Relieve Low Back Pain | Reduce Low Back Pain | Canada's Leading Authority in Human Movement | Dev Chengkalath

the core?

In contrast to popular belief, the core not only encompasses the abdominals or the six-pack muscles on the front of the body, but also some smaller and larger muscles that are involved in stabilizing the lumbo-sacral-pelvic region, or as more commonly known, the torso (which includes the low back).

This includes muscles in the back, hips, pelvis and trunk. Furthermore, this includes the passive structures that help transmit or dampen forces such as fascia (connective tissue network), bones, tendons and ligaments.

Functional Core

And let’s not forget, all of these fall under the control of the nervous system. For our purposes here, this includes the brain, spinal cord and the nerves that activate those core muscles.

All of these systems must work together to form a fully functional core. 

And a fully functional core is what will protect you from low back pain and optimize your performance.

In my book, those are both worthy outcomes!

So to help you continue on your journey of back pain relief and optimal core performance, here is another short video clip.

This one shows the proper execution of the side plank, which will really hit the obliques (love handle area) while minimizing potentially dangerous compressive loading on the spine.

To your optimal core function and performance.

Dev Chengkalath

is to use poor technique when exercising.

How many of you have see someone doing an exercise at the gym or fitness centre that just made you cringe?

How many of you have wanted to go over and suggest a “safer” way of executing a certain movement?

Poor exercise technique (which includes poor exercise selection) is probably one of the most common exercise errors that causes or perpetuates low back pain. 

And it’s rampant!

Many people learn new exercises from books, magazines or on the internet. I know I’ve picked up a few that way. The problem with this type of “education” is that it isn’t always ideal. There is too much room for error. 

Three of the most common exercises prone to technique faults that put your low back at significant risk for injury include the squat, the dead lift and the common sit-up or crunch.

With the first two, most people are familiar with the risks as these have been embellished and extrapolated in gym lore, passed from generation to generation. Typically, excessive rounding of the lower back takes place, putting spinal structures at risk of failure. While the risks are real, the benefits from these exercises, for the properly qualified and instructed individual, far outweigh them. 

The last one, sit-ups or crunches (I’ll use the terms interchangeably) are a little more insidious. Many people are told by their physical therapists or trainers that they need to strengthen their core to relieve their low back pain. For many of these people, the first exercise that comes to mind are abdominal crunches. 

Unfortunately, this type of exercise is not only ineffective for core training, but it’s also potentially harmful. Having heard about the dangers of crunches, many people will then try another variation, under the assumption that this “different” version is somehow safer. It’s usually not. 

There are, however, many safe and efficient exercises out there for relieving low back pain. The key is to qualify yourself for the exercise while weighing the risk to the benefits. 

Yours in physical therapy,

Dev Chengkalath

Since posture plays such an important role in low back pain, I’m going to devote another post to this subject.  More specifically, I’ll be giving you the goods on how to fix your posture starting from your pelvis. 

Or as one of my professors, Dr. David Magee, used to call it: “The Great House.” 

Why is the pelvis so important?

Why should you care about your pelvis when it’s your low back that’s causing you all the problems?

How does fixing your pelvis, fix your bad back?

If we were sitting in a lecture theatre, and I asked who had heard of the term “core”, I can guarantee everyone’s hand would’ve shot up, or at the very least, everyone would have murmured the answer to themselves under their breath.

My friends, your pelvis posture is directly related to how those famous (and not so famous) muscles of the core function to keep you healthy and at your best. Pain free performance. Living life like you want to. Living life like you deserve to. 

You see, the pelvis is where the spine attaches. It’s where the legs attach. It’s where all sorts of muscles and connective tissue and fascia all attach. It’s where energy transfer takes place.

It’s kind of a big deal.

He's also kind of a big deal

This is where great athletes get their power, their precision and, well, their athleticism. This is also where those low back pain sufferers, or the soon-to-be low back pain sufferers, start down that slippery slope of aches and pains.

Here’s the quick lesson.

If you’re sitting down right now while reading this, have a look and see how you’re actually sitting. 

Is your low back curved into a slouch? Are you sitting on the “sit bones” in your butt? Or are you in the more common habit of sitting on your sacrum (the bone just above where your butt crack begins)?

If you’re in the latter category, it’s time to change. 

ASAP.

This all comes back to those negative adaptive changes. In this position you’ll be tightening and shortening your hip flexors and your spinal erectors. You’ll also be turning off your glutes, those very important bum muscles that are an integral part of your core. Not to mention the weakening of those equally important structures on the front, the abdominals.

Since the body is so interconnected, weakness, tightness, or any other deviation from the ideals in one part of the body will lead to compensation at another. And this is how your pelvis posture is related to your low back pain. Faults in your pelvis become faults through your low back. Something’s got to give at some point.

Now you want to know how to fix your pelvis posture in sitting.

Fair enough.

Here’s the quick and dirty:

1. Actually sit on your sit bones, not on your poor sacrum.
2. Maintain that natural curve in your low back (avoid the slouch!).
3. Elongate upwards through your spine (think tall).
4. CHANGE YOUR POSTURE OFTEN!

Remember, if you take anything away from my blurb on posture, it’s this:

The best posture is the one that keeps changing. 

Now go out and practice your postures. You’ve been learning bad habits since kindergarten, start unlearning them!

Yours in ever-changing postures,

Dev Chengkalath