Low Back Pain Treatment by seeing how the muscles behave

Core stability musle visualization using ultrasonography

You can now see how your core muscles are functioning

The human body is a dynamic mobile form. When healthy, it is able to adapt to various challenges and then return to equilibrium. This capacity is reduced by physical changes resulting from stressors such as injury, pain, over-use, lack of use, aging, disease and pregnancy.

Research shows that people with a history of lower back or pelvic pain experience changes in the stabilizing muscles of the lumbo-pelvic region. These deficits in size and, or control may lead to chronic or recurring pain.

The importance of core stabilisation is widely understood and emphasized by many disciplines i.e. Pilates, yoga, personal trainers, physiotherapists and athletic trainers. But how do we know if we are properly activating the deep core muscles? What if unidentified factors are preventing us from controlling these muscles? These questions can be objectively answered using Rehabilitative Ultrasound Imaging (RUSI).

RUSI is the same technology used to examine infants in utero. The use of RUSI in physiotherapy has been extensively researched and is widely used by physiotherapists in Australia and Europe.

At Seva we are using RUSI to examine muscle shape, size, symmetry and tissue quality, as well as the muscle's ability to contract and relax. Equally important, is the use of RUSI to enhance the teaching of proper core activation through immediate feedback.

There are two typical patterns that have been identified in clients with core issues:

“insufficient” types who have pain due to a lack of muscle strength, and / or endurance, and /or control

“excessive” types who have difficulty engaging the appropriate muscles due to inhibition caused by high muscle tone elsewhere.

“Excessive” types have high tone muscles due to habitual splinting caused by painful episodes, or overuse of muscles used intensively in repetitive high loading activities (i.e. triathletes). This constant muscle activity overly compresses joints causing pain and degeneration.

“Insufficient” types benefit from muscle strengthening enhanced by RUSI feedback. “Excessive” types benefit from techniques to shut down over-used muscles, followed by appropriate core activation.

Our physiotherapists will identify your pattern of core dysfunction and provide appropriate treatment.

Who it is for:
RUSI is used in the treatment of low back, pelvic, sacroiliac, and hip pain of various cause; post partum pain including diastases, and post abdominal, back or pelvic surgery. Athletes will also benefit from a core evaluation.

Please call or email Paul Brown, Wil Seto or Peter McClean
at seva physiotherapy 604-874-7382 for information.

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