Massage for low back pain in San Francisco

A lot of people tell me the low back feels tight, heavy, or stuck on one side. It shows up after a long day at a desk, after a drive, or the morning after a workout. Sometimes the ache sits in the hip or the glute, and the low back is just where they notice it.

I can't tell from a sentence whether this is muscle, a joint, or something a doctor should see. If pain runs down your leg, if you have numbness or weakness, or if you can't control your bladder or bowels, see a doctor before you book.

I wrote a longer note on why this ache often isn't in the low back itself.

We start with a short check-in. You show me where it is and how it behaves. Then I work.

For this, I usually spend time with deep tissue and myofascial release through the low back, the quadratus lumborum, the glutes, and the hips. Hamstrings get attention when they feel like they're pulling on the pelvis. Swedish strokes settle the rest of the body so the hour isn't only the sore spot. If swelling is part of the picture, I keep that part light, closer to lymphatic drainage.

You can ask for more pressure, or less, whenever you want. You're draped the whole time.

Most people stand up and feel a little looser, and a little tired. The area can be sore the next day, the way a workout is sore. That usually fades. Drink water. A short walk helps more than staying on the couch all evening.

If the pain gets sharper, or you feel new numbness, stop and call your doctor.

I'm a NASM corrective exercise specialist, so I usually leave you with one small thing. If you sit a lot, try a glute bridge, slow, 8 to 10 reps, once a day. Feet flat, ribs down, squeeze the glutes at the top without arching the low back. It teaches the hips to help, so the low back isn't doing all the standing and sitting alone.

If a bridge hurts, skip it and tell me next time.