It is that time of year again where patients come in to our chiropractic clinic in Barrie complaining of low back pain and hip pain referring to the groin. As a chiropractor in Barrie, Ontario I have seen this same pattern for several years in my practice. The patient says they have no idea why they have this pain. They have no history of any injury and there is no special underlying condition.
I perform an exam on the patient and find several key elements that are the same in almost every one of these patients. The patient has a tight piriformis muscle, usually on one side. The sacroiliac joint on the affected side is usually tight or fixated and there is tension in the iliopsoas muscle in the front. This is often so painful that the patient has trouble getting in and out of the car and driving, if they can get in in the first place. These patients often have great difficulty with stairs and if they can do them at all, they must lead with the unaffected side. Being a chiropractor for back pain, I know that these problems are debilitating and can make the patient’s life quite miserable.
I have attributed this problem to the way we walk on slippery ground. Instead of the normal gait patterns we use normally where we push off with our toes and use our calves and thighs and hips, we walk with our legs straight and feet flat to avoid slipping. That is why when we watch people walking in the winter it looks like we are waddling. I have called this “butt walking” for years because we do most of our driving forward with our gluteal muscles. I was watching television the other night and heard someone call it “penguin walking”. They say it is how the penguins keep their balance. Whatever we call it the results are the same.
The butt is doing all the work so the muscles pinch down. The sacroiliac joint is not moving normally so It becomes tight and gets stuck. The pain is referred through to the front and causes the iliopsoas muscle to get tight. So now that we know what it is, we can deal with the problem.
The best thing you can do is get it checked at our chiropractic clinic in Barrie.
Dr. Ron at Simcoe County Chiropractic has 20 years of experience dealing with this problem as he is a chiropractor for back pain and other problematic areas. He will assess you at his chiropractic clinic in Barrie and come up with a plan. Dr. Ron will adjust the sacroiliac joint, loosen the piriformis muscle and free the iliopsoas muscle. This treatment is the most safe and effective method for returning the patient to optimal condition.
The best thing that you can do for yourself is realize what is happening and rest or stretch before things get out of hand. If that doesn’t work, call Dr. Ron Linzner at Simcoe County Chiropractic and he will look after you.