Q: I have some stiffness and pain in my right side spinal erector. It started being stiff about a week ago when I awoke in the morning and I have a lot of pain when I tilt my neck forward or do crunches. Massage helped a little and I got some ART done, but it feels the same. What can I do to get rid of this? I would have thought the Active Release Therapy would have worked.

A: You are on the right track, probably, but the thing is you have to go more often to the chiropractor or ART therapy and massage. You also have to be diligent with ice and rest too. Stretching is a good reliever and something you should do before light workouts, but remember, if you’re in that much pain, let the various therapies take hold over a good couple of weeks before further irritating it in the gym. All of us here have had that feeling in some part of our body and it’s uncomfortable at best. One stretch we can tell you to do that one of our chiros gave us was to stick your fists in your lower back just above your glutes and arch your back as far as you can until you feel the muscles loosen. But check with your chiro to make sure this is the same for you. You can also maybe take a pillow and put it under your low back and high glutes when you sleep for relief. Just be diligent with consistent therapy. Good luck!