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Your Low Back Pain May Be Preventable!

By Kim Ball

Are you one of the millions who suffer from low back pain? Did you know that many cases of back pain can be improved, eliminated, and even prevented with exercise? While it’s true that some low back pain is a serious issue that requires serious medical attention, it is also true that most instances of back pain are caused by muscular instability and incorrect posture. In these cases, it’s possible to pinpoint the sources of muscular instability and prescribe specific exercises to restore stability.

And that’s exactly what I plan to do. I plan to reveal the most common reasons for low back pain, and I intend to disclose the most effective ways to get rid of the pain once and for all!

Now, be aware that low back pain can stem from many sources. It is important to understand that YOUR back pain cannot be diagnosed without first consulting a doctor or fitness professional. However, the advice that I am recommending simply consists of corrective exercise techniques. Any healthy, uninjured adult can benefit from adding basic strength training exercise to their lifestyle.

In fact, this leads me into the common reasons for lower back pain. A lack of strength training and an excess of sedentary behaviors. That’s right! Low back pain is so very common simply because our bodies weren’t meant to be stuck in one position for so long. And we definitely weren’t meant to be inactive. So, how exactly does our super-convenient, technologically-advanced, automated lifestyle contribute to back pain? I bet you’re committing the first strike right now…

One, two, three strikes, you’re out!

Sitting in the car during your daily commute, sitting all day at your office desk, sitting in front of the TV at the end of the day… what do these activities have in common? They confine your hips to a constant flexed position. Over time, that constant flexion will result in short, tight hip flexor muscles. Strike one. This is the first strain on the low back. The hip flexors attach directly to the lumbar spine, so short, tight hip flexors will pull on the lumbar vertebrae whenever you are standing or lying flat. This leads to a pelvis that is tilted forward, an excessive arch in the lower back, and an unbalanced posture.

Another thing about the long periods of sitting? Without a basic weekly exercise program, the primary hip extensor, the butt muscle (gluteus maximus), tends to become stretched out and weak. We’ve discovered strike two. Weak, elongated ‘glutes’ indirectly cause more strain on the back. Without an optimally functioning butt muscle, the muscles of the lower back take over. Also, the typically powerful butt can no longer help to “un-tilt” the pelvis back to its neutral position.

What’s the third and final straw that breaks the proverbial lower back? Or the third strike, if you will? Those weak abdominal muscles that have evolved from all that inactivity! The abdominal musculature not only protects the spine, but it also stabilizes the pelvis. In the absence of effective abs, the pelvis fails to “un-tilt” from its unstable position. In addition, those super-tight hip flexors tend to take over for weak abs. That’s cause for even more lumbar instability!

So, to pull it all together… weak abs, ineffective glutes, and tight hip flexors eventually lead to lower back tightness and instability (and pain!). That instability does not mean that the lower back is weak. It means that the muscles of the lower back are moving and working way more than they should be. And with that instability comes pelvic displacement, tight hamstrings, tight inner thighs, a loss of hip mobility, incorrect posture, and many possible opportunities for injury. In other words: three strikes, and you’re out of the game!

What’s the fix?

This common type of lower back pain takes a consistent effort at multiple corrective exercises, stretches, and habits. It took a good while for the muscles to settle into their positions, so one should expect the lumbar stabilization process to take time as well. But consistent effort does not go unrewarded. Especially if you employ all of the steps below.

Step 1: Find opportunities to stand throughout the day

Now, while you can’t eliminate all of the sitting that your current lifestyle requires, you can create a few new, beneficial habits.

Is your commute fairly short? Ride your bike to work once a week! Do you work in an office? Request a standing desk for your computer. Or simply get up and move around more often. Do you plop down in front of the TV the moment you get home? Stop at the gym or the local park to exercise first!

Just because you are used to a certain way of living doesn’t mean that you can’t make some changes. It may be hard work to change at first, but isn’t your back health worth some effort?

Step 2: Stretch your hip flexors / Regain mobility in your hips

When a muscle is tight, it helps to stretch out the stiffness. I recommend stretching the hip flexors daily. Yes, daily. If you ever expect the stretching to counteract all that sitting, then you need to practice often.

Stretching the hip flexors is easy. You can simply perform a kneeling lunge. Begin by kneeling, then take a large step forward so that one foot is flat on the ground. Make sure the front foot remains positioned directly under your knee. Sink your hips down toward the floor so that the hip flexor on the rear leg is experiencing the stretch.

If you have bad knees, a standing lunge may be a better choice. While standing, begin by elevating your foot on a chair, the edge of a couch, or any raised surface; then sink your hips down toward the floor so that your rear leg is receiving the stretch.

Step 3: Strengthen your butt!

There are many, many exercises that target the gluteus maximus. As the major hip extensor in the body, the butt muscle can be involved in many common motions and exercises. It has the potential to be very powerful and very protective of the lower back. We simply need to stimulate the butt to gain some strength in order to be an effective muscle!

The most beneficial glute-strengtheners are: lunges, squats, sumo (wide stance) squats, one-legged squats, deadlifts, step ups, and lying ball curls, to name a few. If you are unfamiliar with any of these exercises, take the time to look them up and learn how to perform them correctly.

Extremely basic exercises for the butt are supine bridges and birddogs. These two easy exercises can be performed by all populations, especially those who currently have low back pain. They are good beginning exercises to get the glutes working properly.

A supine bridge is performed by lying on your back, knees bent, feet flat on the floor. Squeeze your butt and lift it off of the floor, attempting to tilt the pelvis upward, and not hyper-extending your lower back. The bridging movement should be fairly small and should focus on the contraction of the butt muscle. To make the bridge more challenging, you can place your feet on a stability ball.

Birddogs are performed on your hands and knees, back flat and stomach braced. Lift the right arm up so that it’s straight and parallel to the floor. Simultaneously lift the left leg backwards so that it is also straight and parallel to the floor. Balance for three seconds. Attempt to maintain both arm and leg on a straight line, not allowing either to drift off to the side. Switch the arm and leg combo to complete one repetition.

Now, get to work on that booty! And remember - the only way that the exercises will work is if you perform them correctly. So, take your time, and focus on contracting the butt to get the largest benefit from your exercises.

Step 4: Strengthen your stomach!

Your rectus abdominus (the six-pack muscles) and your oblique muscles (the abs that cause rotation) are in serious need of some strength when the lower back is overly tight. However, when strengthening these abdominal muscles, make sure you choose a variety of ab exercises.

Too many people simply do hundreds of crunches to work the abs. They just keep going and going like the Energizer Bunny. Yet, the action of repetitive torso flexion can actually lead to shortened stomach muscles, a hunch-back posture, and eventual problems in the upper back and shoulders! Therefore, it is absolutely essential that torso flexion exercises are complemented with abdominal stabilization exercises as well.

So, while crunches are a beneficial stomach-strengthening exercise, they are not the only activities that will give you “abs of steel”. First, add weight to your crunching exercises… this will make them more challenging, and you won’t have to perform as many. Then, include some oblique work and isometric exercises (the challenging ones where you hold the contraction). Examples of these abdominal exercises are: standing cable rotations, oblique crunches, bicycle, reverse crunches, plank, side plank, and mountain climbers. Contact me or another qualified fitness professional to learn more details about these exercises.

(**It is also important to address that famous abdominal exercise: the sit-up. Unfortunately, sit-ups are NOT the type of abdominal exercise to include in a program geared toward the correction of low back pain. While sit-ups do work to strengthen the stomach, they also utilize the hip flexors. And, remember, most lower back issues arise because of short, tight hip flexors. The last thing we want to do is knowingly contract an overly tight, problematic muscle. So, if you have low back pain, avoid sit-ups and sit-up variations in your exercise plan.**)

Step 5: Employ techniques to release muscle tightness

Using a cylindrical foam roller to perform an aggressive self-massage on tight muscles is a low-cost, beneficial way to release tension. Common areas of tightness in persons with low back pathology are the inner thigh, outer thigh, quadriceps (front of thigh), hamstrings (back of thigh), gluteus medius (outer hip), hip flexors, and the smaller, deep butt muscles. Loosening these muscles will help to increase the range of motion in the hip joints – and if the hips are loose and mobile, the lower back can return to a more stable state.

To determine the correct way to perform soft tissue work on these muscle groups with a foam roller, I suggest you consult with a fitness professional.

It is not recommended to use a foam roller on the lower back since the process essentially causes temporary hyperextension. Alternate methods of tension release in the low back are massage and Active Release Techniques. These strategies can also be used on other tense areas as well.

Through the use of these multiple techniques, posture can be restored, stability can be regained, and back pain can be relieved!

Take control of your back pain!

Taking these steps to develop a more stable lumbar spine can actually prevent injuries all throughout the body. All adults can benefit from the addition of proactive alignment practices… whether they are currently experiencing low back pain or not! The correct alignment of the spine is really very essential for optimal health and functioning. But, remember to consult with a doctor or qualified fitness professional if you are having serious lower back issues. A personal evaluation is necessary to determine YOUR specific causes for back pain - or any other pain for that matter.

About the Author:

Kim Ball is the owner and sole trainer of Deliberate Movement in Long Beach, California. She specializes in fat loss and spends much of her focus on correcting poor nutritional habits. She holds a masters degree in both exercise physiology and nutritional sciences. Sign up for her FREE monthly newsletter at www.deliberatemovement.com