Making your lower back pain a thing of the past
- Grant Foreman
- Jan 16, 2016
- 2 min read
It’s not that you’re getting old (well maybe it’s not just that you’re getting old!), our bodies just hurt sometimes. It could be an injury like mine, where I was hit by a car walking across the street and went through that turd’s windshield.
Or maybe it’s postural, and you just haven’t noticed that you swoop your low back to pop that butt out. But low back pain is very common place and I work with clients daily on how to mitigate this.
Have you noticed that that curious era of snake oil and cure-alls hasn’t gone away but merely changed shape? There are so many orthopedic insoles, braces, and medications that we should all be pain free by now! But we aren’t….hmmmmmmm.
That means something isn’t working like we were told it was supposed to. Take the shoe industry. With all the new foams and molds, fitted with all types of supports and orthotics, the day of the foot injury has far from become a thing of yesteryear.
Well, the University of Australia recently reviewed 21 studies of low back pain sufferers and their treatments. What they found was that all the straps and tricks applied didn’t have a measurable effect on the pain or it’s recurrence! That entire industry and not a single direction that seemed to work for the majority of people.
Here’s the amazing part for me: they found proof that EXCERCISE reduced the rate of an additional episode in the year following by 25-40%. Imagine a cream that promised the same thing!
The absolute best part (I’m feeling a little nerdy about this so stick with me ha), is that it doesn’t seem to matter which kind of physical activity was engaged in. Love to see who is wearing see through LuLu in hot-yoga? Creep away!
Love to go beast-mode with the bros and throw weight around like me? Well grab your racer-back tank and brotien shaker ‘cause we’re heading to World’s Gym.
Of course the reasons for the pain to begin with are myriad.
Like me with my car accident, many movements made, and still can make, the pain come back. But it was the act of building strength and pliability back in the surrounding tissues that has made me feel normal most days now. I don’t just jump in and pretend it never happened to keep up with everyone else.
I modify movements and progress slowly. If you don’t know what that actually looks like for yourself, try reaching out to a professional and get some guidance.
The reasons why we aren’t all benefiting from this knowledge is glaring though. A passive approach to wellness, where pills and gadgets do the work for us, is just too damn tempting. Ok, so I’m a little lazy, but why haven’t we heard about these findings being broadcast on the morning news?
Because there isn’t a product or company attached that can make money off it.
But you do know now! And you can do pretty much damn near any kind of activity that floats your sweaty boat; pick one and maybe I’ll even see you at my next Bootcamp. Like my Facebook business page, Grant Foreman Fitness to see updates on Saturday Bootcamp event times.
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