Lower back injuries are among the most common physical maladies affecting people’s functionality and experiences in their everyday lives. The lumbosacral joint, the area of the body in which the fifth vertebrae of the lumbar spine connects to the fused vertebral bones of the sacrum, allows the body to perform complex movements. The ability to bend over from the hips to pick up objects, stand upright, and interact with our environment by leaning forward, tilting to the side, or rotating from the hips are just a few mechanisms that occur thousands of times throughout the day without us realizing. However, when an injury to the lower back in the form of a strained stabilizing spinal muscle, shifted vertebrae, or pinched nerve caused by a bulging disc occurs, these seemingly simple movements in everyday life can turn into living strife for something as easy as leaning forward to open a car door without an immediate pain signal in the lower back.
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Consisting of an intricate complex of joints, intervertebral cartilaginous discs, nerves, and a substantial array of muscles attaching a matrix of bones in a sophisticated design, the lower back and hip complex are located in a critically important part of the body, right in the middle. The upper half of our body consists of the skull, upper extremities, and torso. The downstairs neighbor to the upper body is the lower body, consisting of the hips, legs, and feet. Similar to if the middle portion bisecting an upstairs-downstairs condominium had significant structural damage to the beams holding up the second floor, stairs, or subfloor, the central structural support area of the lower spine and hips can become unstable, weak, and a threat to a person’s quality of life when the overall condition of the lower back area isn’t a top priority.
Fortunately, a weak lower back doesn’t need to be compared to the water damage, wood rot, or termite infestation that destroys the subfloor in the second story of a two-story home. Lower back pain is curable and can be improved with an understanding of the risk factors that create it. Appreciating and understanding how a safe, effective, and consistent exercise program has the potential to reinforce the structural integrity of the lower back positively influences our interactions in our normal everyday environments while reducing limitations stemming from pain.
We conduct assessments with our newer personal training clients to discover if pre-existing injuries are obstacles to the physical activities they want to be able to participate in. Lower back pain in the form of bulging discs, former severe back injuries, sciatica, or fear of reinjuring their backs aren’t uncommon answers during this assessment. In an effort to design an exercise prescription with an appropriate dose of movements aimed to create the best outcomes for an exercise participant presenting lower back problems, we not only choose stretches, mobility tactics, and strengthening techniques that promote a strong back with less pain, but we also actively remove exercises that exacerbate pain symptoms in the lower back and could potentially worsen the participant’s pain…