Dealing with Low Back Pain: Part 2

In Part Two of Dealing with Low Back Pain, I'll go into detail (somewhat) on different strategies you can try to help decrease, reduce, minimize, or maybe even eliminate your low back pain.

Let's get into it ...


Posture: I briefly hit on three topics in Part One of this series, the first being Posture. I described different postures that I tend to see in people with chronic low back issues, with the main culprit being excessive lumbar lordosis. These people tend to have difficulty rounding (or flexing) their lumbar spine (or lower back). Due to this, they are constantly in extension and have constant pressure on their lumbar vertebrae.

To fix this, we need to find a pain-free way to flex or round the lumbar spine. A couple exercises we use are the "Pelvic Tilt" and "Single Knee to Chest." These are two lower level exercises that can help someone begin to flex their spine and, in the case of the pelvic tilt, activate their lower abdominal musculature. I'll post a video of each below.

(Pelvic Tilt)

(Single Knee To Chest)

Another big component of posture is just being aware of how you're standing. Stand sideways and look in the mirror, or have a friend look at your lower back when standing/sitting. Are you extending your low back like the lady in the picture from Part One? If so, you either already have back pain or you likely will in the future after more wear-and-tear occurs.

Weakness: We hit on the weakness portion a little bit earlier when talking about the pelvic tilt exercise and how it engages your lower abdominals. The majority of our population is weak through their anterior core and, more specifically, their lower abdominals.

If you're stuck in excessive lordosis (curvature) of you low back, odds are good that your lower abdominals are weak (among other things: gluteals!). So how do we fix that? Well, we can start with the pelvic tilt again, but we are hopeful to be able to progress from there with higher level exercises as well as exercises that activate your glutes.

(Bridge)

(Clamshell)

Stresses: So if you read part one, we talked about different stresses you can face, from repetitive motions you do throughout the day (such as lifting, carrying, pushing, pulling) to stress in the general sense that causes increased muscle tone and tension.

So how do we fix, or correct, this? The answer is not an easy one. If the stresses are caused from your job, then you're in quite the predicament. While it's easy to tell someone their job is causing their problems with regards to low back stress or exacerbation, it's very difficult to suggest to that individual that they need to quit said job. As many people across the world know, finding a job isn't the easiest thing to do. So to recommend to someone that they should quit their job may sound a little crazy.

Instead, I try to help people reduce the stresses on their low back by instructing and practicing proper lifting/carrying/pushing/pulling mechanics. Learning to activate your anterior core and gluteals will help to minimize risk for low back injury and pain while working.

The most common response I hear from people when teaching proper body mechanics is that "it will take me longer to do my job!" If the health of your low back is worth it to you, then this shouldn't bother you. Your employer should encourage safer body mechanics as it could help them avoid a Work Comp. claim as well.

That's all for this post. If you'd like me to go into more detail on a certain topic or subject, let me know with a comment below. This is just a brief over-view of low back pain and how to deal with it.