Why Do I Suffer Back Spasms?

Questions clients ask: When I lie on my back on the floor the muscles in my back go into spasm. Is this normal?

No this is not normal, but it is also unsurprising when you understand what is happening in terms of weight and force. You see the floor itself is a strong force field and easily returns any force that comes into contact with it. Our bodyweight is a force and our muscles naturally engage with force; Force is Fodder for Muscles, so often our muscles choose to engage with force that is being pushed through them when we don’t want them to. This is simply a habitual reaction, but we want to re-educate the muscles so that they recognise that they have a choice. We want them to soften and let the force move through them promoting length in the muscles and the myofascial tissue that surrounds them. The re-education process takes time so try to focus on wait not weight! Use your breath to reassure the body and try to observe how your body responds without being fearful of the response. You can lessen the force field of the floor by placing a folded blanket over your mat as this literally acts as a force or shock absorber. You can also place a cushion underneath your head or at the back of your neck to help keep length through the spine. It’s likely that you will have chronic shortness in the soft tissues through the back of your body so try to practice Lying with the Legs up the Wall Posture regularly as an effective passive release.