Beginner's Fitness Programs

Almost everyone has experienced some back pain in the past, and six out of ten people have semi-chronic back pain throughout their lives. Since you can lower the risk of low back pain with strong muscles, it is a good idea to add back-muscle exercises into your workout routine. According to researchers at the

Institut de recherche Robert-Sauvé en santé et en sécurité du travail, not all exercises are effective for preventing back pain. They found that it is better to isolate one specific back-muscle group. Yoga and pilates are generally good for overall muscle development and flexibility, but almost all of their exercises include other muscle groups and may not be able to fully enough
develop those muscles needed to prevent back pain. According to their study, the best back-muscle workout for preventing back pain is a semi-seated back extension machine, where you sit on a seat, leaning forward slightly, then extend your body to a straight position. If you don’t know about this machine, you should ask a gym trainer how to use it correctly.

If you already have back pain, you should first see a physical therapist. S/he can teach you how to do motor-control or stabilization exercises which focus on control of the trunk muscles, such as transversus abdominis and multifidus. These muscle groups support and control the spine. Can you do this by yourself? Not likely. A physical therapist can identify which muscles are weak, which muscles are tight, and find a way to balance all of these muscle groups. However, if you don’t currently have back pain and want to increase stability, besides the direct back-muscle workout, any type of core workout like yoga or pilates would be beneficial.

If you are really in pain, then you may want to try acupressure before visiting a physical therapist. Acupressure is like acupuncture without needles and a therapist uses his/her fingertips to stimulate the same points as acupuncture. Taiwanese researchers compared two groups of chronic low back pain patients. One group received standard physical therapy, and the other, acupressure. The acupressure group significantly reduced their lower back pain compared to the group receiving standard physical therapy. The only drawback of acupressure is that many insurance companies do not cover it, and you may need to pay out of pocket.

Does the use of lumbar supports (those large belts that people wear around their waists) help to prevent low back problems? According to a study done at the Amsterdam School for Health Professionals in the Netherlands, not much. They found that the occurrence of back injuries does NOT depend on whether the person was using a lumbar support belt. Furthermore, according to a UK study, neither does learning the “correct” way to lift heavy objects!

So, what am I saying? BEFORE you have back pain, strengthen your back muscles, and all other core muscle groups. If you already have back pain (unfortunately it can happen even if you are careful), stop lifting heavy weight, get treatment, and retrain your core. It is, after all, common sense…

Source
Specificity of a Back Muscle Exercise Machine in Healthy and Low Back Pain Subjects. Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise, 2010; 42 (3): 592
Motor Control Exercise for Persistent, Nonspecific Low Back Pain: A Systematic Review. Physical Therapy, 2008
Acupressure Relieves Low Back Pain: BMJ-British Medical Journal 2006
Lumbar Supports Not Particularly Effective For Low Back Pain: Center for the Advancement of Health 2008
Training On The Correct Way To Lift Heavy Objects Does Not Prevent Back Pain: BMJ-British Medical Journal 2008

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