Lower Back Pain (LBP)

I am pretty confident in saying that we have all experienced back pain at some point in our lives. Most of us call it "tweaked" or "thrown out" because it has suddenly began to bother them. What they may not realize is that a tight lower back could progress due to many reasons.

Obesity, poor conditioning, poor body mechanics, muscle imbalances & aging.

Stretching is going to provide the most relief, along with core exercises. When the core is weak, it cannot support the body in the way that it should, causing a downward snowball effect for the rest of the body. This downward snowball can and will grow if not treated properly.

First, let's talk about the pain itself. There are 3 different grades to pain.

Grade 1: tightness/stiffness while still walking properly with little to no swelling

Grade 2: difficulty walking but without compensation, sudden pain with activity, some swelling & pain with palpitation.

Grade 3: Significant ambulatory difficulty, severe pain, immediate swelling.

During grade 3, this individual will more than likely be out of commission for at least 3 weeks.

Stretching the lower back will also be helpful to reduce pain. This is how:

When the hips, back side & hamstrings are tight they are going to pull from muscles around them. The reason this is occurring is because the muscles in your hips are constantly contracting (shortened) because we are all SEATED working from home lately. So these tight muscles are pulling from the lower back in order to lengthen themselves out. This is when your body begins to compensate, posture changes and aches arise.

For LBP, ACSM suggests giving the body 48hrs to rest while controlling the pain & swelling