“Low Back Pain”
Ken Dobberpuhl, CPT, MAT
Many Americans suffer from low back pain and seek relief from drugs, adjustments, physical therapy or surgery. When you consider that in many third world countries back pain is almost non-existent we really need to look for the root cause. The main culprit is sitting! I know that doesn’t seem like a very exciting breakthrough type answer but there it is.
Chairs encourage among other things; (1) poor posture (taking the shape of our container) resulting in an excess static load on the spine and (2) totally putting the core stabilizers to sleep. There is also a (3) shortening of the hip flexors (Psoas) and (4) reduced circulation due to long periods of inactivity.
Let’s look at each of these issues and make some recommendations.
- Poor Posture – The forward head and rounded shoulders posture of most people (sitting or standing) puts unnecessary strain on the low back. Our modern lifestyle puts us into these positions quite often on the computer and driving. Some suggestions are to check the ergonomics of your work station, use a stability ball for a chair, or create a standing work space like a drafting table. Taking breaks, walking around the office and clasping the hands behind the back and pushing the hands downward will pull the shoulder blades back and down.
- Sleepy Core Muscles – The postural stabilizers need to be worked/activated so they will do their job when needed during activities. Core strengthening is essential since most of us can not avoid sitting much of the day. If you work out try to train as much as possible from a standing position. Most trainers that work with functional movements can help you develop a program around this theme. Again it makes no since to sit in a car commuting for hours, sit all day at work and then go to the gym and sit on machines. You must “undo the sitting position” whenever possible.
- Shortening the Hip Flexors (Illicus/Psoas) – These large cable like muscles insert near the end of the femur and anchor to the both the pelvis and up into the lumbar vertebrae. These muscles get shortened when we sit and the problem comes when we stand, they tighten, pulling on the lumbar vertebrae and resulting increase compression of discs (already thinning from ageing and dehydration). The solution is again sit less but also add stretching to these hip flexors to reduce the tension in the muscles pulling on the low back.
- Reduced Circulation – We’ve all experienced extreme examples of how this feels after a particularly long plane flight. The only way blood gets returned to the heart is via surrounding muscular contraction. The veins have one way valves that only allow the blood to travel in the direction of the heart. If there is no movement, circulation is reduced. This can also feed into pressure on the sciatic nerve and the resulting pressure that causes discomfort down the leg from the low back. Again getting up and moving or just moving the legs contracting the muscles will help circulation.
Like many things in life the answers are SIMPLE but not EASY. It takes AWARENESS ( which you now have if you didn’t before) and then ACTION to implement some of the strategies discussed above. For help with your individual back issues try to seek out the guidance of your Doctor, Physical Therapist, or Fitness Professional. Often times posture work, core strength, and stretching can be very effective at reducing back pain.
