A Previously Unknown Cause Of Chronic Back Pain

One of my patients recently told me that back pain problems are so common in England, that many companies will not hire you if they find you have chronic back pain.  If you, too, have chronic back pain, chances are that you can relate, as you are probably taking too much sick leave – lying in bed with an ice pack.

So with a dim prospect for future job opportunities looming in front of a large percentage of the work population, it behooves us to look at what causes chronic back pain.

Until very recently, researchers dealing with biomechanics thought that back pain is the result of poor body mechanics. They thought that the body, in a gravitational field, behaves very similar to how a building behaves (in a gravitational field).  For example, in a building; when the foundation is unlevel, the roof cracks and the building is no longer safe.  Similarly in a human body; when the foot twists (becomes unlevel) this twisting motion causes the ankles, hips and spine to twist (bad posture) and the final result is back pain.  In other words, this incorrect theory is that back pain is the result of a physical chain reaction – poor body mechanics.

My research over the past several years has demonstrated that this is not the case. Postural distortions are not the result of poor body mechanics, but the result of faulty (distorted) signals received and acted on by the cerebellum (the postural center in the brain).   This is how it actually happens:

A Common Cause Of Chronic Back Pain

On the bottom of the foot there are millions of mechanical receptors that are pressure sensitive.  When you walk or stand, when pressure is placed on these receptors, they are activated. From moment to moment, different mechanical receptors are activated and produce what is called a Pattern of Stimulation.  These Patterns of Stimulation send a signal to the cerebellum, which the cerebellum uses to determine where the body is in space (its’ posture).

All this is based on an innate programming of the cerebellum, which assumes that the foot is moving in a linear fashion, from heel to toe.

But if, in actuality, the foot is twisting (excessively pronating) when you stand or walk, due to an abnormal foot structure (such as the Rothbarts Foot and PreClinical Clubfoot Deformity) the signals being sent to the cerebellum are distorted. They do not accurately describe or depict the position of the body in space.

However, the cerebellum assumes that these signals are accurate (not distorted) and acts on these distorted signals.  The result is that the cerebellum places the body into a distorted position (bad posture).

The bad posture results in excessive strain on the joints and muscles, causing back pain.  Over time, if the cause (the abnormal foot structure) is not correctly diagnosed and effectively treated, the back pain becomes chronic and more and more severe.
If your chronic back pain stops you from working or doing even the simplest chores around the house, why struggle with temporary fixes that only work in the short term, like lying in bed with an ice pack? Finding the actual cause of your chronic back pain is your first step to getting relief.

To find out if you may have one of two common inherited, abnormal foot structures that cause chronic back pain,  take the Rothbarts Foot Questionnaire.

As you learn more about my innovative therapy, you may find that addressing and effectively treating your foot structure may be the missing link to ending your long time battle with unrelenting knee, hip and back pain.

If you have questions about what’s involved in being treated with Rothbart Proprioceptive Therapy, see our FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions) Page.

If you would like to contact me regarding an appointment to resolve your pain, click here.

Professor/Dr Brian A Rothbart
Chronic Pain Elimination Specialist
Discovered the Rothbarts Foot and PreClinical Clubfoot Deformity
Developer of Rothbart Proprioceptive Therapy
Inventor and Designer of Rothbart Proprioceptive Insoles
Founder of the International Academy RPT
Author of Forever Free From Chronic Pain and The Foots Connection to Chronic Pain