T12

What does it feel like?

• Area 1 (for Area 2 see L3, L4)
• Deep aching Low back pain but (not to the legs).
• can be lancinating, knife-like, cutting, lightning bolt with movement
• Can travel along the top of back of the ilium(top of hip/pelvis),
• Can wrap around to the abdomen or groin and/or SI joint/sacrum groin, testicles
• barely able to roll to your side in bed from face up.
• Pain when standing up and walking
• coughing and sneezing frightfully painful.
• Acute severe difficulty getting out of bed in the morning,
• crawling helps, Pushing hands down on hips helps
• Climbing stairs painful, forward bending difficult
• Lower back is basically immobilized
• Difficulty turning and bending to the opposite direction of the painful side
• Depressing, loss of vitality and endurance trying to remain active in spite of pain
• Rare- heavy hips, cramping calves, burning legs and feet

What happened?

• accident or a fall
• bent forward and reached to the side awkwardly while lifting something heavy or even something small from the floor
• putting on pants while standing and half-stooped and leaning sideways
• gardening, scrubbing the floor, walking on an uneven surface like the beach.
• Soft, sagging bed like a hammock
• Leaning forward over a desk with poor elbow support
• Leaning over a low sink or work surface
• Sitting in a chair leaning on poor low elbow rests
• What’s the solution?
• You’ve activated the pain nerves (levels T12 to L2) to your Quadratus lumborum muscle and the muscle has become overly-sensitized. This is called “The Joker” because it is deceptively painful. Solution – Dr. Harkins can stimulate the mechanical nerves within your spine with adjustments at the spinal levels of T12, L1, and L2 to desensitize the pain nerves and get you back to perfect function.

Quadratus Lumborum muscle (“The Joker!”).

You’ve overly-sensitized your T12, L1, or L2 segment and your “QL” muscle is in spasm. It probably happened from something minor like you bent forward and reached to the side awkwardly while lifting something heavy OR even something small from the floor OR putting on pants while standing and half-stooped and leaning sideways OR gardening, scrubbing the floor, walking on an uneven surface like the beach OR leaning forward over a desk with poor elbow support OR leaning over a low sink or work surface OR sitting in a chair leaning on poor low elbow rests OR lying on a soft, sagging bed like a hammock. It may feel like a deep aching low back pain but (not to the legs). With movement, it can be lancinating, knife-like, cutting, or lightning bolt. The pain may travel along the top or back of the ilium (hip/pelvic bone), and can wrap around to the abdomen or groin and/or SI joint/sacrum groin, or testicles. You may barely be able to roll to your side in bed from face up. You may have pain when standing up and walking and coughing and sneezing frightfully painful. Many have severe difficulty getting out of bed in the morning, so crawling helps. Pushing hands down on hips or the chair/bench helps. Climbing stairs can be painful, and forward bending difficult. It feels like your lower back is basically immobilized. You may experience difficulty turning and bending to the opposite direction of the painful side and it can become depressing, with loss of vitality and endurance trying to remain active in spite of the pain. Rarely one may feel heavy hips, cramping calves, burning legs and feet. What’s the solution? Schedule with Dr. Harkins. He will perform an exam to learn if this is in fact the problem. He can stimulate the mechanical nerves within your spine with adjustments at the spinal segments of T12, L1, or L2 to desensitize the pain nerves and get you back to perfect function!