Three Exercises to Help Your Back Pain

After my last rant on “Is your Back Really out of Alignment”, I had numerous people reach out to me for ideas on what to do for their back pain! So glad you reached out because I want to help! If you missed that rant you can find it here. If you read my post and are curious to know more on how to treat your back pain…read on!

 

As mothers, we have supermom powers that allow us to carry five kids, six bags of groceries, and unwrap a granola bar wrapper all at the same time. Even though we have these super powers we are not immune to back pain….shucks!

 

After having my babies, I suffered from low back pain that would come on after standing for too long, carrying my kids for long periods or leaning over the bathtub during bath time. So often, we just grit our teeth and hope our pain will get better over time.

 

If you are suffering from back pain, wait no more my friend, I have some super cool advice to help combat your back pain!

 

Quick little review before we get into the juicy stuff….

 

• It is not about having the “Perfect Posture” it is about moving and not staying in the same posture for long periods of time.
• Pain does not equal damage. As discussed in the “Alignment” article, pain is very complex and things like your environment, perception of the threat, stress, and overall health all play a role in pain.
• Just “put my back in” and the pain will go away. I am all about manipulation and getting the “pop” but it isn’t for the reasons you may think. The audible crack you hear has nothing to do with snapping that bone back into place but rather a neurological input to the brain.
• Let’s Get an MRI– Words like disc degeneration and disc bulges sound like scary things. However, studies have shown that 50% of individuals in their 30’s have disc degeneration and bulges and no back pain. In fact, by the age of 50, 80% of individuals have these findings and still no back pain. The point is, it would be abnormal to have a “normal” MRI reading so it isn’t always what we see in the imaging that is the cause of our low back pain.

 

Moms do A LOT. The demands on our body vary from lifting massive carriers into the vehicle, to holding a sleeping child for 3 hours straight, to climbing the stairs one million times because we forgot “something”. All this repetitive use of our bodies can lead to tissue breakdown and pain.

 

I BRING GOOD NEWS! Along with eating the right foods and getting enough sleep, STRENGTH is just the ticket to keep you healthy and pain free. The stronger you are, the greater margin you create between functioning with no pain and and breaking down the tissues.

 

There are a lot of good exercises out there but my GO TO THREE exercises for strengthening the low back are: deadlifts, reverse hyperextensions, and loaded carries.

 

The Deadlift

The deadlift is one of my favorite exercises because  A) I feel strong pulling a lot of weight off the ground and B) it is a great exercise for the back and legs.

How To:

• Neutral Spine
• Stance is near hip width apart
• Shoulders are slightly over the bar
• Bar is close to your shins
• Engage the lats by pretending you are squeezing two dollar bills between your armpits
• Hips and Shoulders rise together as you stand the bar up
• The hips sitting back initiate the descend

Deadlift

 

Deadlift with Kettlebell

 

 

Reverse Hyperextensions

 

The reverse hyperextension is excellent for building endurance and strength in your hips and back. If you don’t have access to a fancy hyperextension machine, you can use a GHD machine with bands, or even just a stable plinth or table to hang onto.

How To:

• Stabilize your pelvis on the surface and place your hands for support.
• Tighten your lats by taking up the slack.
• Extend your legs trying not to hyperextend or arch your low back.
• You may use weight, bands, or just the weight of your legs for resistance

 

Hyperextension Machine

 

Reverse Hyperextensions on the Box

 

 

Loaded Carries

 

I love loaded carries because they are easy to do anywhere and are great for the stability of our trunks. There are so many different variations too. Heck, you can even use your child as your weight if you want.

 

Some different variations include:

• Farmer Carry (both sides)
• Goblet Carry
• Suitcase Carry (one side)
• Overhead Carry (both barbell or kettlebells)
• Suitcase Carry with Overhead Carry

How To:

• Keep trunk upright
• If performing a one sided carry, you may utilize oppose arm to counterbalance your body

 

Loaded Carry

 

Please reach out to me if you have any questions!

Taryn