How Massage Helps Sciatica And Lower Back Pain

One of the most common areas of pain we get asked to help with at Ripple Massage is lower back pain. Many of our clients experience this with lots of different causes, including old injuries, incorrectly lifting heavy objects, sitting for long periods of time, physical causes such as bulging or herniated disks, and also sciatica. It is one of the most debilitating conditions our clients experience and can really affect greatly their enjoyment of life and their mobility.

There is a lot that remedial massage therapy can do to help with lower back pain. Whilst there are many treatments for lower back pain and sciatica including the use of pain killers, anti inflammatory drugs, physical therapy and sometimes even surgery, massage therapy has been shown to be effective in relieving some of the underlying causes of this pain. The benefits of massage therapy is that it is non invasive, there is no risk of addiction like there is with opiods, and can be highly effective.

This blog explores the nature of sciatica and lower back pain, their causes, and how massage therapy, can help reduce pain, improve mobility, and support long-term recovery. As always, please consult with your GP or specialist before embarking on a series of massage and only book experienced, fully qualified remedial massage therapists, like we have at Ripple, for this style of treatment.

Massage for lower back pain and sciatica

Muscle Groups Helped By Massage For Lower Back Pain And Sciatica

There are a number of muscles groups in the body that are targeted by massage therapists to help with lower back pain and sciatica. Therapists will use a range of massage techniques such as trigger point therapy, remedial massage, deep tissue massage, and relaxation massage to release the muscles and relieve the pressure.

1. Erector Spinae Muscles

   These are the muscles the run down both sides of your spine, from the base of your skull to the sacrum. Their main role is to support the spine, but sometimes if they are over worked, or you sit a lot, they can become tense. This can lead to lower back pain. Especially if you are picking up heavy objects, and your glutes (the muscles in your buttocks) are not engaged before the erector spinae, this can cause these muscles to become stressed and seize up.

There are a number of different massage strokes your therapist will use to relax these muscles that often feel fantastic! One is a thumb roll, where the therapist will roll their thumbs in a circular motion across both erector spinae muscles as they work up the back, causing cross fibre friction and pressure to release muscle knots and stiffness.

Also used is stripping, that is pressure by the forearm or even elbow up the muscle fibres to release tension and any trigger points. The trigger points for these muscles are found in the iliocostalis lumborum and longissimus thoracis regions and through the iliac crest. Trigger points are hyper taut regions in the muscles that cause referred pain, in this case in the gluteal region, lower back and sacrum.

Your therapist may also use relaxation massage techniques such as effleurage to warm the muscles, often between tigger point therapy, to relax the body and allow further deeper work.

All of these massage techniques will help reduce lower back pain, help with posture, and increases range of movement for the spine.

2. Quadratus Lumborum

   These muscles are deep in the lower back next to the lumbar part of the spine, and can often be the cause if you have intense pain on one side of your back. It elevates the hip when moving, helps with sideways movement of the body and spin, and supports the lower back. Stress and tension in these muscles can lead to often stabbing pain on one side of the lower back.

   
   

The massage techniques to release tension and stress in the Quadratus Lumborum are similar to the erector spinae muscles, and includes trigger point work, deep tissue massage and relaxation massage. These muscles can also be self massaged using a tennis ball or massage ball. Gently place the ball between your back and the floor or wall, find the tension spot and gently press and roll over the ball.

3. Piriformis Muscle And Sciatica

   When clients come to us with sciatica, a sharp pain from the lower back, down through the back of the legs, it is often the piriformis muscle that is tight. The sciatic nerve runs underneath this muscle in the glutes, and tension in this muscle causes it to squeeze the nerve, giving referred pain to the lower back and legs.

The best type of massage for piriformis syndrome is deep tissue work in the gluteal region, especially over the piriformis band. This can be done with thumb pressure and petrissage to release the muscle with friction, but often the therapist will use elbows and forearms to provide sufficient pressure to release this muscle. This can be quite tender, so your therapist will often alternate between relaxation massage and myofascial massage techniques and the deeper massage style, so your body will relax and allow the more remedial work to unlock the muscle.

Your massage therapist will also often massage across your sacrum, and stretch out the gluteus maximus muscle. For the gluteus minimus muscle, your therapist will often lift up your foot, bending your leg at the knee and firmly press with their elbow into the gluteal region. The massage of the piriformis muscle will often be done in conjunction with the ITB along the side of the leg, hamstrings and soleus and gastrocnemius muscles in the calvesm, to help with sciatic pain.

4. Gluteus Medius and Gluteus Maximus

   These are the large strong muscles in your buttocks that help support your pelvis and hip movement. One cause of back pain is these not engaging before the back muscles when you are lifting heavy objects. If this happening, exercises can be given to consciously engage these muscles before lifting, and they can be strengthened with squats. When these engage first, they take a lot of the strain off the lower back muscles and can help prevent lower back pain.

   
   

5. Iliopsoas (Psoas Major + Iliacus)

   This is a hip flexor muscle that can be found behind organs in the abdomin. It runs from the lumbarspine to the hip. If this is chronically shortened or tight, it can cause deep seated lower back pain and poor posture. A shortened iliopsoas pulls the lower spine forward and can lead to compressed disks in the lumbar spine and an inward curve of the spine. It can cause the pelvis to tilt forwards, overloading the erector spinae, quadros lamborum and hamstring muscles. The overload on these can also cause back pain. It can also cause the lubar plexus nerves to be pinched, increasing referred pain to the lower back area.

   
   

   This can be a really difficult muscle to massage as it lies behind the abdominal organs. Usually recommended for highly experienced massage therapists only. It requires gentle massage through the abdomen whilst the client is lying face up. Please consult with your massage therapist first to ensure they are qualified in this style of massage.

   
   

6. Hamstrings

   These are the muscles at the back of the thigh, and when tight, can pull the pelvis backward, putting strain on the lower back. Tight hamstrings can also press on the sciatic nerve, causing sharp pain in the lower back and legs.

   
   

   They are relatively easy to massage wtih petrissage, effleurage and deep tissue work. They can also be lengthened with stretches.

   
   

7. IT Band

   
   

   This is not a muscle, but is a band of fascia that runs along the side of the thigh. It doesn't directly cause lower back pain, bu massaging it can help release that nearby muscles, such as the gluteus maximus.

   
   

8. Calves and Feet (Tibialis Posterior, Soleus, Plantar Fascia)

   
   

   Tightness in the calves can affect the way you walk and the pressure exerted on the lower spine. A good massage technique for this region is petrissage of the calf muscles. Also a gastrocnemius thumb massage, where you run your thumbs from the Achilles tendon, up the centre of the calves, to the knee can also help loosen these muscles.

   
   

   For the feet, reflexology can be a great style of massage that targets all areas of the feet and plantar fascia. You can learn more about reflexology, that Ripple includes complimentary in any massage package, here.

   
   

   If you would like more information on how Ripple massage therapists might be able to help with your lower back pain or sciatica, please drop us a line, or give us a call. We would be happy to help.