Back Pain? Part II

About 80% of adults experience some form of back pain in their lifetime, making it one of the most common ailments we have to look forward to as we age. One assumes that with such a staggering majority of adults experiencing back pain, a perfect formula for alleviating back pain would exist. Unfortunately, there are more myths than facts when it comes to the lower back.

The first myth sounds very sensible, as do most generally accepted but incorrect practices. We are told that strengthening the torso will protect your back. The unmentioned fact looming over this common myth is that muscular endurance, not strength, is the best preventer and rehabilitator of lower back ailments. The previously unconsidered point of view, which we are finding to be truer as time passes, offers the notion that the spine does not need huge amounts of force to support itself under every day circumstances. Realistically, the spine is more apt to injury if you over-work it, and more apt to injury if you under-work it. In layman’s terms, a steady stream of exertion causes less back pain than over-exertion. Strength is not the key, endurance is.

The second myth is that sit-ups performed with bent knees will protect your back more than unbent knees. Numerous scientific studies have shown that there is little, if any, advantage to leg position during sit-ups. To get the optimal workout from abdominal exercises, perform multiple exercises that work your core, as no one exercise works all areas of the core at the same time.

Our third and final myth links tight hamstrings to an increased risk of back pain or injury. Again, this sounds somewhat logical, but what science has uncovered is that tight hamstrings are a product of back pain, not the other way around. This happens because our body subconsciously compensates for injury in order to alleviate pain. If your back hurts, your body will take stress from the back and place it on another area of the body. A perfect example of this would be an ankle sprain, which would cause your body to place the pressure said ankle would normally be responsible for on your legs. This compensation will eventually lead to a leg injury, and when the body compensates yet again for your leg injury, your back is the next candidate for pain.