07/22/09
Keeping Your Lower Back Healthy
Keeping your lower back healthy can be tough when logging big mileage week in and week out. Here are some tips to keep you in the "no back pain" camp over the long haul.
Category: Your Body
Posted by: ryan
As a sports chiropractor, I work with all sorts of connective tissue injuries – joint related, muscle/tendon related, bone/ligament related, etc. Athletes can present with all combinations of maladies, but most lower body complaints end up having a lower back component that is either the root cause of the problem or is contributing to poor biomechanics that perpetuate the problem. The reverse can also be true – such as a hamstring strain being the root cause of lower back pain, although the lower back was not the location of the initial injury.
Endurance sports are notorious for creating nagging lower back and sacroiliac joint pain that becomes chronic due to over-training, or training with seemingly “minor” injuries that become major injuries when trained upon and left unattended.
Since statistics show that 50% of all people will experience an episode of debilitating lower back pain at some point in their lives, the trick is staying in the category 50% of people who don’t.
It stands to reason then that one should take proactive steps to keep get out of the back pain camp, and/or stay in the no back pain camp.
As Ben Franklin said, "An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure," so here are four stretches and three exercises that I prescribe to my patients that they have found to be beneficial for helping them recover from back pain, and keeping them symptom free for the future.
The stretches can be performed 4x/day – once before getting out of bed to lightly stretch the gluts and lower back to prime them for supporting you when stand vertical after 8 hours of lying horizontal, lightly before exercise and moderately after exercise, and once at the end of the day, after getting in to bed for the night. This last stretch period insures the muscles are left in a lengthened position for the night of rest instead of being left in a tight position from the day’s activities. Hold each stretch for about 45 seconds, and only perform one repetition per session.
The exercises can be performed once per day, with enough repetitions to feel like the targeted area received some significant stimulation. This will vary from person to person. Stop at a point just before the muscles start to burn with fatigue. As usual, check with your chiropractor or other doctor/therapist if you have specific questions or concerns about the following stretches and exercises, or if you have an injury right now and are not confident on how you should proceed.
STRETCHES
Single Knee to Chest – Lie on your back and pull one knee to the chest, keeping the other knee straight and relaxed on the ground.
Single Knee to Chest with Twist – From the above position, let the knee drop over to the opposite side as the upper body rotates away from it. For example, if your right knee was at your chest, rotate the knee and hips to the left, as your shoulders stay in contact with the ground and twist to the right.
Double Knee to Chest – Lie on your back and pull both knees to the chest. Keep your head flat on the ground and allow the lower back to relax into a flattened position.
Seated Lower Back Twist – Start in a seated position on the ground with your legs out in front of you. Cross the right leg over the left with the right ankle at your left knee. Twist the upper body to the right and place your left elbow on your right knee and hold the twist to the right. Let your lower back flex a little to stretch the lower back more than the hip.
EXERCISES
Simple Squat – Stand with the feet a little wider than shoulder width apart. Squat down with your weight transferring into your heels while maintaining the knees in a position directly over the balls of the feet. Don’t let the knee move forward of the balls of the feet, and don’t let the knees move inward either.
**Many athletes cannot perform this exercise with perfect form due to calf tightness, or hip tightness. Therefore, this exercise should be performed after workouts for 15-20 reps. No weight is needed, just focus on maintaining and/or increasing your range of motion. A mirror can be helpful for correcting form, as can holding on to something in front of you in the beginning to aid with balance.
T-Leg Lifts – Start facing the wall with your hands against it and feet pointed forward. Rotate hips/lower back to place the instep of the right foot at the heel of the left foot (forming a “T” shape). Lift the right leg straight back, keeping it straight and hiking the hip up toward the ribs. Shoot for 15-20 reps on each side.
Turn and Looks – Start facing the wall with your hands against it and feet pointed forward. Lift the left leg straight back while keeping it straight, and at the same time look over your right shoulder until you can see the heel of the left foot. Repeat on the right side and shoot for 25 reps on each side.
Endurance sports are notorious for creating nagging lower back and sacroiliac joint pain that becomes chronic due to over-training, or training with seemingly “minor” injuries that become major injuries when trained upon and left unattended.
Since statistics show that 50% of all people will experience an episode of debilitating lower back pain at some point in their lives, the trick is staying in the category 50% of people who don’t.
It stands to reason then that one should take proactive steps to keep get out of the back pain camp, and/or stay in the no back pain camp.
As Ben Franklin said, "An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure," so here are four stretches and three exercises that I prescribe to my patients that they have found to be beneficial for helping them recover from back pain, and keeping them symptom free for the future.
The stretches can be performed 4x/day – once before getting out of bed to lightly stretch the gluts and lower back to prime them for supporting you when stand vertical after 8 hours of lying horizontal, lightly before exercise and moderately after exercise, and once at the end of the day, after getting in to bed for the night. This last stretch period insures the muscles are left in a lengthened position for the night of rest instead of being left in a tight position from the day’s activities. Hold each stretch for about 45 seconds, and only perform one repetition per session.
The exercises can be performed once per day, with enough repetitions to feel like the targeted area received some significant stimulation. This will vary from person to person. Stop at a point just before the muscles start to burn with fatigue. As usual, check with your chiropractor or other doctor/therapist if you have specific questions or concerns about the following stretches and exercises, or if you have an injury right now and are not confident on how you should proceed.
STRETCHES
Single Knee to Chest – Lie on your back and pull one knee to the chest, keeping the other knee straight and relaxed on the ground.
Single Knee to Chest with Twist – From the above position, let the knee drop over to the opposite side as the upper body rotates away from it. For example, if your right knee was at your chest, rotate the knee and hips to the left, as your shoulders stay in contact with the ground and twist to the right.
Double Knee to Chest – Lie on your back and pull both knees to the chest. Keep your head flat on the ground and allow the lower back to relax into a flattened position.
Seated Lower Back Twist – Start in a seated position on the ground with your legs out in front of you. Cross the right leg over the left with the right ankle at your left knee. Twist the upper body to the right and place your left elbow on your right knee and hold the twist to the right. Let your lower back flex a little to stretch the lower back more than the hip.
EXERCISES
Simple Squat – Stand with the feet a little wider than shoulder width apart. Squat down with your weight transferring into your heels while maintaining the knees in a position directly over the balls of the feet. Don’t let the knee move forward of the balls of the feet, and don’t let the knees move inward either.
**Many athletes cannot perform this exercise with perfect form due to calf tightness, or hip tightness. Therefore, this exercise should be performed after workouts for 15-20 reps. No weight is needed, just focus on maintaining and/or increasing your range of motion. A mirror can be helpful for correcting form, as can holding on to something in front of you in the beginning to aid with balance.
T-Leg Lifts – Start facing the wall with your hands against it and feet pointed forward. Rotate hips/lower back to place the instep of the right foot at the heel of the left foot (forming a “T” shape). Lift the right leg straight back, keeping it straight and hiking the hip up toward the ribs. Shoot for 15-20 reps on each side.
Turn and Looks – Start facing the wall with your hands against it and feet pointed forward. Lift the left leg straight back while keeping it straight, and at the same time look over your right shoulder until you can see the heel of the left foot. Repeat on the right side and shoot for 25 reps on each side.