Back pain

Lower back pain is something that affects many people at different stages through their life but is more common as we age.

Poor posture and muscular imbalances can increase the instances of lower back pain as well as repetitive movements.

Many of us have poor lifting practices, lifting items off the floor for example with a flexed spine rather than squatting or hinging at the hip.

Lifting this way doesn’t always mean that you will go on to pick up lower back pain but when bending and compressing the intervertebral discs we are more prone to injury.

Key things with lower back pain

It will improve with gentle movements

It can be sporadic – one day you can feel okay another day feel it’s hard to stand out of a chair.

Aim to have a positive outlook – this can help to influence and improve recovery.

It doesn’t always come from a weak core or weak back, there can be numerous causes. – a compressed disc – herniation, collapsed disc, sciatica, ankylosing spondylitis, immobile or over mobile SI joint, one over working grumpy muscle for example the QL, weaker lengthened tight muscles.

Don’t exercise so that it hurts – if it starts to play up in an exercise then back off, you could be over working you won’t benefit from pushing too hard and evoking back pain or over loading the lower back muscles rather than improving core stability

I am not a doctor and will always recommend you to physio or your gp for perhaps anti inflammatories such as naproxen if ibuprofen isn’t working or for you to have a scan and seek the help of a qualified professional.

I can give you some advice that perhaps might help in the future but can help you work to improve your lower back pain today. I can help with the knowledge I have and with the postive implamation of strengthening and mobility exercises while training myself having had 4 children and many other clients, coupled with my qualifications.

Your back pain will respond to movement, warmth – think hot water bottle – be careful though, doing a mobility session or just mobilising can help improve things when your in spasm.

Strengthening will help you avoid strains and injury.

Having. baby for example can increase the hormone relaxin making your back less stable as well as your joints and can make you feel more instability, pain and more prone to injury (writing this ive been BF for 15 months, im just more aware of my joints under heavier loads while Bfeeding) or suddenly having a week in bed with the flu.

When exercising don’t over do it – suddenly picking up a super heavy weight or planking past failure (form failure ) for instance, and build up slowly, if a certain exercise bothers you reach out to beth to ask for help with a alternative.

Be consistent

Stretch and use resistance but perhaps scale things back to a walk and stretching when your having a bad bout of back pain.

Exercises to be cautious with or avoid if your backs being niggly/ you have pain

Burpees – do a press up instead

Crunches/sit ups – sit up number six or a plank

Double leg raises – do a dead bug instead.

V ups / toe touches – do a lying leg push instead

Offroad biking, lots of jerking can cause more spasms – try a spin bike or road instead

Running can aggrivate back pain perhaps a walk instead.

High impact such as jumping , do the modification instead.

Remember there’s lots you can do to improve it but not to try and do everything at once, and never exercise when you feel pain, burn yes but not pain xxx