Minimizing Strain On Your Lower Back

Minimizing Strain On Your Lower Back

 

 

When performing any type of exercise in the prone position (lying on your stomach), whether for fitness or rehabilitation, in order to minimize the strain on your lower back, consider placing 1 to 2 pillows under your pelvis. 

 

Observe that just by being in the prone position, the lumbar spine is already in an extended position.  Lifting your arm or leg will create hyperextension in the lower back , which may be uncomfortable particularly for anyone recovering from lower back injury/surgery

 

At rest, with a pillow under the pelvis, you can see that the lower back is in a neutral position

 

Upon lifting an arm or leg now, lumbar hyperextension is avoided and the lower back is spared.



Is My Patient Exagerating Their Pain Level?

Is My Patient Exagerating Their Pain Level?

 

 

Many times, when working with clients who have been experiencing lower back pain for a long time (months or even years), the slightest touch or smallest movement will send their pain level through the roof.  Initially, as therapists we may think this to be an exaggerated response, a patient with a low pain threshold, or a patient with other motives.  But can the patient's experienced pain level really be this intense upon light touch or gentle movement?  It is believed that when tissue damage in a body region exists, the nociceptors (nerve cell that responds to painful stimuli) are increasingly stimulated, which amplifies the sensitivity to that stimulus.  You do not get used to pain caused by tissue damage, but become more sensitive to it.  This may cause a doctor to prescribe higher intensity pain medications or refer their patient to the pain clinic.  However, if we take a step back and treat the source of the tissue damage, which many times may be poor body mechanics or posture, we may be able to spare the tissue damage.  Once the pain level decreases we can begin to incorporate more aggressive rehabilitation exercises.  For information on posture and body mechanics, go to Posture & Body Mechanics DVD           

Can Bedrest Cause My Lower Back To Hurt?

Can Bedrest Cause My Lower Back To Hurt?

 



I wanted to share this information that I read from back specialist Stuart McGill.  In a spine study, it was thought that during bed rest, the intervertebral discs have an inflow of fluid (fluid that was pushed out during the day due to gravity and other compressive loads).  This swelling of the discs causes the spine to lengthen during 8 hours of bed rest.  Upon assessment of astronauts who spend prolonged time in a state of weightlessness (no gravity), it was noted that most of the bones lost mineral density, except the spine, which showed an increase in mineral density.  This indicates that the spinal bones were actually stimulated in response to increased loads (Wolff's Law), while the other bones began to weaken due to lack of stimulation.  The conclusion was that the higher load and spinal bone stimulation was caused by the swollen discs.  This means that being in bed for periods longer than 8 hours places more, not less, stress on the spine.  So bed rest may actually be causing some of your back pain.  I ask all my clients how long they sleep and if they feel a higher pain level in the morning.