I have lower back pain! Now what am I supposed to do? What am I working to achieve with exercises for my lower back pain?  One minute I hear stretch and the next it’s about strength, but you’re supposed to be ‘protecting’ your back also.  Which is it?

What are good lower back exercises?

What we want to accomplish is mobility with stability.   Mobility with stability is the body’s neuromuscular system’s ability to stabilize a joint or a group of joints while allowing movement in other places.

This is measured in either a static or dynamic posture. A static posture for the trunk, for example, is reaching overhead. When reaching overhead, the trunk needs to steady while the arms move to do the task. In a relative dynamic posture, like shoveling dirt, the trunk is stabilizing while twisting and the arms are doing the task.

What about flexibility?  Yes, it’s part of the recipe and is measured by the length a muscle can stretch from its origin to connection.  And strength? Yes, strength is necessary and measured by how much weight (include your own weight in that) a body part can move.  Although we need both flexibility and strength, if our body does not learn to stabilize during activities, our body’s natural protective mechanism will not kick in and can lead to injury and pain of the spine. Once pain sets in, the whole system can “shut off”.

There is a different focus during exercises to achieve mobility with stability than when you’re going for flexibility with strength. Lower back exercises that focus more on stability with mobility include core stabilization exercises. We want to wake up the “long-lasting” muscle fibers. They are built to hold us in correct alignment. But, sometimes these “long-lasting” muscles get a little lazy from disuse or “shut off” from pain. 

I like to use a specific technique developed by pioneer Physical Therapist, Gregg Johnson, to “wake up” these stabilizing muscles. In short, you ‘wait out’ the quicker acting ‘phasic’ muscles that start an action and when they start to shake with fatigue, the “long-lasting” tonic muscles kick in. Re-establishing a stabilizing effect to the core muscles.

So it’s the whole enchilada that adds up to comfort and avoiding re-injury. Thus, it is very important to focus on stabilizing exercises with mobility. Once your core muscles have kicked in and have minimal to no pain, it is also important to have the flexibility and strength to perform the task at hand.  At the same time, we need to build the stamina and endurance to perform your activities safely. The hoola hoop is an excellent tool that can provide safe exercises to aid in meeting these goals and you get to have some fun while you do it.

Jodi Jainchill PT, CFMT

Here are some readings you might enjoy:

• Lower Back Exercises – Awesome Back Workout Plan – No Equipment Needed – Lower back exercises are important for strengthening your back and improving your posture. This article gives you a cool workout for a strong back.

• Exercises to keep the lower back strong and pain free – Lower back exercises demand complete concentration and you can hurt yourself if you are not paying attention to your movements. We shall now discuss a few exercises that will help you strengthen your lower back and acquire the lean …

• 3 exercises for a healthy lower back – lower back exercises are essential for a strong lower back. it is important to take care of the lower back as it can be easily injured. our performance depends on the health of the back. fat deposits in the lower back needs to be toned …

 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