Back Pain & Injury - Core of the Problem

Back problems are by far the most commonly suffered and physically disabling condition we face. Over 65% of us over age thirty have suffered from back injury leading to severe pain in the lumbar area.

Stumbling into a back injury is a painful and restricting condition and can be prolonged by recurring relapses. Back sprains and injury to the supporting structures will severely impact every part of your personal life for weeks to several months. Disc herniation and related injuries are painful to withstand and can overwhelm even those with good physical strength. Treatments for pain and back traumas are myriad. Each treatment is supported by what supposedly is medically sound information. They range from physical manipulation to prescription and over-the-counter remedies, cortisone injections to acupuncture, and machines that offer spinal decompression therapy.

All of these treatments are remedies and deal with rehabilitation, healing and recovery from an existing problem. Those that have suffered who have tried these solutions really wish they could have done something to avert the injury in the first place. Over many weeks or months of recovery you must remain inactive for it to heal. But then then the body atrophies and weakens even further becoming more vulnerable to (vicious cycle) future episodes.

New advances in exercise science and bio-mechanics reveal much about our physiology and structure and why our back is so vulnerable to injury and pain. We found that the collective abdominal area of the body known as the core, which is anterior to our lumbar area, is key in averting future back injury. We find that the muscle groups in our backs and along the spinal column are not designed to be the primary weight bearers. Yet we lean our backs into almost all of the common weight bearing tasks without thinking twice. It is innately unnatural to use our back to carry weight load or for leverage while we deprive our core muscles from doing the work that it was meant to do. It is our abdominal, pelvic, gluteal and quadriceps muscles that are designed to be our primary facilitators of the body's strength.

The cumulative weakening of muscle tissue in the core and abdominal muscles from non use over time leads to the overuse and deterioration in the lower back. Without core support we risk the degradation and collapse of structures in our spinal column. Many take pride in looking fit and work out to developing the arms, shoulders and chest, aerobic cardiovascular endurance and submiting to diets to reduce their waist size but basically ignore bio-mechanical necessities of applying and strengthening their core as the primary mover. Activation, engagement and exertion from the core to carry out body movement provides even greater strength to the limbs. The core is the back and spinal column's greatest protector and begins the body's natural chain in transmitting strength.

Applying and strengthening the core, pelvic, gluteal and quadricept muscles in everyday physical movements requires careful supervision when planning workouts. These exercises are subtle in nature and can be applied improperly without the guidance by an experienced Professional Trainer who will correct and reinforce proper bio-mechanical form.

A healthy developed core will inevitably save you from the agony of a compromised back assaulted by years of benign neglect and poor bio-mechanical alignment and movement. Starting early will prevent a first injury and the many relapses that may occur after initial injury and recovery.