Why Does My Back Hurt While I Brush My Teeth?

Can you relate to Michelle? I was talking to Michelle the other day and she was disgusted with her back pain. She was ready to throw in the towel. She even asked me “Can’t you just get a back replacement? My back must be defective.” 

She continues to explain why she was so disgusted with her back.  “I understand why my back hurts when I carry my daughter who is 45 pounds now. I’ve found ways to deal with my back pain at the grocery store and after my work commute. BUT I’m completely confused by why my back would hurt while I brush my teeth!!” 

I can only imagine how frustrating it must be to have to adjust every aspect of your life to avoid pain. And back pain does affect everything you do. 

Michelle was obviously at her wits end. She was tired of having to find ways to accommodate her back which alway resulted in her missing out on important things in her life not to mention making her errand take longer. As I started to ask her about the history of her back pain it became obvious that Michelle had been dealing with her back pain for over 5 years. The first time she could remember having back pain she helped a friend move, she was sore for a week. But a few months later she picked something light up off the floor and she had to see her doctor for muscle relaxers. She has sense just been changing how she moves to avoid the possible reinjuring her back. 

“I'm in my early 40s and I feel like I’m in my 60s! I'm scared about what that will mean going forward. And not being able to brush my teeth is the last straw. I have to do something.”

Michelle is not alone, surprisingly many people have pain brushing their teeth. 

At her evaluation I looked at Michelle’s posture, at how flexible her legs and lower back were and I watched how she moved through her home. I was able to identify several movement patterns and tight muscles that were causing all her back problems. With just a few minor adjustments in how she did some of her household chores Michelle’s eyes lit up because she didn’t feel the back pain. 

I was able to explain one of the most common causes of back pain is over use of lower back muscles. What I mean by that is we get used to simply bending over to pick items up off the floor and we lean forward all the time. Which we should be able to do BUT we tend to bend from our lower back not our hips. Our lower back muscles were not designed to lift our torso up and down all day; they were designed to stabilize our spine. Our hips are designed to bend, flex and lift our torso.  

The rest of Michelle’s sessions were designed around helping her strengthen and stretch her hip muscle to allow her hips to take the stress off her back. Michelle is no longer frustrated with her back and she is proud of how strong her hips are now. 

She can now chase her daughter which she hadn't done in over a year.  

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Maybe you are still on the fence about what to do about your back pain and you want more information. I’ve written a book with “7 Tips To Keep Your Back From Going Out More Than You!"​

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