Low Back Discomfort and Ways to Address It

Well, I got such a great response from folks about my knee discomfort post last month that I thought I’d discuss a similar issue around low back discomfort. Now to start off let’s be sure that we distinguish between pain and discomfort. We’re going to categorize “pain” as something that is sharp, chronic, rarely subsides, and often comes with referred pain, numbness or tingling down to the legs and even feet. By discomfort I mean the achy feel that comes from prolonged sitting, prolonged standing, or the classic “not sure what I did the other day, but my back is stiff”. This usually comes from an overdone level of activity such as heavy lifting, reaching, gardening, workouts, etc.

Discomfort is what we’re are discussing here. Remember, our job as fitness professionals and as active individuals is NOT to diagnose or treat medical conditions, including low back pain. This is NOT to serve as a guide for diagnosis, but an article to recommend some strength and flexibility exercise choices for clients that report discomfort in the low back. If you at all suspect other structural issues, always refer the client or yourself to a qualified health-care provider. Remember folks, our world is about motion and exercise, not medical conditions. Now on with the show…

So why would someone’s low back be prone to being sore or stiff with extra activity? Most likely it is because their back is what we like to call “hyper-tonic”. It has more tone to it than normal. Now I know we all want to be toned up, but not like this. A hyper-tonic low back is one that has a level of constant tension in it that is higher than normal. This also generally means that the fibers in it are shorter than normal. We also may not feel the effects of this tension until we overdo something. So, a group of muscles that sits at this level of tension let’s say, is already angry. An increased level of work placed on these angry muscles, well, gets them really ticked off, and they in turn let you know it. Along with angry low back musculature, the hip flexors are often just as angry and as they go, very often so does the low back.

Now without having to go into detail too much about how this works (if you want to know the detail just email using the info below), the ab muscles and glutes (butt muscles) are actually the opposite. They are a bit more mellow than normal, in fact we’ll call them drowsy. This all puts the body in a position that favors this mish-mash of angry/drowsy muscles and leads to more and more discomfort and maybe even more serious issues.

How does this all come about in the first place? Well there are a couple schools of thought on this and I happen to believe both play a part in this widespread problem. The first one being quite simple, we sit A LOT as a society now. When we’re seated, our hip flexors maintain a shortened position and are just asking to become hyper-tonic (aka angry) over time. This can often lead to an angry low back. The second one being about available motion. Just like we talked about with the knee, if the segments above and below the one in question don’t have enough motion, our body will find it elsewhere. In this case, we’re talking the shoulders/thoracic spine and hips/pelvis. Our low back vertebrae (or lumbar spine) are fairly mobile relative to the thoracic (stabilized by the rib cage) and sacral/coccygeal (stabilized by the pelvis and/or fused) vertebrae. So whatever motion my body may not have at the shoulder girdle and hips, my body will find at my lumbar spine since that is a nearby segment with some extra mobility to it. That is, my low back takes the hit for what my shoulders and hips cannot do.

So how do we work with this?

1) Open up the front of the shoulders (increase mobility)
2) Strengthen the back of the shoulders and upper back (helps with posture maintenance)
3) Open up the hips (quiet angry hip flexors)
4) Increase glute activation (wake up drowsy glutes)
5) Stretch the low back (quiet angry low back muscles)
6) Wake up the abs/core control (wake up drowsy ab/core muscles)

That’s a tall order, so I’m going to give you a few suggestions when consulting with other fitness professionals, or if you are a casual exerciser, about what to look and ask for.

1) Pec major/minor stretches, latissimus dorsi (lats) stretches: usually shows up as stretches that you see people doing in a doorway or with their arm up on a wall
2) Scapular (shoulder blade) retraction exercises: usually some form of bringing the arms from a position in front of the body to one behind it while maintaining elbows out away from the torso
3) Hip flexor stretches
4) Types of squats, lunges, or deadlifts: these need not at all be heavy and must be done perfectly to target glute activation otherwise other muscles may try to step in and take over the motion
5) Low back stretches: usually involve a rounding of the low back while standing or “on all fours”
6) All types of core exercises including, but by no means limited to, variations of ab crunches

There are all kinds of ways to accomplish the above and this should serve only as a starting point of discussion and research for the best selection of exercises to “wake up” and “quiet” the right muscles for your or your client’s specific needs and body. This is to get you thinking about programming, not serve as the detailed guide on it. There could be other muscular imbalances at play and a thorough motion analysis is warranted before beginning individualized programming. And don’t forget my mantra “When in doubt, refer out.”

Got questions? Please email me at rich@oraclefited.com

Thanks for reading and talk to you soon!

Rich

About the author:
Rich Fahmy MS is the Director of Education for Oracle Fitness Education, a company that specializes in continuing education for health and fitness professionals (more info can be found at www.oraclefited.com). He is a trainer’s trainer; and some, although very few, would say he’s a cross between Chuck Norris, a Real Man of Genius, and The Most Interesting Man in the World. And by some, that means just him.

This entry was written by rfahmy, posted on March 28, 2010 at 10:40 pm, filed under Life is Fitness, Lifestyle and Spa, Los Angeles, Santa Barbara and tagged , , , , , , . Leave a comment or view the discussion at the permalink.

NICOLE FRANZBLAU, SKINNY JEANS BOOTCAMP INSTRUCTOR

Nicole Franzblau is an NASM certified personal trainer and holds a B.S. degree in Kinesiology, emphasis in Exercises Science.  As a Santa Barbara native Nicole grew up living an active lifestyle full of competitive swimming and martial arts.   Her passion for helping people and for maintaining an active lifestyle led her at a young age to dedicate her professional life to the fitness/rehabilitation field.

Nicole began her career assisting multiple top physical therapists in Santa Barbara.  She evolved from there to personal training and teaching kickboxing at Bally Total Fitness in Long Beach, personal training at Gold’s Gym in Santa Barbara, coaching for Body Boot Camp of Santa Barbara and then starting her own Action Boot Camp of Long Beach.

Currently back in Santa Barbara Nicole is continuing personal training throughout the county and at the Cathedral Oaks Athletic Club where she also teaches multiple group fitness classes.  She is also working as a licensed massage therapist.

She is very excited to join Soma Get Fit and Skinny Jeans Boot Camp!  She loves a challenge and uses her endless energy to push her clients to their max.  She is dedicated to making sure every client reaches their goals.  Her passion for inspiring people to achieve their goals is apparent in the fun, yet challenging workouts she provides.  There are no two workouts exactly the same, making her workouts very effective and anything but redundant.

Boot campers should expect to work with resistance bands, medicine balls and weights.  There will be obstacle courses, circuits and partner activities all creating a fun, full body workout.  The functional exercises focus on the core, decreasing muscle imbalances and creating a new, stronger and more functional body as well as mind.  With Nicole as a coach participants can expect life impacting results inside and out!

This entry was written by scrawford, posted on March 4, 2010 at 11:36 pm, filed under Skinny Jeans Bootcamp Instructors and tagged , , , , , . Leave a comment or view the discussion at the permalink.

A SOMA Experience Video: Edward Farwick

Check out our latest retreat experience video with our most recent Guest Edward Farwick. It will certainly get you wishing for a retreat of your own.

This entry was written by scrawford, posted on January 14, 2010 at 6:54 am, filed under Bodywork, Experiences, Fitness, Food, Green Lifestyle, Hiking, Life is Fitness, Lifestyle and Spa, Los Angeles, Meditation, Nutrition, Outdoors, Pilates, Press, Products, Retreats, Santa Barbara, Skin Care, Stand Up Paddle Surfing, Yoga and tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , . Leave a comment or view the discussion at the permalink.

New Year, New Decade, Stronger Core

by Kristen Matthews

2010 has arrived and I would like to welcome it with open arms and gratitude.  This new year seems a special one as it’s also the beginning of a new decade.  What a great time to make resolutions.  If one of yours is to exercise, you are not alone.  How about Pilates?  It’s a fun, effective, and streamlined way to stay in shape.

People always ask me if Pilates can really help them.  The thing that’s great about Pilates is that it’s beneficial for all ages and fitness levels.  From injury rehabilitation to improved fitness for sport to a healthier all around body, a regular practice of Pilates has many long-lasting benefits.  I see the benefits in my clients every day.  One of them credits Pilates for helping her “solve” a climbing problem.  Her flexibility has increased along with her core strength, both of which are important to a climber.

You’re first step to starting Pilates is finding a studio in your area.  Most if not all gyms offer classes as well as privates.  My recommendation is to begin with privates.  In a private lesson, your instructor can focus her/his attention on you, making sure to correct your alignment and keep you moving.  By making small changes with your body, your Pilates session can become a completely different workout.  If privates are out of your reach, don’t be discouraged.  Look for small classes or ones that cater to beginners.   A seasoned teacher is able to teach multiple levels and will give modifications when needed.  Like any workout, the more you do Pilates, the faster you will see results.  Set a goal for twice a week, and see how amazing your body will start to feel!

If you live in the Los Angeles area I teach a $10 mat class outside in Santa Monica on Thursday afternoons and Saturday mornings.  I also offer an introductory special, 5 privates for $300.  Go to www.kristen4pilates.com for more detailed information.   Here’s to an exciting new year!

This entry was written by kmatthews, posted on January 6, 2010 at 7:33 am, filed under Fitness, Life is Fitness, Los Angeles, Outdoors, Pilates and tagged , , , , , , , , , , . Leave a comment or view the discussion at the permalink.

« Previous Entries