How to combat lower back pain

You don’t know just how much you take your lower back for granted until one day you bend over to pick a pen from the floor and you wince in pain on your way back up.  So now you pulled your back and it feels like you can’t do anything until the pain goes away.  Unfortunately, this is pretty common and there are many sufferers of this particular condition.  The good news is there are things you can do to help prevent this from happening.  There are also things you can do if you already pulled it in order to ease the pain and help you get back to your healthy self.

Let’s first understand what makes a strong lower back because nothing is better than prevention of any kind of pain.  Your lower back is supported by not just your back muscles but also your abs.  The mistake that some people make is not working on their abs enough.  Make sure you hit your abs on a regular basis by focusing on exercises that work the muscles that wrap around you like a belt.  Those would be mountain climbers, floor jacks, planks (straight and side) and many other variations of these.  Try doing the plank by balancing on one leg and one arm if you can.  It helps to trigger more muscle involvement.  There are many more that you can do but you can start with these.  I would not advise doing twisting exercises like Russian twist,  or leg lifts if you are experiencing pain at the moment.  You can start doing those after the pain is gone.  So, strong abs are one of your best lines of defence against lower back injury.  Start doing them on a regular basis and add more complexities as you advance.

Next, lower back needs muscle support not just from your abs but also from your back muscles as well.  This is where you have to take caution.  If you are not currently in pain start adding exercises that specifically target lower area like dead rows and dead lifts which can be performed with either dumbbells or a barbell.  The reason I say to take caution is because this exercise needs to be done correctly or you will create more problems for yourself.  Bend your knees a little and make sure your back is straight when you slide your weight up and down.  Don’t use heavy weights.  Make sure the form is right first.  That being said, this is one of the best lower back strengthening exercise you can do to help your back.

And last, stretch, stretch and stretch!  Lie down on the floor and bring your knees to your chest.  Hold and roll up and down, then side to side just a little.  This gives your back a little massage.  Be gentle with your back and baby it until you feel you are completely back to normal.  You can also stretch your lower back by sitting in a child’s pose and hold it for a few minutes.  Another back stretch you can do is while in the standing position grab onto a pole or something else that’s stationary and with your feet together sit back curving your back and hold it.  Again, do it very gently, no sudden movements.

If you already pulled your back and are currently in pain, depending on how bad it is and what your pain threshold is, you might want to take some pain medication and rest it until the pain subsides.  Consider physical therapy also.  There are some wonderful massages and stretches that can be very beneficial if you are in a lot of pain.  When at home, a warm compress can feel amazing on a pulled back.  Don’t use ice!  And don’t be anxious to start working out right away.  You don’t want to make an injury worse than it already is.

So, in summary, you already know that prevention is the best medicine.  Exercise your lower back and your abs, and stretch on a regular basis if you want to create a strong back which will help you avoid this type of injury.  But if you are injured already, don’t fret, take care of your back and then jump right back into your strengthening exercises and stretches.  Consider it a learning experience.  We have all pulled something at some point which made us modify our routines and made us better athletes.