Why Is Proper Body Alignment Important for Addressing Back Pain?
Jason Alston
When your back hurts, it common to focus on your back.
That's where you feel the problem.
But your back doesn't function independently from the rest of your body. The way your pelvis, hips, legs, and the rest of your spine move can all influence how your back has to move and function.
That's where body alignment becomes important.
Alignment Is About More Than Standing Straight
When I talk about body alignment, I'm not simply talking about having perfect posture or making both sides of your body look perfectly symmetrical.
I'm much more interested in how well your body moves and how the different parts of your body work together.
That's especially important when we're talking about back pain.
Your body is constantly adapting to temporary restrictions in movement. If one area isn't moving the way it normally does, another area may compensate—and that's not necessarily a bad thing. It's part of your body's natural ability to adapt.
In many cases, those compensation patterns are temporary. Your body adapts, works through the restriction, and naturally finds its way back toward better movement, alignment, and stability.
The problem is when that doesn't happen.
If the original restriction remains, your body may continue compensating around it. Over time, additional restrictions and compensation patterns can begin to accumulate and spread throughout the body. Eventually, you may begin feeling discomfort somewhere completely different from where the original pattern began.
That's why where you feel pain can certainly be part of the problem—but it doesn't necessarily tell us where the problem started.
If you'd like to go deeper into this idea—including mobility, strength, stability, and things you can do yourself—read What Is Body Alignment—and Why Does It Matter? →
The Pelvis Can Have a Big Influence on Your Back
For instance, one of the first areas I think about when someone is experiencing back pain is the pelvis.
Your pelvis provides a foundation for your spine and plays an important role in how movement transfers between your upper and lower body.
If movement through the pelvis becomes restricted, your body still has to find a way to bend, twist, walk, sit, stand, and do everything else you're asking it to do.
So it adapts.
Your low back may move differently. Your hips may compensate. The way you stand or walk may change.
That doesn't mean every case of back pain begins in the pelvis. It simply means the pelvis is an important part of the picture and shouldn't be ignored just because the pain is somewhere else.
The sacrum, which sits at the base of your spine between the two sides of your pelvis, is an especially important part of this relationship.
To learn more about it, read The Sacrum: The Keystone of Your Body →
Sometimes Your Back Is the Messenger
As we've already talked about, where you feel pain doesn't necessarily tell us where the problem started.
Sometimes it does. There may be a restriction or irritation within the low back itself that's contributing directly to what you're feeling.
But other times, the back may simply be where you're finally feeling the effects of restrictions and compensation patterns that involve other areas of the body.
That's why looking at alignment from a whole-body perspective can be so valuable.
Instead of only asking:
“Where does it hurt?”
We can also ask:
“How is the rest of your body moving?”
How is the pelvis moving? What about the hips? Is movement through the rest of the spine restricted? Are there patterns in the way you're standing, walking, or moving that may be influencing what's happening in your back?
We're not looking for some perfectly symmetrical version of your body. We're looking at how the different parts of your body are working together and whether restrictions in one area may be affecting movement somewhere else.
So What Can You Do About It?
This is one of the reasons Myopractic takes a whole-body approach.
When someone comes in with back pain, we're obviously going to evaluate and likely work with the back. But we don't assume that's the only area that matters.
We begin with the pelvis and then work through the rest of the body, looking for restrictions that may be affecting how everything is moving together.
The goal isn't to force your body into a picture perfect position. The goal is to restore healthy movement and create better conditions for your body to naturally realign, stabilize, and adapt.
And that's an important distinction.
Your body is already incredibly good at adapting and working through temporary restrictions on its own. Sometimes it just gets caught in patterns that it hasn't been able to fully work its way out of.
By restoring movement, we're aiming to give your body a better opportunity to do what it already knows how to do.
Learn more about how Myopractic works →
The Bottom Line
Proper body alignment matters when addressing back pain because your back doesn't function independently from the rest of your body.
Sometimes the problem really is primarily in your back. Oftentimes, though, your back may be responding to restrictions and compensation patterns that involve the pelvis, hips, or other areas of your body.
That's why improving the way your body is aligned and moving as a whole can be an important part of addressing what's contributing to your back pain—not just where you're feeling it.
The goal isn't simply to make your back feel better or make your body look perfectly aligned.
The bigger goal is to help your body move well, remain stable, and work together as a whole.
Because ultimately, your body was designed to move.
Join the Life Is Motion Newsletter for practical ideas to help you better understand your body, move better, build healthier habits, and become the healthiest version of yourself.
What Is Myopractic?
Myopractic is a whole-body approach to helping restore healthy movement. Rather than focusing only on where you feel the problem, we look at how your body is moving as a whole.
Body alignment is about more than posture or how your body looks. Learn how mobility, strength, stability, and everyday movement work together—and what you can do to help your body move and function better.
Myopractic and chiropractic both use hands-on techniques, but their philosophies and approaches are very different. Learn how they compare in focus, approach, scope, and frequency.
Drinking enough water is important, but there's more to staying hydrated. Learn how water, electrolytes, daily habits, and a few simple tools can help you stay hydrated and keep your body moving.
Ready to Schedule?
Each Myopractic session begins by getting the hips balanced and moving, followed by a whole-body evaluation and treatment. Rather than just focusing only on where you're experiencing discomfort, Myopractic care looks at how the body is moving as a whole to identify and address areas of restriction. Whether you're dealing with pain, limited mobility, or simply want your body moving and functioning at its best, you can schedule your appointment below.
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Natural Motion Myopractics
Mesa: 4447 E. Broadway Rd. Ste. 108, Mesa, AZ 85206
Queen Creek: 22707 S. Ellsworth Rd. H-104, Queen Creek, AZ 85142
Phone: 480-712-2555