Low back pain is one of the most common reasons people go to the doctor. It keeps us from doing the things we love—playing with our kids, working out, or even just sitting comfortably at work. If you’ve ever said, “My back always hurts and I don’t know why,” you’re not alone.
The good news is: most back pain has a cause. And once we find that cause, we can treat it.
In this post, we’ll go over four major reasons your low back might hurt:
• Tight QL muscles
• Bulging or herniated discs
• Tight psoas or hip flexors
• Posture problems like scoliosis
We’ll also talk about how massage therapy, posture help, and movement tips can make a big difference. This is your guide to low back pain relief—simple, clear, and made for real people like you.
1. Tight QL’s
(The Deep Muscle That Loves to Cause Trouble)
The QL, or quadratus lumborum, is a deep muscle in your lower back. It connects your ribs to your hips and helps you bend to the side and keep your body upright.
When the QL gets too tight, it can feel like a dull ache or sharp pinch in the back. People often say:
• “It hurts more on one side.”
• “I feel tight when I get out of bed.”
• “My back locks up after sitting too long.”
Tight QL muscles can be caused by:
• Sitting too much (especially slouched)
• Carrying bags on one shoulder
• Standing more on one leg
• Putting your heel underneath your hip when you sit (you know who you are!)
Basically – anything that splits the load unevenly between both sides of the hip or leg will make the QL tighter than it should.
The Fix: Start by making sure that you are being mindful of how much weight you’re distributing between both feet when standing. Then work through the rest of the above list to ensure that none of these are habits – if they are, great, that means you have something to work toward.
People’s worst enemy often is the unknown unknowns. To illustrate this – did you know that the above caused tightness on either side of the spine? Or do you pay attention enough with everything around you in your environment to notice that you even have these habits?
A big part of our job is to let our patients know about this and we correct it together.
Tight QL’s can oftentimes can mimic sciatic symptoms. They are so close to where the sciatic nerve travels down the low back and the tension near the sciatic nerve can mimic the same symptoms.
2. Bulging or Herniated Discs
(Your Spine’s Cushion Needs Support)
Your spine is made of bones called vertebrae, and between each one is a disc. These discs are like tiny pillows that help absorb shock.
Sometimes, a disc can bulge out (called a bulging disc) or even tear and leak (called a herniated disc). This puts pressure on the nerves nearby and causes pain.
You might feel:
• Sharp pain in the back, hip, or leg
• Tingling or numbness
• Muscle weakness
This often happens from:
• Lifting something heavy the wrong way
• Sitting with bad posture over time
• Repetitive twisting or bending
You don’t have to have an accident to hurt a disc—poor posture and weak core muscles can lead to disc problems, too.
If your disc is bulging, typically it’s standard practice to try and get the bulge in between the vertabrae back to the center. Example: If your disc bulge is pointing toward the back, then doing back press-ups directs the disc toward the center.
To do this, lay on the stomach and with your palms flat on the ground press your chest off the ground and only bend up at the waist. Go slightly before you feel pain and then back down.
3. Tight Psoas and Hip Flexors
(The Hidden Cause That Starts in the Front)
The psoas is a long, deep muscle that connects your spine to your legs. It works with other hip flexors to help you lift your knees, walk, and stabilize your lower body.
But when these muscles are tight, they pull your lower back into an arch. This causes compression, stiffness, and pain.
Tight hip flexors are often caused by:
• Too much sitting (desk jobs, driving, gaming)
• Not enough stretching
• Stress and tension (the psoas holds emotional stress!)
You may feel:
• A deep ache in your lower back
• Pain when standing up after sitting
• Pulling in the front of your hip
✅ Fixes for Psoas Tightness:
• Lunge Stretch: Kneel with one foot forward and gently lean into it. Keep your torso tall.
👉🏻 Wanna make this one nastier and more effective? Try turning your torso away from the side you are stretching
• Soft Tissue Work: One of the best ways to get quick results from hip flexor cause low back is actually releasing the psoas and other hip flexor.
• Manual Soft Tissue Release: Hip flexors underneath hip bones are easy to release with a tennis or rugby ball. Spend a few minutes on a tight area.
4. Postural Problems (Like Scoliosis)
(How You Stand Changes Everything)
Your posture is how you hold your body when standing, sitting, or moving. Good posture keeps your spine in a healthy curve. Bad posture can lead to wear and tear, tension, and pain.
Some people also have structural changes like scoliosis, which causes the spine to curve sideways. Even a small curve can lead to muscle imbalance and pain over time.
Signs your posture might be causing pain:
• You have symptoms that flare when you move in a different direction of your misalignment
👉🏻 Example: Your scoliosis causes your left side to be misaligned and when stretching to the right you feel a jolt.
• You feel more tension on one side
• Your head pokes forward when at a desk
✅ Pro Tips for Posture Problems:
• Check Your Setup: Adjust your chair, monitor, and keyboard to support better posture.
• Use a Mirror: Look at your posture from the side and the front. Notice any leaning or curving.
• Massage + Movement: Massage therapy helps release tight areas, and gentle corrective exercises can bring your body back into alignment.
Something we always end up fixing for patients is their desk set up. We always recommend a standing desk no matter the situation – You have better control over your posture if you are standing.
You want your keyboard around waist/bellybutton level and your monitor – where you are doing the bulk of the work you are physically looking at – at eye level.
Where your eyes lead your neck will follow.
👆🏻 If you want to make the above tip even better, get a walking pad set up underneath your desk. Why not burn some extra calories while you’re at it?
To recap, we covered the four most common low back pain causes and chances are you already have figured out which one has caused yours.
Now that we have those two figured out and a few solutions each already, lets figure out how to structure a plan for relieving low back pain.
Let’s get into!
esWhat to Do Next: A Simple Care Plan for Low Back Pain Relief
You don’t need to do everything at once—but even small steps can make a big difference. Here’s a sample care plan you can follow at home or bring to your next appointment.
🔄 Daily Movement (5–10 minutes)
• Gentle walk or hip circles: Get your body moving to increase circulation.
• Cat/Cow or Child’s Pose: Mobilize your spine safely and slowly.
🎯 Stretch the Tight Areas
• QL Side Stretch (hold 20–30 seconds each side)
• Hip Flexor Stretch (like a kneeling lunge)
• Hamstring Reach (lay on the ground and use a band or belt around your foot to pull the leg up)
💪 Activate the Support Muscles
• Glute holds: Build strength in your hips. Just stand with feet outside shoulder width and flex your glutes for 45 seconds.
• Dead bugs or bird-dogs: Wake up your core without crunches.
I will say something that might catch me some flack (bring it on!) – but I believe you should MOVE through pain, if it’s not brand new within the first few days. It is now proven that if you SIT AND WAIT (the RestIceCompressElevate ‘RICE’ method) that your pain and injury wont get better. To get the best results, MOVE.
When doing the above stretches and movement, try to move just shy of pain and go back to the start.
That’s one rep.
Repeat until you’ve the desired reps or time.
What If I Don’t Want to Do This Alone?
Low back pain doesn’t need to be a puzzle you solve by yourself. Our team at Body in Gear specializes in helping people just like you—people that have had low back pain that they can’t seem to kick and don’t know where to start to treat it.
Our approach?
We combine:
• Soft tissue work (medical massage, cupping, myofascial release)
• Targeted exercises to build stability
• Mobility training to restore real movement
👉 If you’d rather have a trusted expert and partner guide you, hands-on, every step of the way—
we’d love to help you feel better and move better.
Click here to schedule a DISCOVERY CALL with us. Let’s break the cycle of pain and get you back to doing what you love.
Our PAIN PROTOCOL is personally guaranteed to work for your pain or else we will buy you $200 meal to your favorite restaurant.