A thrownout lower back is a vague term to describe how my back hurts really bad, locked up, and out of place. Sometimes, it goes away on its own in a few days. Sometimes, if there is a more serious injury, it can last for several months or longer.

There’s already an abundance of videos out there that try to promise you a fix with one stretch. However, what I want to do in this video today is give you more clarity so that you feel more empowered in knowing what your best options are. This video is going to be longer than most on this topic, but my hope is that it’s more thorough too. I’m going to guide you through very common orthopedic tests that might help you decide what’s causing your lower back pain. But first, and this is very important; acute back pain is sometimes really hard to diagnose, even with a doctor examining you. The structures are so close together, and usually, muscles are so tight, that all movements hurt.

I want to give you insight and understanding. But also be realistic that this will be a helpful video, but it does not replace a thorough assessment with a spine health specialist.

The orthopedic tests we will walk you through are the slump test, Kemps or stork test, and end range loading into extension (McKenzie or MDT)