Spinal
Loading Exercises Can Hurt You and Cause More Back Pain
Back pain is estimated to affect
somewhere between 70 and 80 percent of the population at any one time. Back
pain is mostly due disc problems. Your discs are least likely to experience
injury when your spine is held in a neutral posture. Neutral posture spreads
out the forces imposed upon each disc. Because of disc-related injuries it’s necessary
to maintain spinal stability and avoid pressure-modulating movements that add
pressure to your spine and exercises that increase your risks for injury.
Unfortunately, injured athletes
commonly attempt to strengthen their midsections by performing exercises that hurt
their disc health. There are certain exercises you should not perform to have
good disc health.
Crunches
Crunches are commonly prescribed to
those experiencing back pain because they strengthen the abdominal wall and
thus the ability of the abs to stabilize the spine and prevent pressure
increase in the lower back. While this principle is sound, using a crunch to
strengthen the abdominals is not.
Crunches can cause problems for some
who experience back pain depending upon which of their discs are affected. The
problem with crunches stems from the exercise requiring a rounded spine for
proper performance. This type of movement unevenly places pressure upon discs
in the lumbar and thoracic spine and can worsen the injuries. Crunches can
increase pressure loads on your discs compared to other abdominal exercises. As
a result, individuals can experience back pain from using crunches in their
exercise program.
Lower
Back Extensions
The lower back extension exercise is
commonly prescribed by trainers to prevent back pain; however its performance
can easily worsen lower back injuries. Performing supermen exercises,
hyperextension exercises or any other variety of rounding to extending spine
exercises places uneven forces on the lumbar spine. This force can cause disc
injuries to worsen by placing pressure on the nerves exiting the spine
Using large amounts of weight during
these types of exercises can cause new disc injuries.
Leg
and Hip Lifts
As explained above, crunches have
the ability to worsen disc injury because of the increase in pressure that the
exercise imposes upon your spine from rounding your lower back. Similarly, many
other exercises you may see throughout your gym carry the same potential for
injury. As a result, you should avoid rounding the spine during abdominal
exercise; doing so lengthens the lever imposed upon the lower back. One example
of an exercise that does this is a leg and hip lift where both the hips and
legs are lifted into the air when you are lying on your back. This exercise can
increase pressure on any discs in your lower back that may be herniated,
slipping, or deteriorating.
Spinal
Loading Exercises
Exercises that load your spine also
should be avoided by some who experience back pain. However, if your discs are
not inflamed and you are not in the acute recovery phase from your injury, you
may be able to safely perform exercises that load the spine. Some examples of
spinal loading exercises are squats, deadlifts, and Olympic lifts, where a
barbell is held at or above shoulder level.
Fitworks Corrective Therapy has
developed a unique system for safe and effective exercises. At Fitworks Corrective Therapy you will never
load your spine or do exercises that will damage your discs. In fact Fitworks Corrective Therapy can help
eliminate you pain.
Call today or see my website for
more details.
Gary Rumel, Corrective Therapist
801-703-8503
Resources:
http://www.livestrong.com/article/105500-exercises-avoid-back-pain/
