Low-back pain sufferers are increasing in number especially when you reach the age of forty and above. If you are one of those who suffer low-back pain, then this article is worth reading. Low-back pain is so disturbing, annoying and painful because you cannot move freely in your daily activities. Your movement is so restricted, limited and crippling like.
Some of those who cannot endure the pain anymore have decided to undergo surgery to get rid of the pain once and for all. Sad to say, some surgery are not successful even though their orthopedic doctors promised that they will be completely relived from pain. Not only that, the fee is not a joke for you need hundreds and thousands of pesos to pay for the doctor and hospital bills.
One of the best remedy to avoid and strengthen the lower back is a strength conditioning program to strengthen the lower back muscles. When you mention strength training to the average person, thoughts typically turn to well-muscled arms, legs, and upper torsos. Rarely does one think of the low back as a prime target for strength development. In fact, the low back may very well be the most important area of the body for strength exercise. With regards to sports performance and injury prevention, no area of the body plays a more important role. For impact activities such as running, dancing, volleyball, basketball, soccer and football, the low-back muscles serve as shock absorbers. For striking activities such as baseball, golf and tennis, these muscles provide a large portion of the propulsive force by turning the torso and transferring power from the legs to the upper body.
Sometimes referred to as the core muscle group of the body, the low back and midsection provide essential stabilization so that other muscle groups can function properly and productively. Regardless of your preferred sport or fitness activity, stronger low-back and midsection muscles will be beneficial for decreasing injury potential and increasing performance power. Four out of every five Filipinos experience some degree of low-back pain. Bad news, especially if you’re one of the sufferers, but there is also good news. About 85 percent of all low-back pain problems are muscular in nature. That is, the majority of low-back difficulties are tied to muscle weakness. Research conducted on low-back patients at the University of Florida Medical School clearly relates muscle strengthening to low-back pain relief. While weak low-back muscles appear to be the main predisposing factor, weak abdominal muscles and weak oblique muscles may also contribute to low-back problems.
Traditionally, flexibility exercise have been recommended for alleviating low-back discomfort. Although stretching the low-back and hamstring muscles is generally a sound practice, it does not address the basic problem of muscle weakness. Likewise, proper lifting mechanics, good posture, better sleeping positions, stress reduction, and relaxation techniques may be helpful. But again, the basic problem of muscle weakness remains. Unfortunately, traditional calisthenics exercises are not very helpful, and may even be harmful to the low back. For example, sit-ups are accomplished by the pulling action of the hip flexor muscles on the lumbar spine. As the trunk leaves the floor there is an unavoidable jerking movement that places considerable stress on the low-back structures. Push-ups are another contraindicated exercise as far as the low back is concerned. Although the up and down movements are accomplished by the chest, shoulder, and triceps muscles, gravity causes the low back to sag, which must be countered by static contractions of the midsection muscles. After a few push-ups, this continuous tension typically produces discomfort in the low-back area.
The best means for strengthening the low-back and midsection muscles is progressive resistance exercise performed on variable resistance equipment. With respect to safety, each exercise should be performed in a slow and controlled manner. With respect to effectiveness, each exercise should be performed through a full range of joint movement. Although free-weight exercises have many applications, it is difficult to work the low-back muscles through a full movement range with barbells or dumbbells. This is because barbell and dumbbell resistance is essentially limited to the vertical plane of movement. Since the low-back muscles produce about 70 degrees of rotary movement around the lumbar spine, it is advantageous to use equipment that provides spinal rotation. The Nautilus Low Back machine is ideal in this respect. It utilizes a four-bar linkage system that automatically keeps the machine axis of rotation in line with the changing trunk axis of rotation. Working in opposition to the low-back muscles are the abdominal muscles. These muscles are important for postural purposes and help maintain the integrity of the midsection area.
Exercise recommendations
Many people make the mistake of over exercising the midsection muscles in hopes of “spot reducing” the fat accumulation in these area. Doing three, six or nine sets of midsection exercises has virtually no effect on the underlying fat stores. The excess fat will only disappear when it is used as fuel. This is best achieved by a sensible combination of overall strength exercise, regular endurance exercise, and a low-fat nutrition program. However, multiple sets of midsection exercise may result in overtraining the target muscle groups. At best, too much stress may delay recovery time and tissue rebuilding processes. At worst, too much stress may result in injury to the midsection muscles and connective tissue.
When performing progressive resistance exercise for the low-back, abdominal, and oblique muscles, be sensitive to the training effects and advance accordingly. That is, when you can complete 12 repetitions, it is safe and desirable to increase the weight load by 2.5 to 5.0 pounds to stimulate further strength development. As a general rule, you should use a weightload that permits a minimum of at least eight repetitions (about 80 percent of maximum resistance). It is also important to feel the exercise effort in the right areas. If you do not feel the exercise effort in the target muscle group, something is wrong and exercise modification is indicated. This is especially important with regards to low-back exercises. The effort should be clearly felt in the spinal muscles rather than in the spinal column.
Having shared some guidelines for safely and successfully strengthening the low-back and midsection muscles, the next step is up to you. Make a commitment to a regular program of progressive strength training to properly condition this important and vulnerable area of your body. Be sure not to attempt too much too soon, and remember that nothing worth accomplishing is ever achieved quickly. The six minutes necessary for strengthening the low-back and midsection area is a small investment for strong, injury-resistant muscles that provide essential low back fitness. If you presently suffer from low-back problems, be sure to consult your doctor before beginning your muscle strengthening program.
