Why Back Pain Keeps Coming Back (And What Your Pelvic Floor Has To Do With It)

Why Back Pain Seems to “Come Out of Nowhere”

You’re living your life. Doing normal things. Loading groceries. Sitting at your desk. Picking up your toddler. Reaching into the backseat like a contortionist to grab that one item you just had to put just slightly out of reach.

Then suddenly… your back seizes. Again.

You've walked this road before, a little stretching and a little ice, and you'll be good as new. Right? Maybe you go get a massage or a one-time adjustment. And maybe just maybe, sure, it feels better for a little while.

But then it comes back. Like that one email you swear you unsubscribed from.

If this sounds familiar, here’s the part most people never get told:

Back pain is rarely just a “back” problem. It’s often due to a multitude of contributors that we never consider: sleep, stress, nutrition, repetitive movements, how much or how little we move, etc. That saying "the straw that broke the camel's back?" Yeah, the shoe fits. Then we get into the weeds and see that the mechanical aspects of back pain are often involving a mobility, stability, or coordination issue, and when that's the case, the pelvic floor plays a huge role in that.

Your Pelvic Floor and Your Back Are Teammates

Your pelvic floor sits at the bottom of your core. It supports your organs, stabilizes your pelvis, and works with your:

• Deep abdominal muscles

• Back stabilizers

• Diaphragm (your breathing muscle)

• Hips and glutes

Think of this group as your internal support system. When one part is overworking or underworking, the others try to compensate.

That tucked under pelvis with the booty that just never quite isn't flat? That causes unnecessary tension on the low back. That one time you tried to show off at the gym and lift WAY more than you've ever lifted before after months off of the gym? Yeah probably not your best decision. Squeezing at the top of every deadlift? Not needed. I promise, really.

At the end of the day, our back muscles often end up doing way more than they’re designed to do. But, hear me (or read me?) when I say this: Your back is STRONG. It wants to move. The key is finding a balance of where you're at and where you want to be and then training for that.

So Why Does Pain Return After Stretching or Massage?

Because stretching and massage help the symptom, not the cause.

When your body doesn’t have a strong and coordinated base, your back muscles tighten to protect you and find some semblance of stability. They’re trying to help, but it’s kind of like someone helping you move and only carrying pillows while you haul the couch.

The effort isn't evenly shared.

The real issue is how the core system is managing pressure and load.

Pressure Management 101 (Explained Simply)

When you breathe, move, lift, or even stand, your core system adjusts pressure internally to support you.

If you habitually:

• Hold your breath

• Clench your abs (or suck in your belly)

• Tuck your pelvis

• Grip your glutes

• Sit for long periods

• Train hard without recovery (or weekend warrior style train with major intensity and then days of nothing)

…the pressure in your system gets redistributed or poorly trained. Often straight into your lower back.

Your back takes on the stabilization role your deep core and pelvic floor were meant to share.

Over time, that turns into:

• Tight muscles

• Fatigue

• Spasms

• Ache that never fully goes away

And eventually: “Wait, why did bending to pick up a sock take me out?”

Where the Pelvic Floor Fits In

A pelvic floor that is too tight or too weak can both create back pain.

If it’s too tight: Your back muscles have to work harder to stabilize your spine when your pelvic floor can’t move through its full range.

If it’s weak or uncoordinated: Your back muscles step in to compensate.

Either way, the solution is not simply strengthening or stretching. It’s restoring balance, timing, and control in a targeted way for your specific needs.

Try This Breathing Check-In

This isn’t a workout. It’s awareness.

1. Place one hand on your lower ribs and one on your low belly.

2. Inhale through your nose and let your ribs expand all the way around.

3. Let your belly soften without pushing it out.

4. Exhale slowly through pursed lips and feel your lower belly and pelvic floor gently lift.

If you feel:

• Chest rising first

• Belly clenching

• Shoulders lifting

• No movement at the ribs

…your body may be bracing (think rigidity) instead of breathing.

And being rigid is one of the core patterns that keeps back pain looping. Do we need stiffness and stability for lifting? Absolutely, but that's not the same thing as being a rigid 2x4.

So What Actually Helps Back Pain Long-Term?

The key is teaching your body how to support itself differently.

In physical therapy, we work on:

• Breathing mechanics

• Pelvic floor coordination

• Deep core activation without gripping

• Functional strength (especially hips and glutes)

• Gradual load exposure

• Movement confidence

This is not about “fixing your back.”It’s about supporting your whole system so your back doesn’t have to do all the work.

And the goal is never just "good enough" it's getting you beyond where you were so that the risk of reinjury goes way down.

A Quick Example

When your hips get stronger and your core coordinates well with your breath, your back muscles finally get to retire from over-functioning.

They don’t have to be the underpaid and overworked tired system anymore. They can just be what they are supposed to be: back muscles.

Here's the Thing, Pain is Often Just Your Body Adapting to What It Knows.

If your back has been trying to handle everything alone, it’s because your system has been doing the best it can with the information it has.

You’re not permanently injured. You’re not “just getting older.”

You just need a clearer plan.

Ready to Get Out of the Back Pain Loop?

If rest, stretching, or laying on a foam roller every day are providing only temporary relief, it’s time to look deeper.

Let’s assess how your body is moving and supporting itself so we can create change that lasts.

Click here to book your evaluation. We’ll work together to help your back finally feel supported again.