I recently discovered I have knots in the muscles of my lower back, somewhere around the SI joints. I've had quite severe lower back pain for the past 3 years, but there is nothing wrong with the way I'm built and move. I just started at a professional dance school in September so I have great opportunity to clear the cause: weak lower stomach muscles combined with a flexible back and 'leaning' back with my upper back a little when standing. I work on these two things very hard now and I get really good ballet training and pilates training. Since I started the pain has gotten less.

Now my question: is there any wonder stretch or something I can do to speed up the process? The muscles around the knots still hurt quite a lot. It should go away with time when having proper technique and good stomach muscles, but I don't like the pain. Any tips?

The muscles in my low back knotted up to support my low back when the bulging disks were at their worst. Ab and back strengthening with a physical therapist has done wonders, as has message in the sore areas. My pain was so low that the knots were extending into my hips. She has been able to massage and facilitate the loosening up. Given the long term pain, maybe you could get a referral to PT so that you can speed up the improvement by learning more exercises and getting the additional therapies designed to make you stronger? I have yet to get any stretches, except for the pretzel stretch to loosen up my hips.

Do you go to a chiropractor? Have you ever? I do, about twice a week right now, and it helps SO much. She has loosened up my lower back to the point where I do not feel achy any time I sit/stand/lay for an extended period of time. Now that it is loosened up, I can work on restrengthening the muscles to stay in the right place.

I would put heat on your back to help loosen up the muscles and relieve some pain. Then when you come home at night after dance, put some ice on it to reduce inflammation. To stretch your back out, sit on your knees and curl up in the fetal position and relax. That should help temporarily.

"Knots" don't come out with stretching, unfortunately. A decent self-help technique is to lie on the floor with a tennis ball under the problem area, but really, the best thing to do is go get a massage and let a professional work them out. PTs and chiropractors employ massage therapists for this very purpose, so if you go see one of them, they're probably just going to hand you over to their massage people. If you have insurance, it might be worth it to go through one of them, if it's covered. If you don't, or that sort of thing isn't covered, either find an independent therapist or see if there's a school in your area and get a student to work on you for cheap.

You're probably right about weak abdominals and an odd posture contributing to the problem. And Pilates is going to be awesome for helping both of those things.

Stomach exercises over time should help You.Sometimes these knots around Si joints are lymph glands which are bigger because of inflammation.It is better not to push in them.Most people have challenge with SI joints.Easy safe way to correct and open the jont would be to lay on the floor bring one leg at the time close to chest.Hold the knee area with Your hands and press Your kneees AWAY from the body.WhenYou pull knees towards and hold that streaches low back muscles when you press away it opens SI.Good luck