How to Decompress your Spine for Lower Back Relief | Dr. Andy Galpin & Jill Miller
In a Nutshell
Dr. Andy Galpin and Jill Miller present the "lumbar hammock" technique: place two soft inflatable balls on either side of the lower back at the lateral rafe (thoracolumbar aponeurosis seams above pelvic bones), lie supine with sacrum and head on the floor, then breathe deeply for several minutes. This traction-based decompression creates lasting spinal lengthening and disc reperfusion lasting hours, unlike foam rolling's brief relief. The method simultaneously releases physical back tension and emotional stress through gentle breath-driven internal massage of the thoracolumbar fascia layers, with applications showing postural improvements in Parkinson's patients and stress-test performance in firefighters.
These notes were generated by AI and may contain inaccuracies.
Foam rolling provides only 5 seconds of relief while traction and decompression for the low back creates lasting changes that persist for hours. Other body areas may respond better to compression and smashing, but the low back consistently requires traction.
Pinch and twist the skin like a little brother would pinch, then move it around. Release when the pinch pain subsides and the area moves better.
During the pandemic, Jill Miller experienced peak stress from homeschooling a 5-year-old kindergartener, a 3-year-old preschooler new to computers, Zoom schooling, pivoting her company, filming content, and writing a book about stress regulation. This led to severe panic attacks beyond her normal experience.
After multiple exposures to anatomical information, Miller became fascinated with the thoracolumbar aponeurosis called the lateral rafe (or lateral raft). The thoracolumbar aponeurosis is the plane of flat epimysial fascia serving as the tendon for the lats, external abdominal obliques, internal abdominal obliques, transversus abdominis, and erector spinae, with layers enveloping the psoas and quadratus lumborum.
This structure forms a layer cake of deep fascia on the back. The lateral rafe represents seams where all layers of the thoracolumbar aponeurosis come together, located just above the pelvic bones connecting to the 12th rib.
Sign in to read the full notes
Get access to AI-generated notes, topic timestamps, and more.