Nearly eighty percent of Americans will experience back pain at some point in their life. And if you’ve ever had it – even just once – you know it’s one of the most debilitating things you can go through.
Why? Because it’s nearly impossible to move, walk, or even sit comfortably without using your back. Back pain is the number one reason why people stop doing the things they love as they get older. It’s why golfers stop golfing, why gardeners stop gardening…and here’s the brutal truth.
Back Pain Is the #1 Accelerator of Aging
Think about that for a minute.
Most people don’t consider themselves “old” until they can’t do something they want to do. Like when your little kids ask you to run around with them at the playground, and you make an excuse because deep down you’re thinking, “No way – I’m way too old for that.”
Or maybe it starts with a few aches during golf. Then one day, your back flares up so bad you’re forced to stop playing. And next thing you know, even bending down to pick up a pencil feels risky – because you’re afraid your back will “go out.”
And that’s the moment independence starts to slip away. It goes downhill fast from there.
Here’s the problem: Back pain is so painful and scary that we often assume it’s more complicated than it is.
To make things worse, your X-ray or MRI shows “degeneration at L4–5,” “herniation at L3–4,” or “narrowing of XYZ.” Your doctor hands you pills, injections, or a referral to a surgeon. And because most people don’t understand biomechanics, they catastrophize it. They believe the only solution is surgery…or worse, that they’ve got a “bad back” and they’ll just have to live with it.
But it doesn’t have to be that way.
Here’s the Good News
Ninety-nine percent of the time, surgery, injections, and pain pills are NOT the right solution.
And ninety-nine percent of the time, the actual source of your back pain isn’t your spine at all – it’s your pelvis. More specifically, it’s your sacroiliac (SI) joint, where your spine connects to your pelvis. When this joint becomes unstable, even something as small as a cough can trigger sharp pain or a deep, dull ache that never seems to go away.
Let me say this loud and clear: It is extremely rare that the scary stuff on your MRI is causing your pain. I’ve helped thousands of people get back to a pain-free, high-quality life – even with some of the ugliest MRIs I’ve ever seen. And here’s a fun fact: their MRI still looks the same after their pain is gone. That’s because MRI findings can correlate with your pain, but they aren’t usually the cause of it.
So, What Is the Cause?
Most non-traumatic back pain comes from something I call WAS – Weak Ass Syndrome (hopefully you chuckled, but I’m quite serious). Your glutes are supposed to be the strongest muscles in your body, but when you sit on them all day for years, they weaken. And when one glute gets weaker than the other (which is very common), it throws off the stability of your pelvis. That asymmetry leads to SI joint instability and, ultimately, back pain. So, how do you fix it?
You must stabilize the SI joint. And that requires proper glute and core strengthening. Notice I said proper. Not just “go do some squats or bridges.” If it were that easy, you wouldn’t still be in pain.
Most people don’t get this part right because they try to follow cookie-cutter YouTube videos or outdated physical therapy routines. However, to truly address the root problem, your exercises must be performed 100% correctly, with the proper activation, alignment, and progression.
That’s where coaching comes in. You need a coach who’s walked this road before – someone with a proven track record of getting results.
You need someone who…
- Doesn’t rely on cookie-cutter PT
- Doesn’t believe surgery or pills are the only way
- Cares more about your outcome than your insurance policy
Sometimes, finding that coach can be tough. At other times, it’s as simple as opening your podcast app and searching for “The Berman Method Podcast,” or visiting BermanPT.com to see dozens of video testimonials from real people just like you who have gotten their lives back.
If you’re tired of living with back pain – or even just worried it’s heading that way – don’t ignore it. It doesn’t have to be this way. You can stop the aging spiral. You can stay independent. You can get back to doing what you love. Let us show you how.
Dr. Jake Berman, PT, DPT, is a physical therapist and the owner of Berman Physical Therapy, where they focus on treating the actual problem causing your symptoms (pain) to help you avoid taking pain pills and dangerous surgeries. So, if you’re tired of feeling “old” and you are looking for another way to keep active and mobile, call Dr. Berman at 239.431.0232 to take advantage of a FREE 30-minute taster session!