5 TIPS TO TRAIN THROUGH LOW BACK PAIN

While every treatment plan is customized to align with your specific goals, these five elements are essential for everyone with low back pain.

1) People with back pain commonly have a hip mobility limitation. Especially with rotation. Working on improving this can have a major impact on your pain. When the hips aren’t doing their job, it can put extra stress on the low back. The hips are the joint that are closest to the low back and can have a significant effect on it’s function. Many people don’t realize how important the hips are with low back pain because they don’t feel the pain there. You might say “my hips feel fine.” but when we test them, you are quickly humbled to realize how much your hips don’t move!

2) Just like the hips, the mid back (thoracic spine) is a common place to lack proper mobility. As humans, most of us having desk jobs, we sit a LOT throughout the day. This can have a major effect on our mid back and how much it moves. By improving extension and rotation through the mid back can help reduce stress on the low back. Just like the hips were the joint right below, the thoracic spine is directly above and can play a role in low back pain.

3) The diaphragm is THE most important muscle for breathing. What you might not know is that this important muscle attaches to our spine and ribs. Focusing on deep breathing (diaphragmatic breathing) during mobility and core training can be a major key. I could write a whole blog on the importance of the diaphragm, but we will save that for another time. Just know that this muscle is POWERFUL and can positively impact not just your low back, but your ENTIRE body.

4) Using the "rest periods" between sets can be a great time to implement exercises for the goals I listed above. By doing this, you don't add extra time to the workout, but it can become 2x as efficient and effective. This is the easiest cheat code that I can give you. I do this myself and it takes workouts that might take 90 minutes and gets them done in 45 minutes. This is also a way to help the people who say “i’ll do my core training later” but never do it later!

5) Staying positive is essential when dealing with back pain. Remember, your pain will improve, and you won’t feel this way forever. If it feels like you’ve been struggling without support, I’d be glad to help you develop a plan to keep moving forward.