Back pain is the single biggest reason people go to the doctor.
It has been reported that 80% of the population will make a visit to see
some type of healthcare specialist because of their back pain. I can
tell you, as a chiropractor, that the vast majority of the people that I
see in my office for back pain:
A. Have had similar episodes of this back pain in the past
B. Can't link their pain to a mechanism of injury (this is just a fancy way of saying that there is no good reason for their back to hurt).
C. Will have more episodes of back pain in the future, which will get
worse and more frequent, unless they do something about it.
The healthcare industry does not have any great answers to treat chronic back pain. This is why there are so many different types of practitioners who treat it. Chiropractors, Physical Therapists, Family Medicine Doctors, Orthopedic Surgeons, Neurosurgeons, Physiatrists, and the list goes on.
I have found over the years that the best way to treat Chronic Low Back Pain is to not get it. The best way to do that is to maintain low back and hip mobility, alignment and strength. In my office, I utilize various manual therapies such as spinal manipulation (Chiropractic Adjustments), Soft Tissue Techniques (think highly specialized massage therapy), and various types of stretches in order to increase mobility and spinal alignment, to great effect. The true secret, however, to maintaining the mobility and alignment that is achieved in the office, is specific exercises performed by you at home on a habitual basis. The following three exercises are my favorites for keeping the low back/ hip complex strong.
1. Squats - Begin with your feet about shoulder width apart and your toes slightly pointed out. Begin the movement by moving your butt back and down, while hinging forward at the waist (do not round your back). I like to move my hands up to parallel with the floor as I go down. Squat down as deeply as you can. You have a good idea that you are doing this exercise correctly if you look down, while at the bottom of the squat and your knees are in line or slightly behind your toes. Return to standing. Repeat 20 or 30 times.
2. Lunges- Begin this movement standing with your feet about 6-8 inches apart. Step forward with your right foot (take a big step), and lower yourself so that your left knee is almost touching the floor. Make sure that your back is straight and that you are not bent forward at the waist. Also, make sure that your knee is in-line with or slightly behind the end of your toes. Next, stand up and then bring your right foot back to where you started. Repeat the exercise with the opposite leg. Do 10-15 on each leg.
3. 1-leg Romanian Dead Lift- Place a dumbbell or Kettlebell that weighs 10-20 pounds on the floor and stand with it right in front of you. Stand on one foot. Bend down (at the waist with a flat back and abs held tight) to pick up the weight with your opposite hand. Stand up with the weight. Bend down to return the weight (from the waist with a flat back and abs held tight). If this is too difficult for you, skip the weight and just try to touch your toe or your knee. Just make sure that your lower back remains flat and that you keep your abdominals tight. Repeat 10-15 times. Do the other leg 10-15 reps.
That's it. If you can do these exercises correctly and you do them on a regular basis (3-5 days per week), chronic low back pain will have a hard time finding your address. I have found that by combining these exercises with regular but infrequent chiropractic treatment, my patients generally manage to stay pretty pain-free. Of course, the more regular you are about doing the exercises, the more "infrequent" your chiropractic treatment will be.
A. Have had similar episodes of this back pain in the past
B. Can't link their pain to a mechanism of injury (this is just a fancy way of saying that there is no good reason for their back to hurt).
C. Will have more episodes of back pain in the future, which will get
worse and more frequent, unless they do something about it.
The healthcare industry does not have any great answers to treat chronic back pain. This is why there are so many different types of practitioners who treat it. Chiropractors, Physical Therapists, Family Medicine Doctors, Orthopedic Surgeons, Neurosurgeons, Physiatrists, and the list goes on.
I have found over the years that the best way to treat Chronic Low Back Pain is to not get it. The best way to do that is to maintain low back and hip mobility, alignment and strength. In my office, I utilize various manual therapies such as spinal manipulation (Chiropractic Adjustments), Soft Tissue Techniques (think highly specialized massage therapy), and various types of stretches in order to increase mobility and spinal alignment, to great effect. The true secret, however, to maintaining the mobility and alignment that is achieved in the office, is specific exercises performed by you at home on a habitual basis. The following three exercises are my favorites for keeping the low back/ hip complex strong.
1. Squats - Begin with your feet about shoulder width apart and your toes slightly pointed out. Begin the movement by moving your butt back and down, while hinging forward at the waist (do not round your back). I like to move my hands up to parallel with the floor as I go down. Squat down as deeply as you can. You have a good idea that you are doing this exercise correctly if you look down, while at the bottom of the squat and your knees are in line or slightly behind your toes. Return to standing. Repeat 20 or 30 times.
2. Lunges- Begin this movement standing with your feet about 6-8 inches apart. Step forward with your right foot (take a big step), and lower yourself so that your left knee is almost touching the floor. Make sure that your back is straight and that you are not bent forward at the waist. Also, make sure that your knee is in-line with or slightly behind the end of your toes. Next, stand up and then bring your right foot back to where you started. Repeat the exercise with the opposite leg. Do 10-15 on each leg.
3. 1-leg Romanian Dead Lift- Place a dumbbell or Kettlebell that weighs 10-20 pounds on the floor and stand with it right in front of you. Stand on one foot. Bend down (at the waist with a flat back and abs held tight) to pick up the weight with your opposite hand. Stand up with the weight. Bend down to return the weight (from the waist with a flat back and abs held tight). If this is too difficult for you, skip the weight and just try to touch your toe or your knee. Just make sure that your lower back remains flat and that you keep your abdominals tight. Repeat 10-15 times. Do the other leg 10-15 reps.
That's it. If you can do these exercises correctly and you do them on a regular basis (3-5 days per week), chronic low back pain will have a hard time finding your address. I have found that by combining these exercises with regular but infrequent chiropractic treatment, my patients generally manage to stay pretty pain-free. Of course, the more regular you are about doing the exercises, the more "infrequent" your chiropractic treatment will be.
Tim St. Onge, D.C. provides Chiropractic and Sports Therapy
services to people who have back pain, neck pain and various sports
injuries. You can learn more about him by visiting his website at IrvingChiroSport. You can also watch videos of these exercises by clicking Therapeutic Exercises.
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