The most powerful back pain exercises taught by Kengo Nakatani, the No. 1 “God Hand” healer in the Kansai area

According to a survey by the Japanese Orthopaedic Association, about 30 million people in Japan suffer from back pain. One out of every four Japanese suffers from this “national disease,” and it is the therapist Kengo Nakatani, 45, who has been bravely fighting against it. He has set up a clinic in Nara as a “last resort for people who have been unable to get well anywhere else.” People visit his clinic for treatment from Hokkaido in the north to Okinawa in the south, and even from overseas.

Mr. Nakatani first made his name known in 2002 when he appeared in the TV program “Dr. Nambo Dekka! (Mainichi Broadcasting System), aired in 2002, as part of the “God Hand Summit Battle: Back Pain. In the program, Takayuki Kinoshita, 52, a comedian who could not even put on his own socks due to chronic back pain, had his pain eliminated in only three minutes. This time, we asked such a back pain specialist to teach us five back pain exercises that dramatically improve back pain in just five minutes a day.

There are two types of back pain: acute and chronic. Acute back pain is what is called an “hiccup,” and it can be cured in one treatment even if the patient was unable to walk properly due to the pain. However, for ‘chronic pain,’ even if the pain can be temporarily reduced to zero through treatment, the symptoms may return after a while, so daily maintenance is necessary” (all statements in parentheses are by Mr. Nakatani).

According to the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare, the cause of 85% of back pain is unknown, but Mr. Nakatani points out that the cause of pain is in the ilial psoas muscle (choyokin). The major difference between Dr. Nakatani and other therapists is that he believes that the cause of pain does not always lie in the painful area.

When you work at a desk and keep the same posture for a long time, the iliopsoas muscle in front of the hip joint becomes contracted and stiffened. This causes the pelvis to tilt forward and the lumbar vertebrae to be pulled toward the stomach, which can easily lead to a warped back. This distortion puts strain on a part of the lower back and causes pain. The current mainstream treatment is to move the lumbar vertebrae to the correct position, and the pain can still be removed, but it is not a fundamental solution unless the contraction of the iliopsoas muscle, which is the major source of the distortion, is corrected.”

The iliopsoas muscle is a muscle that runs diagonally from the lumbar vertebrae through the abdominal cavity to the upper part of the thigh bone. There are two exercises to relax the iliopsoas muscle.

Frog Pose is an exercise that can be done while lying down. The upper body is raised from a prone position, the elbows are held at a 90-degree angle to support the upper body, and the legs are repeatedly opened and closed like frogs. The key point of this exercise is that it encourages stretching of the iliopsoas muscles and can be done as soon as you wake up in the morning.

Sliding Pose is performed with the arms resting on the back of a chair, the upper body in an upright position, and the legs spread wide back and forth. Alternate between left and right, keeping the front of the hip joints in mind.

I would like you to do these two with the iliopsoas muscle in mind. If you have more time, there are other exercises that I would like to recommend.

Along with the iliopsoas muscle, Mr. Nakatani also focuses on the gluteus maximus muscle, which he believes is effective in preventing lower back pain.

The gluteus maximus muscle, which we want to stretch through lumbago exercises, is located on the front side of the hip joint. When the iliopsoas muscle contracts, the gluteus maximus muscle on the opposite side of the hip is stretched. The gluteus maximus muscle contains many nerves and blood vessels, and if it is stretched too far, the gluteus maximus muscle will have a blood flow problem, causing a lack of oxygen. When the buttock muscles become fatigued, the overlying lower back also becomes overloaded.

Mr. Nakatani introduces the following exercises to stretch the gluteal muscles. figure-four pose” to stretch the gluteal muscles. to stretch the gluteus maximus muscles. Stand up straight with your pelvis erect, and sit on a shallow chair with your buttocks thrust out. Bend your knees at a 90-degree angle, place one ankle on the knee of the opposite leg, and lean your upper body down. You can feel the muscles of your buttocks protruding as you roll your upper body down with the image of pressing your navel toward the ankle on your knee. The advantage of this exercise is that it does not put any strain on the lower back and can be done while sitting.

Stretching the ilial psoas and gluteal muscles alone is effective enough, but by also relaxing the iliotibial ligament on the side of the leg, the balance is improved from three directions (front, back, and side), and the pelvis is stabilized in the correct position. This will help to reduce the burden on the lower back.

The iliotibial ligament is a ligament that extends vertically from the pelvis to the knee, right across the body, and is known as a site where marathon runners are prone to inflammation. To loosen the iliotibial ligament Iron massage can also be done easily while sitting in a chair. Touch the side of the thigh near the base of the foot and you should feel a hard bony protrusion. The key is to place the bottom of the palm there and rub the side of the thigh while pressing down with enough force to feel the pain.

Stress is generally considered to be one of the major causes of back pain.

Stress and back pain have nothing to do with each other. When the autonomic nervous system is disturbed by stress, blood vessels constrict, resulting in poor blood flow. When muscles become stiff due to poor blood circulation, it can cause back pain.”

If you feel stressed Crab Pose is effective. By deeply interlocking your fingers in front of your chest, alternating left and right, and moving them with a jerking motion, the blood vessels between the first joint and base of the thumb and between the second joint and base of the index toe and little finger are stimulated, and the autonomic nervous system is regulated.

I hope you will try the “Strongest Back Pain Exercise” by referring to the picture.

◆Kengo Nakatani is the representative of TOEST Nakatani Acupuncture & Moxibustion Osteopathic Clinic Group, a small group of elite healersⓇ. After working at an osteopathic clinic, he opened his own clinic in 2005, which has 21 beds on a site of 120 tsubos. He has treated more than 120,000 patients in total. He is the author of “Change Your Words and Your Pain Will Disappear! (Japanese only).

From the February 16, 2024 issue of FRIDAY