My Lower Back Strength and Flexibility Stuff

 

First thing's first: Talk to a good sports doc. Most other docs are going to tell you to stop doing anything. You want a guy who wants you back to top form. My sports physio was the greatest guy in the world. His attitude was always "Let's get you better so I never have to see you again." He wasn't looking for repeat business. And surgery, for anything, should always be the LAST RESORT, not the first. Getting cut on, even with the micro-stuff they have now is a traumatic experience to your body. Exhaust rehab options before you decide the knife is the plan.

 

Second: Mentality. Congrats, you screwed your back up. You are now INJURED. FOREVER. Accept this. You're like an alcoholic now. You don't get to be NOT injured. You just get to move normally and do all the other stuff you did. AS LONG AS YOU DO THE STUFF THAT KEEPS YOU HEALTHY! Lots of guys do the "Lessons repeated" thing. Try to be one that does the "Lessons learned".

 

Ok, some first response stuff:

 

I have been doing the Mckenzie execise and reverse plank on the Med ball as advised by Sean along with a back mobility warmup as well as using a pillow for my back when sitting on the couch and it seems to be doing the trick.

 

I try to incoproprate core exercises into every training sessions but after reading more into lower back pain, should I bother doing core exercises that involve twists with weights etc? Or are these more risk than reward? I understand that all lifts carry a certain amount of risk and even throwing probably isnt the best for your back.

 

I'm not a thrower, but a lifter who has lurked here for awhile.  I'm a fan of the highland events and I live in Bethlehem, PA so I have the Celtic Classic to attend evey year.

 

I haven't had any serious back issues, but I have had times where I felt my lower back was used more than it should have been when lifting.  Like most of you guys, I'm always looking for things that can improve my training.

 

I came across a review of this program: http://foundationtraining.com/home/ and decided to give it a try.  It comes in book or DVD. I got the book cheaper on Amazon.

 

The program was developed by a chiropractor with a history of back issues when he was younger who couldn't find anything he was happy with in treating his issues. He states that it won't change any structural issues, but will allow you to do more without being in pain and teach your body to move better.

 

He states that the 3 main muscle groups needed for spinal stability are the multifidus (as stated previously), quadratus lumbordum (QL) and erector spinae. He developed a series of exercises (bodyweight only-no equipment needed) to strengthen these muscles and teach our bodies to move properly, using the hips more and the spine less.  This also loosens up the hip flexors because they don't have to work as hard to maintain spinal stability.

 

The program starts with 5 exercises done 3x/week for 2 weeks.  You go through them in order and then repeat 2 more times (3 cycles).  The second phase he adds 2 more exercises performed for 3 cycles again 3x/week for 2 weeks.  The last phase, 3 more exercises are added (10 total for 3 cycles) to be done 3x/week for 2 weeks.  You just maintain after that.  The exercises are a lot harder than they look.  There also 2 stretches that I hadn't seen before.  One for the iliacus (a hip flexor that doesn't attach to the spine, but can create stiff hips) and another for the IT band, TFL, etc.

 

Since I was deadlifting I didn't want to overdue it, so I decided to only do one cycle on days I didn't lift to start.  After the first session, I noticed my posture seemed better, but nothing major.  I did the second session 2 days later at night before I went to bed.  When I woke up I noticed that I seemed to be moving differently.  I could tell that my movement was definitely being initiated more from the hips and I felt looser.  I knew that movement should start from the hips, but found a lot of times (especially lifting) that I had to think about it.  Now it became automatic. This carried over to my deadlift sessions.  I noticed my lower back wasn't getting as sore and my glutes, hamstrings and midback (where I hardly ever got sore from deadlifts) were more sore than usual.  I'm starting a new training cycle where I will be power cleaning and I'm excited to see if it cleans up my movement for them.

 

I would highly recommend this program to anyone.  My spine feels more stable, my hips looser and I move better.