- any specific article references? Thankyou!

[@kevvymetal666]

any insight into an ipsilateral shift brought by SI not disc ?

[@aprenderdetodounpoco]

would you try to correct a lateral shift like in my case always pinches the nerve on constant basis every let’s say 2 to 4 seconds while trying to get into the wall-same pinches like when I try to walk and every step the nerve pinches and I lose the legs for a millisecond forcing me to use a walker- What I am trying to ask is if it is ok to have these “pinches” generated by the exercise itself. Should I keep trying to correct the shift regardless?
I am only 46, active, 142 pounds, a marathoner, but this injury has become the norm at least twice a year. always the same side (left shoulder out), always an enormous unbelievable pain when the nerve gets caught and something starts crushing it in there. It comes and goes every 1 minute when the crisis starts making me last time even scream without control because of the outrageous pain.
Using a walker for the first time has made a day and night difference but this time I don’t get to correct the shift and seeing myself with that curve is not only depressing but really painful on all the body.
Any advice is welcome

[@india6039]

Same I couldn’t stand but the wall exercise and the three ab exercises to open it up definitely better.