Lower back injuries are among the most common physical maladies affecting people’s functionality and experiences in their everyday lives. The lumbosacral joint, the area of the body in which the fifth vertebrae of the lumbar spine connects to the fused vertebral bones of the sacrum, allows the body to perform complex movements. The ability to bend over from the hips to pick up objects, stand upright, and interact with our environment by leaning forward, tilting to the side, or rotating from the hips are just a few mechanisms that occur thousands of times throughout the day without us realizing. However, when an injury to the lower back in the form of a strained stabilizing spinal muscle, shifted vertebrae, or pinched nerve caused by a bulging disc occurs, these seemingly simple movements in everyday life can turn into living strife for something as easy as leaning forward to open a car door without an immediate pain signal in the lower back.
Consisting of an intricate complex of joints, intervertebral cartilaginous discs, nerves, and a substantial array of muscles attaching a matrix of bones in a sophisticated design, the lower back and hip complex are located in a critically important part of the body, right in the middle. The upper half of our body consists of the skull, upper extremities, and torso. The downstairs neighbor to the upper body is the lower body, consisting of the hips, legs, and feet. Similar to if the middle portion bisecting an upstairs-downstairs condominium had significant structural damage to the beams holding up the second floor, stairs, or subfloor, the central structural support area of the lower spine and hips can become unstable, weak, and a threat to a person quality of life when the overall condition of the lower back area isn’t a top priority.
Fortunately, a weak lower back doesn’t need to be compared to the water damage, wood rot, or termite infestation that destroys the subfloor in the second story of a two-story home. Lower back pain is curable and can be improved with an understanding of the risk factors that create it. Appreciating and understanding how a safe, effective, and consistent exercise program has the potential to reinforce the structural integrity of the lower back positively influences our interactions in our normal everyday environments while reducing limitations stemming from pain.
We conduct assessments with our newer personal training clients to discover if pre-existing injuries are obstacles to the physical activities they want to be able to participate in. Lower back pain in the form of bulging discs, former severe back injuries, sciatica, or fear of reinjuring their backs aren’t uncommon answers during this assessment. In an effort to design an exercise prescription with an appropriate dose of movements aimed to create the best outcomes for an exercise participant presenting lower back problems, we not only choose stretches, mobility tactics, and strengthening techniques that promote a strong back with less pain, but we also actively remove exercises that exacerbate pain symptoms in the lower back and could potentially worsen the participant’s pain.
It’s not uncommon to enter a large gym setting or small group fitness class where other participants are conducting advanced exercises. We can view regular social media feeds on Instagram, Facebook, or TikTok and observe a person who is the age of twenty to thirty years old holding a barbell loaded with weights over their head lunging across the room, followed by a clip of them hanging from a pull-up bar and lifting their legs to their nose. The subtitles might read, “These are my favorite full-body strengthening techniques.” As a fitness professional who has made the study of physical therapy, strength and conditioning, and fitness education my life’s work, my heart usually skips a beat, and a brief fainting spell usually occurs when I see these posts. I’m sure there are good intentions from these fitness influencers. However, it would be safe to assume that the influencer who is under the age of thirty and has the metabolism of a hummingbird so they can show off their washboard abs lifting a barbell of circa forty-five pounds over their head more than likely hasn’t suffered a setback of severe musculoskeletal injuries, in particular lower back injuries.
A fundamental and safe area to start in an exercise routine to manage lower back pain is to master bodyweight movements before even picking up a dumbbell, barbell, kettlebell, or other form of exercise equipment themed weight. Focusing on mastering technique throughout exercise performance before pushing ourselves to a sense of physical exertion ensures we can move our bodies with less restriction. For example, our ability to reach overhead, grab onto and hold objects in front of us, and bend down to pick up light objects is necessary for all humans. Perhaps focusing on ensuring the spine is aligned correctly, and the muscles of the neck, shoulder blades, lumbar area, and glutes are activating when performing dynamic stretching technique at the beginning of an exercise session should be prioritized before delving into advanced movements, such as barbell Romanian deadlift, barbell back squats, or dumbbell chest press. Furthermore, ensuring the core muscles located at the abdomen, posterior back, and hip region are strong and coordinated enough to get up and down from the ground is an important action that can’t be overstated. Therefore, flexibility and mobility of the lower back should be prioritized before “working your core” and doing a set of crunches. Perhaps a set of pelvic tilts, isometric glute bridges, or lower back knee tilt rotations could suffice as a suitable point of mastery to ensure we can perform the basic function of getting up from the ground and reinforce the muscles responsible for securing the lumbar spine and pelvis from becoming strained in future everyday life occurrences.
Lower back injuries are physically, mentally, and emotionally debilitating. It is critically important to appreciate what exercises best suit our current fitness levels in our everyday lives. Before progressing into advanced exercises, ensure that awareness of back injury prevention and exercises appropriate to your current fitness levels are prioritized so you get the best possible outcome from a consistent exercise routine.
Sean McCawley, the founder and owner of Napa Tenacious Fitness in Napa, CA, welcomes questions and comments. Reach him at 707-287-2727, napatenacious@gmail.com, or visit the website napatenaciousfitness.com.
