As many as 31 million Americans experience low back pain. Lower back injuries are the leading cause of missed work in the world. What a pain!
Chances are, you have experienced low back pain or low back injury at some point. The reasons for a low back injury may vary, but may include overuse of lower back, weak core and lower back, anterior pelvic tilt, or lifting improperly. Sometimes it’s a combination of the aforementoned. For most, the good news is there is a solution or at least the possibility of reduction of pain. For some, it will mean doing more, and for others it may mean doing less and resting the low back.
To treat the spine, it’s important to look at what the spine does and why its stability is so important. There is a common misconception that the spine needs to be “flexible” in order to be healthy, which is not necessarily true. The spine, unlike other bone structures, is not a ball in socket joint like the hips and shoulders, nor is it like a hinge joint like the elbows or knees. It’s in its own category, thus it needs to be understood differently.
The spine, as described by experts, is a “flexible rod.” It must be flexible enough for us to twist, dance or bend over, but must be stable enough to brace, push or pick things up without allowing too many “micro-movements,” in which the postural alignment becomes out of alignment.
Dr. Stuart McGill says you must decide if you want to train to be flexible or train to be strong. To be most efficient at lifting weights or bearing loads, it is best to have a very stiff and stable spine as well as stable core muscles, in order to minimize instabilities that may cause injuries. McGill says that in order to be train safely for strength you will have to sacrifice some flexibility.
Strengthening the back and other core muscles can be helpful, but only if they are done correctly. It will do NO good to repetitively do lifts if done improperly, and this may take a careful analysis, especially if your back is really hurting.
One of the most common causes of low back pain that I’ve personally witnessed is the “Anterior Pelvic Tilt.” This refers to a pelvis that is tilted forward and causes the lower part of the spine to overarch which can cause unwanted compression on your spine.
Without looking at someone, it would be hard to prescribe a program, but there are a few exercises that I believe would be helpful to most, No. 1 being the plank. The plank is a very simple but challenging exercise in which you are forced to use abdominal and other core muscles to stabilize and hold position. If your low back hurts while doing these, raise your hips slightly to decompress your spine.
Another exercise I would recommend is hanging leg raises. This is when you hold on to a pull-up bar or anything that allows you to “hang.” Once you are hanging you can raise your knees or toes and contract your abdominal muscles. The hanging position allows your spine to decompress, and the anterior pelvic tilt can be adjusted more easily.
Any stretch of the hip flexors will also be helpful, as that is a common cause of the anterior pelvic tilt. Other good starter exercises that may be worth taking a look at on YouTube are Bird-dogs and Dead Bugs. These are all good, basic exercises for someone who has what they would consider a severe lower back injury, wanting to fix a pelvic tilt or are just starting exercise again to fix lower back pain.
Those who have general back pain and are comfortable and/or cleared by a professional can engage in more technical lifts. Squats and deadlifts are great, but you need to make sure you have proper alignment and stability. Some accessory exercises that may help strengthen the low back are “good mornings,” single leg stiff leg deadlifts. These are great for not only strengthening the back, but stretching hamstrings and strengthening glute muscles. Again, just be sure you are doing these properly or are instructed by a professional to do so.
The good news is that low back pain or even serious injury rarely results in a lifelong condition, if corrected properly. In fact, after a back injury of my own, I too wondered if exercising would ever be the same. But after my recovery, it is my opinion that more people should be optimistic about what they accomplish in exercise after a serious back injury.
Nate Wilson is a certified personal trainer through NASM and is the owner of Elite Fitness LLC. He is certified for Fitness Nutrition and is a Behavior Change Specialist. Contact Nate at 640-0668 or Natewilson0223@gmail.com.
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June 29, 2021 at 01:00PM
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