Why Recurring Back Pain Is a Stability Problem, Not a Flexibility Problem

If your back keeps tightening up, locking up, or “going out” every few months, you have probably been told you are stiff.

You have probably been handed stretches.

You may even feel temporary relief after stretching.

But if the pain keeps coming back, stiffness is not the root issue.

In many high functioning adults stuck in recurring flare cycles, the real problem is not a lack of flexibility. It is a lack of stability under load.

That distinction changes everything.

The Stretching Trap

Stretching feels productive.

It creates sensation. It creates motion. It often reduces discomfort in the moment. That immediate change tricks people into believing they fixed something structural.

But here is the uncomfortable truth.

Tightness is often a protective response.

Your nervous system increases muscle tone when it does not trust a joint to control force. In other words, muscles tighten to guard instability. If you repeatedly stretch muscles that are trying to protect you, you may temporarily reduce tone, but you do not improve the system’s ability to handle load.

Research in spine biomechanics has consistently shown that spinal stability depends on coordinated muscular control rather than passive flexibility alone. Stuart McGill’s work on spine stability demonstrates that endurance and motor control of the trunk musculature are critical for protecting the lumbar spine during daily and athletic tasks. When endurance is poor and control is inconsistent, tissues are exposed to repeated micro stress. Over time, that stress accumulates.

Pain becomes cyclical.

The person stretches more.

The pattern continues.

What Stability Actually Means

When we talk about stability, we are not talking about being rigid.

Stability is the ability to control motion under load.

Load is not just a heavy barbell. Load is your body weight. It is bending to tie your shoes. It is sitting for eight hours. It is picking up your child. It is twisting while carrying groceries.

Every one of those activities applies force to the spine.

A stable system distributes that force across muscles, joints, and connective tissue efficiently.

An unstable system leaks force.

When force leaks, certain tissues absorb more than they were designed to handle. The result is irritation, inflammation, and eventually pain.

Research in motor control and chronic low back pain has shown altered activation patterns in the deep trunk musculature in people with recurrent symptoms. Hodges and Richardson demonstrated that delayed activation of the transversus abdominis was associated with low back pain. That delay reflects a coordination problem, not a flexibility deficit.

You can touch your toes and still have poor stability.

You can feel “tight” and still be unstable.

Why Recurring Pain Follows the Same Pattern

Most people with recurring back pain do not injure themselves in dramatic ways.

They bend. They twist. They lift something that is not that heavy.

And the back “goes.”

That phrase alone tells you something.

It suggests unpredictability.

But in reality, these episodes are rarely random.

They reflect a system that is operating near its capacity threshold. When daily load exceeds available control, symptoms appear. Treatment calms the irritation. Inflammation reduces. Pain subsides.

But the underlying capacity does not change.

Without rebuilding capacity, the same loads will eventually exceed tolerance again.

This is why relief is not resolution.

It is similar to seeing your check engine light turn on and covering it with tape. The light disappears from view, but the engine is still malfunctioning. Ignoring the signal does not repair the system.

Flexibility Is Not the Villain, But It Is Not the Solution

Flexibility has a role in movement health. Restricted hips, thoracic stiffness, or limited ankle mobility can absolutely influence lumbar mechanics.

But flexibility is not the primary driver of most recurring low back pain patterns.

In fact, some individuals with chronic low back pain demonstrate increased spinal mobility, not restriction. Too much motion in the wrong segments, combined with poor control, creates repeated shear and compressive stress.

The lumbar spine is designed for stability with controlled movement, not excessive motion. The hips and thoracic spine are meant to contribute more range. When that balance is disrupted, the lumbar segments compensate.

Compensation repeated often enough becomes irritation.

Irritation repeated often enough becomes pain.

Pain repeated often enough becomes a pattern.

The Psychosocial Cost of Instability

Recurring back pain does not just affect tissue. It affects identity.

High functioning adults start negotiating with their lives.

They hesitate before saying yes to golf rounds, workouts, travel, or even long days at work. They scan their calendar and calculate risk. They become hyper aware of small sensations.

Confidence erodes before function fully fails.

Research on chronic pain consistently shows that fear of movement and loss of perceived control amplify disability. When someone believes their back is fragile, they move differently. They brace excessively. They avoid load. Ironically, avoidance further reduces capacity.

The body becomes deconditioned.

The threshold lowers.

The cycle tightens.

Stability training, done correctly, does more than build strength. It rebuilds trust. It restores the sense that the body can tolerate load without catastrophe.

That psychological shift is not secondary. It is central.

Rebuilding Stability Under Load

If recurring back pain is a stability problem, the solution is not more stretching alone. It is progressive exposure to controlled load.

That means:

Learning how to create tension and control in neutral positions.

Building endurance in key trunk musculature.

Integrating hips and shoulders so the spine is not forced to do everything.

Gradually increasing load in a structured way so tissues adapt.

Spine research supports the idea that graded loading improves tissue tolerance and reduces recurrence. The goal is not to eliminate motion but to own it.

When capacity rises above daily demand, flare cycles decrease.

When capacity far exceeds daily demand, confidence returns.

The Takeaway

If your back keeps tightening, flaring, or “going out,” it is worth asking a different question.

Instead of asking how to loosen it, ask whether your system can control load.

Flexibility without stability is like having range without brakes.

Recurring back pain is rarely about being too tight.

It is often about not being strong, coordinated, and conditioned enough for the life you are asking your spine to handle.

At Conrad Spine and Sport, we do not chase temporary relief. We rebuild capacity.

If you are tired of negotiating with your back, start with clarity.

References

McGill SM. Low Back Disorders: Evidence Based Prevention and Rehabilitation. Human Kinetics.
Hodges PW, Richardson CA. Delayed postural contraction of transversus abdominis in low back pain. Spine. 1996.
Panjabi MM. The stabilizing system of the spine. Part I. Function, dysfunction, adaptation, and enhancement. Journal of Spinal Disorders. 1992.
van Dieën JH, et al. Motor control changes in low back pain. Journal of Electromyography and Kinesiology. 2003.
Vlaeyen JWS, Linton SJ. Fear avoidance and its consequences in chronic musculoskeletal pain. Pain. 2000.