Core Exercises For Lower Back Pain Relief

When it comes to exercise for lower back pain relief, core training is one often the first things suggested. Unfortunately, many of those suffering from lower back pain are unaware that blind abdominal training alone may not improve back pain and in fact may make it worse.

A significant amount of university research has shown that high levels of lower back and abdominal strength is not correlated with low incident rates of backpain. In other words, having a strong low back or strong set of abs is not related to back pain in any way!

Having high levels of abdominal strength and low levels of lower back strength (or vice-versa) can actually pull your pelvis out of alignment and create more back problems. Your pelvis is essentially engaged in a constant tug of war between muscles trying to tilt it forward and by other muscles trying to tilt it backwards. If either group of muscles dominates, back injury and pain are much more likely to occur.

Rather than strength, it actually appears that muscular endurance is the most important quality that supportive muscular tissue can possess. Having a high endurance when performing the back-extension and the plank have been related to low incidences of pain.

To perform a plank, get into a push-up position, and then drop down to your elbows. The only parts of your body that should be in contact with the ground are your feet, your elbows, and your forearms. Your body should be in a straight line. At this point, you simply hold for time. After holding for a period of time, your abdominal muscles will start to feel exhausted. In order to get the maximum protective effect from pain, you should be able to hold this exercise for over 2 minutes.

Rather than a traditional back extension, the exercise associated with low incidences of low back pain involves holding the back extension in a contracted position. This is essentially the opposite of a plank. You can do this without equipment by laying on the edge of a bed with your upper body hanging off. You will need a partner to hold down your legs. Again, try to maintain a straight board position. This exercise is much harder than the plank, but you will still need to be able to hold it for 90 seconds in order to get the best effect against lower back pain.

Strong Lower Back Muscles and Back Pain

I have been a physical therapist and personal trainer for more than 10 years. So many people come into the gym and tell me that they need to strengthen their abdominal muscles to take pressure off their back.

Now it is true that the abdominal muscles help to support the spine, but guess what. The lower back muscles are just as important if not more important! Before we get into it, let me say that back pain is complex, and you should see a licensed health professional before beginning any exercise program.

Okay, let us talk about how strong low back muscles help to support the lumbar spine. There have been numerous studies on back pain, but it is pretty well documented that people with chronic lumbar back pain show a wasting away (atrophy) of the deep back muscles.

In addition to atrophied back muscles, people with chronic back pain also have weakness in the back muscles. This seems pretty straight forward. People with chronic back pain have smaller and weaker back muscles, so one potential solution is to build up and strengthen the lower back muscles.

Here are 2 main ways having a strong back muscles support and protect the spine.

First, having strong back muscles helps to support good posture. In this day of computers and cubicles, so many people sit all day long. When you are sedentary or sit for prolonged periods of time your spine tends to curve and fall forwards.

If you have seen older adults hunched over, then you might understand what age and gravity does to our spines. Some of the changes come from the vertebrae, cartilage and discs, but some of it also comes from the muscles.

The back muscles help to keep your spine erect and straight. When the back muscles are weak, the spine will have a tendency to move out of alignment more easily. Strong lower back muscles help to maintain good posture, and this takes pressure off the joints.

Secondly, having strong muscles can protect the spine from muscle strains. Muscle strains are a common injury to the spine. Generally, muscles strains occur when people lift heavy or awkward objects or when things are lifted with incorrect technique.

A strain simply means that the muscle was worked beyond what it was capable of handling. If your low back is strong then you will be able to lift heavier objects without the same risk of injury.

I have seen the simplest things cause muscles strains in the back-2 year olds, a medium size box of books, and even a gallon of milk. Everyone has to lift things from time to time, and a great way to protect your back is to strengthen your muscles.

Again, let me emphasize that back pain is complex. If you want the healthiest lower back, you should take a comprehensive approach to fitness.

Focus on ab exercises, back exercises, flexibility and postural exercises, and sitting and lifting techniques. The best way to protect your back is to stay fit and stay active, so start exercising today!

Lower Back Pain and Irritable Bowel Syndrome

Is there a correlation between lower back pain and Irritable Bowel Syndrome? Researchers have long argued that IBS may be caused by abnormal functioning of the nerves and muscles of the bowel. No indication or explanation is ever given as to why this malfunction might occur. To my knowledge there has been no adequate evidence to support this assumption. More over, I have not seen, heard of or read about any studies which were specifically implemented to test this hypothesis. Because of my own observations about my own IBS symptoms, I am inclined to believe and support this hypothesis.

Some of us who suffer Irritable Bowel Syndrome have tried for many years, without success, to eliminate the often debilitating affects of this mysterious disorder. Generally those who suffer have spent a great deal of time and money, having test after test only to be told that nothing conclusive was found.

Often after years of diagnostic procedures and expensive studies, patients are told there was nothing wrong with them. Their complaint of symptoms are brushed off as imaginary or more properly put in medical terms, psychosomatic. But with the ever increasing number of patients complaining of the same generalized list of symptoms, the medical community has been forced, in at least a small part, to acknowledge the malady as something more then imaginary symptoms of hypochondria.

So what can we surmise about IBS? It is a condition or disease in and of itself? Or is IBS is a condition caused by or a symptom of some other physical, neurological or possibly even psychological problem that is as yet undetected or undiagnosed as being relative to the IBS condition? I find this to be a more plausible conclusion and will provide some insight for my personal belief that IBS is a secondary condition rather then a condition unto itself.

For years doctors have proposed the secondary condition concept in relation to Irritable Bowel Syndrome. Unfortunately, they have not yet been able to successfully document any evidence to conclusively say what might be the root cause of IBS. Moreover, I believe there is not just one cause, but several causes, all with the same secondary symptoms, which make up what is termed as IBS.

Please don't think that it is my intent to say the IBS condition is not real, or the symptomology is psychosomatic in nature. I know from painful experience the condition and symptoms of IBS are very real. I also would venture to say because of the sheer number of reported cases, the medical community had been forced to re-evaluate their approach while dealing with patients with complaints of Irritable Bowel Syndrome-like symptoms. I am merely going to express what I personally have concluded about another possible causation for IBS which may be overlooked by the medical profession.

I would like to also toss up for consideration that IBS, with its list of many symptoms, may be a traceable progression of symptoms stemming from a single causation. I believe, in my case, this is a very valid assumption. I have as yet been unable to get any physician to agree with me, at least to the point of taking up the position on the record.

Before going any further, I think it would be a good idea to review a partial list of Irritable Bowel Syndrome symptoms. IBS may be characterized by a combination of any or all of the following symptoms:

o Abdominal discomfort or pain, usually in the lower abdomen

o Altered bowel habit

o Chronic or recurrent diarrhea, constipation, or both. May be mixed or in alternation.

o Bloating

o Heartburn

o Nausea

o Abdominal fullness

o Feelings of urgent need to evacuate the bowel

o Feeling of "incomplete" bowel emptying

o Low back pain

o Headache

o Fatigue

o Muscle pain

o Sleep disturbances

o Sexual dysfunction

More and more it is generally believed that the symptoms of IBS are produced by abnormal functioning of the nerves and muscles of the bowel. More and more I personally agree with this as a valid and plausible perception of at least one of the causes of Irritable Bowel Syndrome. With some personal observations, I hope to give light as to why I believe this to be a possible causation for many IBS sufferers. Unfortunately, what I have come to believe as the causation for my particular brand of IBS, most assuredly will not be a diagnosis for all cases of IBS.

I think we who have suffered Irritable Bowel Syndrome tend to minimalize our symptoms and pain. We have been led to believe that other than common sense changes to diet and exercise there is nothing we can do because there is no cure. Many people who suffer will suffer in silence for years before seeking medical treatment. By then, and I include myself in this group, we may have subconsciously lessened or even put aside some of the lesser symptoms that IBS causes, focusing only on the ones that cause the most pain and discomfort.

Worse yet, we are less likely to bring symptoms to the attention of a doctor by mere assumption that it is just another facet of our complex disorder. This could become a dangerous scenario for anyone who suffers from IBS. We may ignore persistent symptoms that have gotten more intense or new symptoms that seem to be related only because we are discouraged by being told there is nothing anyone can do.

Doing these kinds of things could lead to serious life threatening symptoms being overlooked. Symptoms of conditions that, unlike IBS, can be treated if caught in time. Things like colon cancer, stomach cancer, esophageal cancer or many others, might be missed because we want to ignore our IBS symptoms after so many trips to the doctor.

My story of IBS starts over 20 years ago when I was a young man of 26. While helping lift a very heavy cast iron wood burning stove from the back of a pickup truck, the other person lost their grip and the load all shifted down hill onto my back. I felt my back give way as the stove went crashing to the ground at my feet. I knew I had sustained a serious injury. I couldn't erect myself from the 90 degree bent forward position I was in. I had to literally pull my self up by using my hands and arms against the side of the pickup.

Being 26 and stubborn and thinking that I was invincible, I had my wife help me home and to bed, not bothering to go to the emergency room. I had some left over pain killers which numbed the pain enough to allow me to sleep. When I awoke in the morning I was horrified as I could not feel my legs. They were both cold and numb to the touch. I could move them, I just couldn't feel them. After about 30 minutes of movement the feeling began to return to my legs and at that point I knew it was time to get to the doctor.

After the examination and x-rays what the doctor had to say wasn't pleasant to hear. He told me I had two options. One was to go to a surgical specialist and have fusion surgery on several of my lower lumbar vertebra because the discs between them had been severely compressed. He mentioned that having this type of surgery would reduce my physical mobility by as much as 30% or more. At best, he explained, the surgery was about 40% effective.

My other option, he told me, was time... time allow let my body try to heal itself. He explained I would probably never be as good as I was before the accident, but with time my body should partially heal it self. He told me the inflammation which was causing the pain and partial paralysis should lessen. At age 26 losing permanently 30% or more of my mobility was an unthinkable option. At least the second option offered some hope of recovery. He gave me muscle relaxants and pain pills and that was that.

I trusted this doctor...we were good friends. We had a good personal and professional relationship. I took him at his word. By today's medical standards, his medical advice probably wouldn't hold water, but over 20 years ago, it was most likely a very good perception of my problem.

For the next 6 months, I would wake up to cold, numb legs and each day, but as he said, the symptoms gradually got better. I was so focused on my back injury improving; I didn't pay attention to other, minor things going on which had become bothersome.

The first and most prevalent symptom was a change in my bowel habit. Not a big change, but it seemed that instead of a daily movement, it was now once every other day, and it took a bit more effort. But with the back issue, it seemed minor in comparison and for several years seemed to be the only symptom. My back continued to get better but my bowel never did return to normal.

I have always been a large person, in 1986 at the age of 26: I weighed about 220 pounds, standing 6 feet tall. Slowly, my weight began to rise. I attributed my initial weight gain to a lessening of physical activity over the first year or two of my back problem. By the end of the second year, my physical ability and activity had almost returned to normal. I learned to deal with the pain and my legs no longer went numb. I was able to function fairly well. Only occasionally did the pain in my back become such that I was unable to function in my "new" normal fashion, and usually only lasted a day or two. I now had added 70 pounds to my weight with no real explanation.

Only in the past couple of years (over 20 have passed since my back injury) have I begun considering the original injury being related to my bowel and stomach problems. Because I believed there was little I could do to rectify the situation, I have done as well as I could to manage the pain mentally. I did this well until the pain in my back started to worsen to the point that again my legs started going numb again. Not that this happened all the time, it was only occasional, but these bouts of pain have gotten much worse.

Only now that the back pain is impossible to ignore have I come to realize the cycle of events which have taken place. Now when I notice my legs are beginning to go numb on a more frequent basis, I have also noticed an increase in my IBS symptoms. More frequent and painful symptoms seem to begin with chronic constipation, lasting for many days. This is followed by the gas distress fatigue, head aches, bloating, acid indigestion, heartburn and eventually explosive diarrhea. Along with other symptoms, all interwoven into a cycle I now believe to be directly related to some type of nerve injury due to my original back injury.

I have since gone to a neurosurgeon and been diagnosed with severe disk compression and degeneration and spinal stenosis in the lower lumbar region. The treatment is as yet to be mapped out, but I now have at least one doctor who agrees that many, if not all, of my symptoms could be tied directly to nerve dysfunction resulting from my present spinal condition.

If you have sustained a back injury, or have IBS with lower back pain, it may be prudent to have a spinal study, to find out if an underlying back problem might be involved in the causation of your IBS symptoms. It stands to practical reason that if there is injury to the spine or lower back from where the nerves controlling lower bowl function stem, there could also be bowel dysfunction. With bowel dysfunction, the progression of symptoms in logical sequence right up the line to the top of the digestive tract would be a very plausible scenario.

If you have IBS and low back pain you really have nothing to lose and everything to gain by having a spinal examination. At the very least you may find out that there is no problem with your spine thereby eliminating one more source.

Lower Back Pain Exercises - Exercise to Help Reduce Your Lower Back Pain

Back pain is a common thing for many adults. It can happen for a variety of reasons, be it sports injuries, accidents, aging, or just being overweight. If you have pain, there are many lower back pain exercises that you can do.

Exercises for you back can not only help you to relieve the pain now, it may also help you recover from any injury faster, and strengthen your back to prevent reinjury. In most cases you can do simple exercises in the comfort of your own home, so no special equipment will be needed.

The exercises that will help you to reduce or prevent lower back pain usually fall into one of the following: aerobic exercises, stretching exercises, or strengthening exercises. Aerobic exercise will help speed up the recovery of your injury, while conditioning your heart and muscles. Stretching exercises keep your body flexible so you are less prone to injury. Strengthening exercises should be aimed at strengthening your core, which would be your back and stomach.

It is often best to have a physical therapist design a home exercise program for you, but if you are unable to do so, here are some lower back pain exercises you can perform.

Try to get in some aerobic exercise every day, such as walking. Even going for just a short 5 minute walk can do wonders for you back. It is best to start slowly then build up. Swimming is an excellent choice if you have lower back pain, because it is a non weight bearing exercise, along with aquatic aerobics. Eventually you can build up to aerobic exercises like biking and running.

The choice in strengthening and stretching exercises depends upon when your back pain is eased. If you feel less pain in you lower back when you are standing or walking a couple of good exercises would be the bird dog exercise and the press up back extension.

Bird Dog Exercise:

繚 Start on the floor on your hands and knees and tighten your stomach muscles

繚 Raise on leg straight out making sure not to let your hips drop

繚 Hold this position for a few seconds

繚 Lower you leg and repeat with the other leg

繚 Perform this about 10 times for each leg

繚 Over time you can gradually build up your hold time

Press Up Back Extensions:

繚 Lie on your stomach and place your hands under your shoulders

繚 Press down with your hands and elbows so your shoulders and upper back raise off the floor

繚 Allow your back to arch and hold for a few seconds, then relax

繚 Repeat several times

If your pain is eased by sitting down a couple of good exercises are curl-ups and the knee to chest exercise.

Curl-ups:

繚 Lie on back with your feet flat on the floor and your knees bent at a 90-degree angle and your arms crossing over your chest.

繚 Tighten your stomach muscles and raise your shoulders off the floor while keeping your head in line with your body.

繚 Hold this position for a couple of seconds before lowering yourself down

繚 Repeat this process around 10 times.

Knee to Chest Exercise:

繚 Lie on your back with your feet flat and your knees bent

繚 Keeping your lower back pressed to the floor; bring on knee up to your chest while the other foot is still flat on the floor.

繚 Hold this position for around 15 seconds before relaxing. Now repeat with the opposite leg.

繚 Perform this exercise several times with each leg.

These are just a few of the lower back exercises a person could perform to help relieve their pain. As always be sure to consult your doctor before performing any new exercise program or if your back pain persists.

3 Exercises to Avoid to Prevent Lower Back Pain

As a Chiropractor for the past 21 years I have seen hundreds of patients every year that totally ruined their low back by performing certain exercises. In this article I am going to review the three exercises that should be definitely avoided if you would like to preserve the health of your spine.

#1. Avoid Heavy Full Body Squats:

Standing full body squats where the bar is placed across your shoulders and on top of your spine are one of the most damaging exercises that you could ever do to cause a low back injury. With this exercise the heavyweight is literally resting on top of your spine and causes total compression of the spine and the intervertebral discs. Usually this cause is just herniations and pinched nerves. The end result of this is you feeling constant backache or pain as well as pain that radiates into your buttocks and legs.

#2. Avoid Heay Deadlifts:

Heay deadlifts are another exercise that causes total compression of the spine. I have seen many young men in their mid-20's who proudly boast of the tremendous amount of weight that they can deadlift but they don't realize that the heavy deadlifting is the reason they have the spine of a 60-year-old man.

#3. Avoid Heavy Bent Over Rows:

Heavy bent over rows are the third exercise that should be avoided to prevent low back pain. The bent over body posture alone is one of the most dangerous positions to your spinal health. But when you heavy weights you are placing a tremendous amount of stress on the spine and spinal discs. This exercise also is responsible for causing injuries like disc herniations.

So there you have it the three exercises that are to be avoided to prevent low back pain. These exercises can also cause muscular imbalances in the body and this will also cause severe backaches.

The good news is that if you suffer from these problems already there are safe and effective ways to fix these problems.

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Back Pain In the Lower Left Side? These Are The Common Causes

There are many types of back pain with many different causes.? Chances are if you've been to a doctor, hospital or chiropractor they have had difficulty in diagnosing the problem.? Perhaps you've had X-rays taken and other tests as well as taken drugs to ease the pain but you were not cured.?

Possible causes of back pain involving the lower left side indicate intestinal problems of some sort possibly including Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS), muscle imbalance, kidney stones, excessive or improper exercise, lifting objects that are too heavy, pregnancy, obesity or an improperly aligned spine such as a herniated disc.

With IBS, you may experience bouts of diarrhea and vomiting due to certain foods you may have eaten that you may be allergic to such as gluten in wheat or rye.? Chances are your doctor will tell you to remove gluten from your diet, which should bring some relief.? There are no cures for IBS which also includes Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis but it can be managed.? In some cases Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis have come about due to some prescription medication you have taken such as Fosamax.? Fosamax is used to treat osteoporosis in women and men as well as Paget's disease.

Kidney stones are a common cause of lower left back pain.? Chances are you will experience difficulty urinating and possibly have blood in your urine.? Your doctor will have no problem diagnosing his problem.? Depending exactly where your stones are and how big they are, your doctor will determine how to get rid of them.? Sometimes it is just a matter of letting them pass through your system.? Laser technologies have been used to blast these stones into smaller pieces, which will pass through your system as well.

A muscle imbalance can also cause lower left back pain.? There are many causes including a pulled muscle.? This can generate pain in other parts of the body as well including spinal pain and intestinal pain.? You may experience pain on the opposite side of your back because your right side is working harder to take over lost function from your left.? Sometimes muscle relaxers and pain killers are prescribed to allow you to do certain exercises that aid in recovery of the damaged muscle.? If the damage is serious, you may require surgery.? Alternating hot and cold compresses are recommended to keep inflammation down and allow for good blood circulation for a faster recovery.? Lower left back pain will remain until your muscles return to normal.

Pregnancy is another cause of lower left back pain.? As the fetus develops it gets bigger and bigger causing the uterus to expand shifting your center of gravity not to mention weakening of the stomach muscles.? This puts tremendous strain on your lower back.? Remember, you are also carrying around extra weight from the fetus plus any weight you are gaining.? This increase in body mass may begin pinching nerves which will cause pain as well.? I'm afraid the only cure here is delivery and that you will have to wait for.? Sleeping on your side with a pillow between your legs may bring some relief in the mean time.

Many back problems can be avoided if you maintain proper weight and exercise regularly.? Be careful how you pick up heavy objects and make sure you do your exercises properly.? Back problems can start out small but if ignored can become a serious issue.?

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What Triggers Scoliosis Pain?

What is scoliosis? Scoliosis is a kind of bone condition wherein the spinal column is curved. If you suffer from this condition, your spine will mostly be S-shaped or C-shaped. Scoliosis can either be mild or severe depending on the symptoms that you experience. You may feel pain in your back or your posture may be affected. This condition is caused by several things - heredity, medical condition and weak bones.

Normally, scoliosis pain is uncommon. However, there are things that may trigger pain. Below are some exercises that many people do that can cause scoliosis pain to arise.

Weight Lifting - Scoliosis results in a curved spine. When you spine is curved, your muscles are pulled back and contracted. Therefore, if you do weight lifting exercises, your back will suffer a lot. Lifting weights will put pressure on the muscles of your back and this will definitely trigger scoliosis pain.

Yoga - Yoga is good for the body because it helps in improving the blood circulation and flexibility of a person. However, if you have scoliosis, you should avoid doing yoga exercises. Most yoga poses will require you to bend forward and backward. Bending, especially backward bend, will place a lot of pressure on your back which can cause extreme pain. Your spine is in a C-shaped or S-shaped position therefore it would be difficult to bend it like the others. You may do other yoga exercises but you should tell your instructor about your condition. Some of the poses you need to avoid include cobra and wheel.

Lower Body Exercises - Experts believe that exercises geared toward the lower body exercises are not good for people who have scoliosis. When you work out your lower body, the nerves and bones of the spine are largely affected. As a result, pain will emerge. You need to choose exercise routines that will not put pressure on your lower body and your lower back. Some of the exercises you need to avoid include squats and lunges.

What are other things you should do in order to avoid scoliosis pain?

First, you should avoid activities that will require you to use only one side of your body. Proportion is very important if you have scoliosis. You should always make sure that your muscles are used in a balanced way to avoid pain. This means that you should not carry things such as bags with only one hand. Try using both of your hands always.

Second, you need to improve your posture. Proper posture is very important in order to keep the spine in place. If you often slouch, there will be a high tendency for your muscles and bones to contract and your nerves will be compressed. When this happens, you will feel a lot of pain.

Third, you need a bone-friendly diet. This means that you need to eat foods that are rich in calcium. Calcium will help your bones become stronger. When your bones are strong and sturdy, you will be able to avoid bone fractures and other bone conditions such as scoliosis.

Scoliosis can usually be treated by a physical therapy, such as osteopathy. Although more pronounced conditions may require surgery.