NAGGING LOWER BACK PAIN? TRY THESE EXERCISES!
Nagging low back pain? Yeah- we’ve all been there, myself as of recently. Our lower back is made up of our lumbar spine, spinal muscles, and nerves. The main function of our lower back is to support the weight of our upper bodies, and provide mobility for everyday motions such as bending and twisting. Majority of the issues we see in the lower back are; dull aching pains, stinging burning pain down the legs, muscle spasms, muscle tightness, pain with prolonged sitting or standing, and difficulty standing up straight. Let's be honest- whether you've had the low back pain or you're simply reading up on it, it’s NO fun. So this brings us to the main question; as fitness professionals how do we fix this and prevent it from happening to the next person?
Core, core, and MORE core.
When you think of core- what do you think of? Not sure what to think; let me tell you!
Core is our foundation for everything in fitness. When we feel a nagging injury we seem to go straight to that area to fix it, and neglect to consider that all our movements come from our foundation; the core. In regards to low back pain, your core muscles are mainly responsible for spinal stability. They carry the weight of our bodies, and help take the stressors off the low back when the load is increased. A strong core can help us to maintain balance, avoid awkward movements when bending and twisting, and prevent unwanted sprains or strains. When it comes to exercising our core there are SO many different options, but these options look different for every single person. When considering what core exercises to implement into your exercise regimen some things to consider are; overall health status, previous injuries, weaknesses, and pregnancy. Incorporating any balance exercises will also be beneficial as this strengthens all the core muscles. As fitness professionals, and a growing cell phone, work from home generation it's critical we start to build our foundation. Below are some of our FAVORITE core exercises for low back pain.
Planking: A brief overview of a high plank, low plank, and modified plank for core strengthening and low back pain.
Dead Bugs: A brief overview of the progressions of a dead bug exercises. This is useful for core strengthening as well as lower back pain.
Glute Bridges: A brief overview of a glute bridge, and how to progress the exercise using a resistance band, and moving to a single leg exercise. This is great for glute strengthening and lower back pain relief.
Cat Cow: A brief overview of the cat cow exercise used for the lower back strengthening and stretching.
Prone Extensions: A brief overview of the prone extension exercise for lower back strengthening.
