In the majority of low back pain cases there is a common "factor" which is a complete lack of awareness of body positioning and core strength in general. There are lots of exercises and programming methods in place to make progress but there also has to be a starting point RELEVANT to an individuals personal circumstances.
Teaching self awareness of the structures involved forms part of exercise sessions. What is the reason for this? In the majority of low back pain cases which are classed as non-specific..... there are a lots of potential reasons for pain. For example, physical reasons may be.....
Sustained awkward postures or movements, sustained sedentary patterns, overcompensatory muscular actions, weakened muscles leading to poor spinal stability and support..... which can all contribute to the onset of symptoms.
Due to this, we have a situation of complete lack of "core" awareness or sense of body positioning. Poorer posture can also contribute to make things worse. In cases where there is a lack of core awareness it is practical to start developing awareness of the lower back and its structures within. This is awareness of the spine and hip positioning simply speaking.
To make sense of building core stability it is important to learn about the core region as ultimately for many, this is where improvements begin to start managing and reducing low back pain.
This exercise helps an individual to differentiate between the lumbar and "tailbone" region. These gentle movements, back and forth alternate between the base of the spine to the lower end of the spine. The gentle rocking movements are a first step to "self awareness" of the lower back. Once we create awareness and can recognise positioning then we begin to build a foundation to work from. 👈
There are commonly huge psychological benefits to this exercise because it helps with movement confidence. This is vital for a person suffering with lower back pain where movement is feared in case of "worsening of pain".
The spine was made to move and is one of the strongest parts of the body. Learning to move with confidence is a stepping stone from a psychological standpoint too. Generally speaking this exercise is a useful one and the supine (facing up) position relieves pressure from the spine that may well be an issue. Reducing the pressure can reduce the discomfort.
Spinal compression is a point to note as varying body positions from standing, sitting and lying down do vary with ranging percentages. The lumbar/tailbone exercise has also been successfully used in cases of degenerative disc disease in my own practice with clients.
How useful or practical an exercise is going to be depends on the individual, the causes and of course their current ability as ascertained via an assessment. So how often could this exercise be performed? An example could be 20 repetitions twice per day. This doesn't take long to do and is an easy integration from a physical perspective and an even bigger leap learning about body positioning.
The frequency could be every day, or alternating days. The aim is to progress. So how can we progress from this exercise? Once core awareness is established, the exercise can be made more difficult. There are several exercises that could be applied, but a very simple one is to then keep the back flat and raise one foot from the ground, hold and place back on the ground. Alternate legs.
Again..... core awareness is the vital point here. In the management and improvement of low back pain, there are commonly psychological barriers to be bridged when pain is evident. An exercise that can create that assistance is very useful.
Need help and guidance to manage low back pain? Why not get in touch and book your FREE consultation? Specialist exercise instruction for low back pain in central York. ⬇️
info@grahamfit.com
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