In this podcast, get an amazing perspective from the expert on back pain and neuroscience, Dr. Jo Armour Smith. She has helped authors with over 30 published research articles and led the research for 15. Her dissertation focused on back pain and a muscle called the multifidus.
The multifidus muscle is underactive in over 85% of people with chronic back pain. It is also commonly underactive in individuals with bodily pain in other areas like shoulders, hips, knees, and neck. Why is the multifidus underactive? It relates to the connection between back pain and neuroscience. When someone experiences back pain, the brain interprets it as a threat or danger signal. To protect the area, the brain stops signals from traveling to muscles like the multifidus. Over time, the muscles become weaker as they are not activated.
Dr. Smith’s research looks at how to re-integrate the brain-body connection and get the multifidus muscle firing again through specific exercises. Her work explores how physical therapy can help “reprogram” the brain out of the protection mode so normal muscle function returns.
The podcast discusses how understanding the neuroscience behind back pain can help physical therapists develop more effective treatment plans to truly resolve back pain issues, rather than just masking symptoms. Activating the right muscles can calm pain signals in the brain.
