I have lower back problems. Mild scoliosis and arthritis aside, my iliopsoas feel like “two tree roots” (said by my lead Pilates instructor). It doesn’t relax. It just clenches into this rock hard chunk of meat in my lower back. This sucks because I’d like to do a Pilates roll up, but can’t. Not with my tree roots.

Very recently, I got a referral to a local PT in the area, and thought it would be great to talk to her about my lower back issues. When I got there for my first consultation and told her about the clenching in my back, she said, “So, how’s your pelvic floor?”

I paused and asked, “Could they be related?”

“Most definitely. All those core muscles are connected. Something hurts here, then it probably hurts there too.”

So. I decided to get both lower back help and pelvic floor therapy. And the two are definitely connected. First, she dry needled my back – four tiny needles went into my iliopsoas. I bent one of those needles because I have “really thick fascia” according to my PT. She attached a TENS unit type thing to the needles and zapped my back for about 15 minutes. And I’ve got to tell you – it was fantastic. It felt like the deepest, most accurate tissue massage I’ve ever gotten.

Then I got pelvic floor treatment. It turns out, I’m a LOT more tightly wound than I thought.

Your pelvic floor muscles are a lot more detailed than just Kegal muscles. There is a network of muscle tissues inside that originate on one bone and connect to another. One of those muscles is the iliococcygeus, which is a muscle connecting to your iliacus and your coccyx. Mine, like my iliopsoas, is tense and twitchy.

Which makes…some things painful.

Luckily, it’s not impossible to fix. Getting the muscles to calm down requires a lot of patience and gentle pressure (no, it’s not sexual – it’s like a pelvic exam but less spread-y and poke-y). I left the clinic feeling a bit sore, but not in a lot of pain. It just feels like I got fingered for twenty minutes.

As for my back? Major improvements already! I noticed my back didn’t feel as tight so I laid down and tried to do a roll-up. And…I got a LOT farther than I ever have before! I’m still a bit wobbly and I have more to go, but I’m incredibly pleased with the results thus far.

I also have some bruising on my back from where the needles went it. I’m calling it my tramp stamp.