Hoop For Lower Back Exercises

Hoop and Health: Exercises that can help improve lower back pain

Archive for September, 2009

Sep
16

Hoop For Lower Back Exercises

Posted by Jodi Jainchill PT, CFMT

Have you ever gone to the doctor for lower back pain and was told to either lose weight or do lower back exercises? If so, the hoola hoop may be the tool for you. About 45% of the US population has had lower back pain and it’s the second leading cause for disability.

As a Certified Functional Manual Therapist and Pilates Certified Physical Therapist, I have had the opportunity to treat patients primarily diagnosed with acute or chronic lower back pain. Often, the patient’s lower back pain is mechanical in nature. Mechanical lower back pain is a result of a dysfunction of the muscles/ligaments and/or misalignment of the spine and/or pelvis. Therefore, they CAN be treated with manual therapy, education, and lower back exercises.

According to pioneer physical therapist, Gregg Johnson, our core stabilizers are the transverse abdominus, pelvic floor muscles, multifidus,and deep fibers of the hip flexors and quadratus lumborum. When our body experiences lower back pain, our body has a mechanism that “inhibits” these muscles. Once these muscles are “sleeping”, our body lacks protection from perturbations. This can lead to further injury and pain.

Our body has two types of muscle fibers: phasic and tonic. Our phasic muscles are our “movers” for quick movements like getting out of bed and do not last long. On the other hand, our tonic muscles are for “posture” by stabilize the body. Tonic muscles are capable of working for long periods of time. Therefore, the core muscles are known as tonic muscles. Again, when the body feels pain, these tonic muscles, known as “core stabilizers”, turn off and it is my job to teach you specific exercises to “wake” those muscles up again.

Therefore, I focus on core stabilizing exercises to “wake” up the “protective” muscles. One way to do this is with hoola hooping. Many patients note their abdomen feeling sore the next day after hooping and did not even feel like they were working their abs out.

Not only does the hoola hoop focus on core stabilization, certain movements performed in conjunction with the hoop can also help with lower back pain. These lower back exercises with the hoop can help improve posture, increase coordination and balance, gain body awareness and symmetry, teach your spine and pelvis to be supple again, and lose weight from  a cardiovascular perspective. These additional benefits can also help decrease lower back pain.

As you know, lower back pain can be very disabling. Hoola hooping lower back exercises can also help prevent lower back pain and help your body be efficient with its movement and perform your daily functions with increase ease.

Jodi Jainchill PT, CFMT

 

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Posted in Back Pain Care, Back Strengthening Exercises, Hoola Hooping Benefits, Lower Back Exercises, Lower Back Training, Stretches For Lower Back
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Sep
26

Will Lower Back Exercises Improve My Horseback Riding?

Posted by Jodi Jainchill PT, CFMT

Have you ever noticed that you and your horse are a lot alike? Have you ever observed that if your right lower back is tight or painful, your horse may also have a tight or painful right lower back? If so, why is that? Does your body’s compensatory movements for tightness or pain effect your horse’s movement? Could that cause eventual pain for your horse?

If a rider cannot allow their body to move freely, then neither can your horse. Over time, your horse may need to learn movement patterns to compensate also. Once your horse begins to imprint these motor patterns, they become less supple and prone to injury.

Ultimately, we want to enhance our horse’s beauty and not inhibit their movement. Therefore, our ground work is just as important as our horse’s ground work!

If a rider is more relaxed in her seat (pain-free), then the spine can be more supple. In order to maintain a ‘good seat’ while riding, you must have a strong core. You also must be in good postural alignment. It also helps to have your body balanced, symmetrical, and good body awareness. These concepts are improtant for a lower back exercise program. It is important for these principles to be grasped on the ground.

One way to acheive these principles of a lower back exercise program is with the hoola hoop. As a physical therapist with advanced certifications and Pilates certification, I have found that hooping is a fun and beneficial tool to meet these goals. As you gain core stabilization, improve posture, increase balance, symmetry and body awareness, you will notice your seat and riding will also improve. As your movement improves on your horse, so will your horse’s beauty and movement.

Jodi Jainchill PT, CFMT

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Posted in Back Pain Care, Back Strengthening Exercises, Hoola Hooping Benefits, Lower Back Exercises, Lower Back Training
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Sep
22

Kids, Adults, And Hooping For Lower Back Exercise

Posted by Jodi Jainchill PT, CFMT

 Why is it that most kids can pick up a hula hoop and move so fluidly and easily? Yet, when some adults start to hoop again, they are stiff and unsuccessful. What happened?

It seems that kids tend to be uninhibited, pain-free,  and secure with their body movements. They are not concerned with their body image and can fully embrace the hoop. Their spine is supple and muscles are relaxed. Kids are more often tapped into their parasympathetic state of their nervous system.

The term “fight or flight” refers to the state of our nervous system. According to certified hypnotherapist (CHt.) Stephanie Moses, who practices bio-emotional release, states we are either in a “parasympathetic or sympathetic state of the nervous system.” Long ago, we would go into a sympathetic state if we were being chased by a lion, tiger or bear! Today, we are rarely being chased by life threatening animals or situations, but by our boss, co-worker, family and friends. In a sympathetic state, the body needs to run so the “spine gets stiff.” Then we wonder why we have lower back pain. When the spine is stiff, the hoop will fall!

The looser our spine gets, the more we can hoop and live in a parasympathetic state of mind! This is also a fantastic lower back exercise. An activity that encourages your spine both smooth and fluid movement, also allows circulation and healing to occur. The better we can move, the better we can enjoy a pain-free life!

As a certified Polestar Pilates and Certified Functional Manual Therapist, I encourage both male and female patients to get a large hoop so they can become a successful and safe adult mover. It improves body-spacial awareness, posture, and core strength. These components are goals for lower back exercises. Also, hooping can help evaluate function and sequencing of the body’s movements.

Once you get the movement back in your pelvis and spine, you will find it hard to put your hoop down. I have seen kids hoop for hours without a moment’s rest. What an energizing  lower back exercise program! 

Jodi Jainchill PT, CFMT

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Sep
20

Hoop For Your Poop: Improve Digestion and Lower Back

Posted by Jodi Jainchill PT, CFMT

Most people do not like the feeling of being constipated or having diarrhea. And often most people are uncomfortable talking about it. But, in our society, it is a familiar body dysfunction. When your digestion is working properly, you may have a bowel movement (BM) after each meal. That can be at least three a day! Some people are lucky if they get one a day. The local drug store is filled with over-the-counter medicine to help this problem in the bathroom. There has got to be a better answer. I was first exposed to visceral(organ) work with the founders of the Institute of Physical Art (IPA), Gregg & Vicky Johnson. Inspired by another physical therapist Kent Keyser, senior faculty of the IPA, I started taking courses with the Barral Institute. The founder of the Barral Institute, Jean-Pierre Barral, has opened my eyes to the deeper layers of the human body.

Through the Barral Institute, I have taken several courses from Gail Wetzler and Dee Ahern. Also, I have studied many texts written by Jean-Pierre Barral. I love and recommend reading his book “Understanding The Messages Of You Body”. Dr. Barral says, “An organ in good health has physiological movement.” Our digestive organs can become healthier by the foods we eat. If you are otherwise healthy, your diet can help with a good bowel movement. Eat more fiber (figs), fruits, and leafy greens and cook and chew well your beans, peas, cabbage, onion, artichokes, mushrooms and leeks. Also, the more you move your body, the more you can stimulate your digestive organs. Our intestines are 26 feet long in coils. The intestines works together with the other digestive organs and are able absorb useful nutrients for the health of the body. A tight and tense abdomen is a sign that the digestive system is not working properly and it may cramp. Also, morning tiredness that goes away as the day goes on could also be a sign of the intestines not functioning properly according to Dr. Barral. Also, when there is tension or gas in the intestine it makes it more challenging for the breathing muscle, diaphragm, to do its job. This can cause burping or heart burn. Also,when the small intestines gets irritated and cannot do its job, the large intestines must finish digesting the food causing a release of gases and causes flatulence. It also makes it uncomfortable to wear belts or tight clothing around our waist. Constipation can become an obsession. When the fecal matter does not eliminate and hardens, it can cause problems for circulation of blood and lymphatics. It is true, if you miss your “window of opportunity” for a bowel movement, constipation can set in.

Dr. Barral explains that activity will “stir” the contents of the intestines. Deep breathing can “massage” the intestines. He explains that dysfunction to the lumbar spine or tail bone can cause intestinal problems. Dr. Barral also recommends relaxation to help the intestines. Here is where the hoola hoop comes in! The rhythmical repetitive motion of the hoola hoop over the abdomen can have many benefits. Hooping movement “massages” the abdomen and allows the mind and body to relax while exercising. Hooping also stimulates the core and postural muscles. This can help with back problems. In addition, increasing your hooping time can become a cardiovascular workout. This will help your breathing. What a fun way to get so many health benefits without leaving your home.

Jodi Jainchill PT, CFMT

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Posted in Back Pain Care, Hoola Hooping Benefits, Lower Back Exercises
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    About

    About

    My name is Jodi and I am a licensed Physical Therapist. I received my degree from the University of Florida in 1998, where I was a member of the gymnastics team. I have been practicing P.T. here in Gainesville, Florida for over eleven years.I am always looking to expand my tool box and have found hoola hooping to also be a marvelous adjunct in my practice.

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