Number One Complaint

Most people suffer from some form of low back pain or discomfort. It is the number one complaint of people of all ages, regardless of their fitness condition. Athletes as well as non-exercisers are susceptible to low back pain.   Those who feel excruciating and debilitating low back pain after an injury or after a slight movement or twist wonder if they will ever live pain free. The question becomes:  “What can be done to alleviate the pain so people can enjoy the functional and recreational activities they experienced in the past?” In order to answer this question, we need to understand some basic anatomy and physiology about the human spine. In the womb, we are surrounded by a shielding fluid layer that provides warmth and protection from the outside forces of every day activity.  When we leave the womb, we no longer have the fluid to protect us from pollutants, stresses, and toxins that can affect the spine, the nervous system—the central core that aids us in functioning well. We begin to experience colds, disease, and injuries that may cause our daily and recreational activities to suffer. We just cannot do what we used to do. As we grow older, we tend to ignore the bumps and bruises we obtain from playing sports and from participating in everyday activities.  We often do not experience the effects of these “bumps” and “bruises” until later in life when something “small” can trigger an “attack.” When we reach a certain age, we see and feel our bodies are getting old. Chronologically, we may not be “old,” but according to our functionality, we are moving, acting, and feeling as if our bodies were much, much older. What we are experiencing is that our bodies are not functioning at optimal level.  Optimal function is when our nervous system can run through our bodies without any interference from outside stresses or other diseases or other injuries.  But this is the ideal because as we all know that in today’s society the ideal is hard to achieve because who doesn’t have stress or a preexisting condition that inhibits their nervous system.  So how can we get close to optimal is probably your next question, right? We have all heard about how we should eat right and exercise or mediate to create the healthy lifestyle that we hear so much about.  But what is missing….. Core stabilization and proper spinal alignment.  The core is everything that surrounds your mid-section including your spine.  If we where to look at a spine we would see that the core makes up the majority of our spine.  
                                


The core is everything from under the breast line all the way to the pubic bone.  We know from Latin that the word core means center and if we can understand the meaning then the function of our core becomes very clear.   Our core is what centers us or better yet gives us balance.  If our core is not strong or imbalanced then it only hinders us in functioning at optimal.  If we think about it, we carry the majority of weight in front and when we have an extra load to carry, as if we were pregnant, our core would need to be stronger in order to maintain proper balance.  The more loads we carry in our fronts the more strain we have on our backs.  Let’s try a little experiment: take a back pack and put a couple books in it.  Now place the back pack so the weight is not on your back but so it is hanging over your front and is blocking you from seeing your feet.  Then walk around the house or apartment for about five to ten minutes.  Do you feel like your leaning forward as you walk?  Or do you feel the need to constantly push your shoulders back so it prevents you from falling forward?  Do you notice your back getting tried from carrying such a heavy load?  Your answer should be yes to these three questions. 

So now let’s apply this to real life….            

You are a personal trainer at a gym and someone comes to you who is overweight.  Your client informs you that she/he would like to lose weight for the summer.  But in your initial evaluation you notice how her shoulders are rounded and that when she walks she does not push her shoulders back or erect her spine.  A great first training session would be to focus on core stabilization since studies have shown that core stabilization can help with correcting posture.  If you can enforce these concepts early on then her workouts it will help her feel stronger and reduce her chance of experiencing back pain in the future.               Or you are an average person who sits all day at a computer and you have noticed that your back has begun to cause you some discomfort.  You go to your doctor and she/he states that it’s a muscle strain.  The doctor prescribes you an anti-inflammatory for the pain.  But you decide not to take the medication based on your research of anti- inflammatory and how it can cause gastrointestinal upset.  You re-call reading an article on core stabilization and its effects on low back pain.  You realized that by doing a few simple core stabilization exercises you where able to reduce your pain without having to take a pill.            

As we have seen by these two realistic examples, core stabilization exercises play a very important role when dealing with people who have low back pain or with people who are at a potential risk for injury.             

Past research has talked about the recommendations for preventing low back injury such as:

·       proper lifting: bend with your knees and keep your back straight ·       modifying your work station or environment: reduce the load through-out the day will reduce your risk of back symptoms or being cautious of certain positions that could potentially increase your risk for injury

·       proper abdominal exercises: bend your knees and keep your lower back flat on the floor and lift your shoulders off the floor These are the most common recommendations that healthcare practitioners and exercise professionals will suggest when someone complains about low back pain or discomfort.  But now we want to take it a step further.  Recent research has shown us that it does not matter if you are a conditioned athlete or someone who routinely exercises or even if you do not exercise at all, if you do not have core strength and stability then the chances of you becoming injured will increase. 


This was taken from my book on Core Stabilization and Low Back Pain.  The book touches upon basic anatomy of the spine and the muscles associated with core stabilization exercises.  Those that read the book will receive a basic introduction to the nervous system; the connection it has with stabilization exercises; the key muscles of core stabilization and their roles.  As well, the book makes reference points to recent research and their findings.  Also included are examples of core stabilization exercises with their individual descriptions and a brief discussion on how to create a progression for your client or patient.  Contact Dr. Gansel today to learn more.