Trigger Point Therapy for Low Back Pain w/ Tim Sawyer PT | Using Theracane

The main sources of Low back pain are myofascial trigger points, lumbar disc disorders, sacroiliac or facet joint dysfunction or irritated nerves in your low back.
Regardless of which of these you have, there is a good chance you have the lower back spasms of trigger points. Take a follow-along tour of the muscles around your spine, hips and abdomen that could be the cause or contributor to your low back pain, spinal subluxations and even radiating leg pain. Get in a relaxed mood, grab your Theracane or other self massage device and let's apply some deep pressure massage on hard to reach areas of your body. Then reap the relief of your pain and improve pelvic and spinal biomechanics.

Trigger points can come after car accidents, misalignments of the spine or pelvis, poor posture, bad ergonomics, stressful times in your life, sports injuries and acute disease.

Some of the muscles involved in low back pain are the rectus abdominis, lumbar paraspinals, gluteus medius (implicated in lateral leg pain), the psoas and iliopsoas which could be the greatest offenders, the piriformis which can cause sciatica, the quadratus lumborum which can even radiate into the groin,

Pain in the S.I. or sacroiliac Joint can be triggered by trigger point activity in the Quadratus Lumborum, Gluteus Medius, and Piriformis muscles. More often than not, addressing the trigger points in these muscles will alleviate S.I. joint pain, but chronic complaints may require the use of joint manipulation techniques as well.

Pain in the gluteal or buttock region can come from, trigger points in the gluteus maximus, gluteus medius and gluteus minimus muscles. Trigger point activity in the Piriformis muscle can cause the muscle to entrap the Sciatic nerve as it exits the pelvic/gluteal region. This condition is called Piriformis Syndrome. When you are doing self trigger point work on this and any other muscle make sure to notice if you are getting a radiation of the pain and hold the point until the radiation is, at least, 50% diminished before moving to the next spot.

As you can see by this brief outline, the typical low back pain complaint can become a very complex disorder that involves the interaction of multiple trigger points in multiple muscle groups. Add a stretching video after the trigger point video and, if you don't have a Theracane, we have a video using a lacrosse or tennis ball. (see below)

Tim Sawyer is a physical therapist who has been published in 7 peer reviewed scientific journal articles in regards to myofascial trigger points. Dr Fields and Tim have been practicing in the same office for years and refer clients to one another depending on the needs of the patient. Tim is an expert in the pelvic floor and intra-rectal and intra-vaginal trigger point therapy to help conditions relating to constipation, pelvic pain, hernia, pudendal neuralgia, pain during intercourse, postpartum female pelvic challenges,
pelvic organ prolapse. Tim Sawyer PT can be reached by email at

0:00 Start
0:17 Rectus Abdominus Massage with Theracane, Plunger or Broom
2:17 Psoas Muscle Self Acupressure
4:02 Iliacus Self Trigger Point Massage
5:35 Lumbar Paraspinal Massage
7:57 Multifidi Muscle Massage with Theracane
9:04 Gluteus Minimus Muscle Self Trigger Point Massage
10:31 Gluteus Medius Self Massage
11:57 Quadratus Lumborum Massage with Theracane
13:53 Soleus Muscle Self Massage Radiating into Low Back

Music from #Uppbeat (free for Creators!):

Dr Adam Fields is a practicing chiropractor in the Bay Area in Northern California and helps people daily in his office with TMJ problems. He uses Endonasal Cranial Adjusting, Extracorporeal Shockwave Therapy (ESWT), Class IV Laser Therapy, posture correction, muscle work, and other techniques to help his patients.