Jes Reynolds…Your Fitness Coach

When I answer questions about fitness or even when I am working with clients, it amazes me how often the exercises cause lower back pain. The truth is a good fitness plan, one that includes flexibility, core exercises, strength training and lower back exercises should help alleviate back pain (or get rid of it permanently)!

People just assume that lower back pain is a natural and normal part of exercise and daily life…NOT TRUE! If you perform exercises correctly and develop a balanced program that incorporates the important aspects of fitness (functionality, mobility, core strength, muscular balance, flexibility, etc) you should have no back pain during exercise at all!

Remember, an important component to any core strength training program is having a balanced program. Your plan for a stronger core must include back strengthening exercises, reduce lower back pain, and generally alleviate back shoulder, and neck pain. Here is a brief video (done by my fitness hero CJ) that demonstrates some simple techniques to alleviate back, shoulder, and neck pain. Let me know what you think!

It’s not uncommon for people to lose focus due to painful knees or because they can’t seem to find the right back pain solution.  Its as if injuries and chronic pain cast a paralyzing spell on us that causes us to become more and more afraid that there is no viable solution.  We become depressed and stop playing our favorite sports because we don’t know what to do, or we’ve received a partial (or just plain inadequate) diagnosis that tells us our days of sports and fun are over.

How discouraging is that?  Especially for those of us who are athletic and have a true love for active living!

Things like migraines, arthritis, back pain, knee injuries, & fibromyalgia are some of the common maladies that prevent people from staying active and maintaining their health plan. When an injury or illness presents itself, you are challenged in two ways. First you must address the condition itself and on top of that you have to manage the frustration of being immobilized and diverted from your health plan.

The most important thing to remember when you are dealing with an injury or chronic pain is to first seek the medical attention you need to manage your condition. If you’ve already seen a medical professional regarding your condition and you’ve received diagnosis, then hopefully you have the information you need to heal.

In addition to traditional medicine or physical therapy, there are a variety of alternative therapies available to you. Therapeutic massage, Chiropractors, vitamins and natural herbs have become increasingly popular because they encourage the body to heal on it’s own and they are non-invasive. If you are working through and injury, the right personal trainer may be the very thing you need. A well trained personal trainer will understand how far you can push yourself without making our injury worse. In addition, you’ll learn specific stretches and exercises that will promote balanced muscular development.

Many people are of the attitude that they can work through the injury on their own (I know I am). In one sense it’s an asset to be this way, because mental attitude, belief, and faith are such an important part of healing and overcoming challenges. But this attitude can also be a drawback though because it often leads to stupid choices that make your injury worse (that’s me!).

Dealing with back pain, an injury or illness requires a delicate balance of determination and wisdom. We need determination to overcome the problem and wisdom to know how to address it properly. So often in our stupid pride we keep ourselves from simple solutions that professionals can easily provide. Instead of suffering through the pain or accepting chronic pain as a way of life, make the choice to learn about your condition and the possible solutions that are available to you. Do your best everyday and never give up on yourself!

Neglecting proper training of the core and lower back can potentially develop into a muscular imbalance (meaning on side is stronger or more dominant than another) or extreme weakness of the core which often causes an improper pelvic and spinal position during activity.  This improper position and muscular weakness causes excessive or uneven force to your spine and according to Hodges PW, Richardson CA, a researcher indexed in the U.S. National Library of Medicine National Institutes of Health, a weak or poorly controlled core has been linked to low back pain and increased risk of injury.

Since back muscles control movements such as extension and flexion of the spine and trunk rotation, core strength training, specifically for the lower back, is an important part of any well balanced workout routine.  The stronger and more correctly balanced the core muscles are, the less the uneven strain on the spine.  Why is it then, that core training (unless it’s abs or crunches) and flexibility is often an afterthought when it comes to putting together your weekly workout plan?

For me, even though I love core exercises and core strength training, I find it very easy to skip the stretching of the lower back and core. The exercises are kind of boring, I don’t get overly fatigued, and it takes time away from other fun exercises like running, jumping rope, or weight training.

The only way I can motivate myself to make an effort to perform lower back strengthening and stretching on a regular basis is to remind myself that it helps prevent fluke injuries and develops my body strength in a balanced way and to schedule it on a certain day, like Saturday, when I know I have more free time.  It helps me stay motivated enough to do the exercises at least once per week.

While searching the web, I found two reference articles you can use as guides to incorporating lower back exercises into your routine. The first article demonstrates back strengthening exercises with the use of an exercise ball. The second article shows lower back stretches and strengthening moves you can do at home, without any equipment.

Strategies for incorporating these exercises into your workouts

*Perform the lower back stretches and back strengthening exercises between difficult sets (as a rest period).

*Rotating between challenging core exercises and easier lower back exercises at the end or beginning of your workout.

*Lower Back exercises and stretching at the end of my workout as a cool-down.

In addition to preventing injuries, improving strength and flexibility of abdominal and back muscles helps to stabilize the spine and make it easier to maintain correct posture. Five or ten minutes a week of invested time can prevent injuries that can require weeks of slow recovery and continual pain (I know about this very well). Instead of ignoring the importance of these exercises, just give in and do them! You’ll thank me!

If you do your exercises and still have chronic back pain, you might want to check out this website I found that deals with rehabilitation and natural pain management.