Lower Back Pain: Less About Where It Hurts, More About Why

Lower back pain is one of the most common complaints I see — across ages, lifestyles, and levels of fitness. It shows up in people who sit all day, people who train hard, people who are stressed, and people who feel like they’re “doing everything right”.

The mistake we often make is focusing only on where it hurts.

A more useful question is: why is the lower back under strain in the first place?

The answer is rarely just one thing.

The Physical Layer: Weak Core, Overworked Back

From a purely physical perspective, lower back pain is often linked to insufficient core support.

Your lower back is not designed to be a primary stabiliser. That role belongs to the deep core system, including:

• the transverse abdominis (deep abdominal muscle)

• the pelvic floor

• the diaphragm

• the deep spinal stabilisers

When this system is underactive, the lower back compensates. Over time, this leads to:

• muscle tightness

• compression

• inflammation

• recurring pain that “comes and goes”

This is why stretching alone often doesn’t solve lower back pain. The issue is frequently lack of support, not lack of flexibility.

Posture, Sitting, and Modern Life

Prolonged sitting, poor posture, and constant screen use all reduce natural core engagement.

When the core switches off:

• the pelvis loses stability

• the lumbar spine bears more load

• movement becomes inefficient

The back ends up doing a job it was never meant to do on its own.

The Deeper Layer: Feeling Unsupported

For those open to looking beyond mechanics, the lower back often carries a symbolic and energetic load as well.

In many mind–body frameworks, the lower back is associated with:

• support

• safety

• survival needs

• finances and material security

Lower back pain can reflect:

• feeling unsupported in life

• carrying responsibility alone

• ongoing financial stress

• a sense of “I have to hold everything together”

This does not mean the pain is “all in your head”. It means that chronic stress and perceived lack of support affect muscle tone, breathing, and posture — which then show up physically.

The body doesn’t separate stress into neat categories. It expresses it where it’s weakest.

Restoring Support: Strength Before Stretch

True recovery usually requires:

• restoring deep core strength

• improving breathing mechanics

• creating a sense of internal support

Pilates-based work is particularly effective because it:

• targets the deep stabilising muscles

• retrains coordination, not brute strength

• supports the spine without overloading it

Other helpful options include:

• gentle Pilates

• slow, controlled strength training

• functional core work

• conscious breath-led movement

Consistency matters more than intensity.

A Simple Core Exercise You Can Do in Bed

This is a safe, effective core activation exercise suitable for almost everyone. It’s especially useful at night, before sleep, because it engages support muscles without stimulating the nervous system.

I’ll be demonstrating this in a YouTube video to accompany this blog.

Step 1: Setup

• Lie on your back

• Legs straight

• Arms relaxed by your sides

• Allow the spine to settle naturally into the bed or floor

Step 2: Phase One – Gentle Activation

• Take 10 slow, deep breaths

• On each out-breath:

  • gently engage the pelvic floor

  • draw the belly button in towards the spine

• On the in-breath, fully release

This builds awareness and connection.

Step 3: Phase Two – Sustained Engagement

• Take another 10 slow breaths

• Engage the pelvic floor and core on the first out-breath

• Keep the core gently engaged on both the in-breath and out-breath

• Avoid holding tension in the chest, jaw, or shoulders

This trains endurance and support.

Step 4: Progression (When Ready)

• Increase to 20 breaths with the core engaged throughout

• To make it more challenging:

  • lift the legs into a tabletop position (hips and knees bent to 90 degrees)

  • maintain steady breathing and core control

If you feel strain in the neck or lower back, regress the exercise.

Healing Is About Support — Not Forcing

Lower back pain often improves when:

• the body feels structurally supported

• breathing becomes more efficient

• stress load is reduced

• responsibility is shared, not carried alone

Strengthening the core is not about tightening or bracing. It’s about creating reliable internal support — physically and emotionally.

When to Seek Additional Support

If lower back pain is:

• severe

• persistent

• worsening

• accompanied by numbness, weakness, or radiating pain

Seek medical or physiotherapy guidance.

This blog is educational, not diagnostic.

Final Thought

Your lower back is not failing you. It’s often doing too much because other systems aren’t supporting it.

Restore support — and the back can finally rest.