Low Back Pain Caused by Weak Core
Video by Dr. Bryan Stephens
Many of our patients that come in with low back pain have a weak core. The core helps stabilize our posture and helps prevent us from arching our back too far which causes the facets in the low back to jam together. This creates inflammation around the joints which is where the back pain comes from. Along with the chiropractic adjustment to restore proper motion to the joints, stabilizing exercises must take place to strengthen the core and surrounding musculature to decrease the sharp curve in the low back. There are many core exercises out there, I just wanted to highlight one of them.
The scissor kicks help focus on the lower portion of the core and abdomen. By holding both legs a few inches off the ground while laying on your back, the core is activated. Then the obliques are activated by the up and down motion of both legs. These also target the muscles of the legs and hips which help stabilize the back by returning to a proper kinetic chain throughout the lower body. The kinetic chain is the movement pattern that is required for the body to perform certain actions. For example, to stand on one leg, you must activate the back muscles on the side of the raised leg more than the lowered leg to compensate for the altered balance required to not fall over. If this chain is disrupted, the compensations create added stress and inflammation in the body. This is why exercises that focus on proper kinetic chain movement along with strengthening are so beneficial.
Once proper core strength has been restored, there is noted decrease in chronic low back pain. Add some scissor kicks, planks, leg lifts, or other core exercises to your routine and reap the benefits for your back. If it hurts too much to do them, then get checked out so you can get out of the pain and start your path to a healthier life.
Coulombe, Brian J., et al. “Core stability exercise versus general exercise for chronic low back pain.” Journal of athletic training 52.1 (2017): 71-72.
Our Message
If you’re looking for a Chiropractor near you that you can trust, choose one who will not only get rid of your back pain, neck pain, or headaches but who will also guide you to living a healthier lifestyle to keep you out of pain. Our Chiropractors located in St. Louis Park, near the corner of MN-100 S & Lake Rd./Westside Dr., will teach you what the research says about how and why we should eat a better diet, move more and have more positive thoughts. By improving these areas of our lives we can become healthier and stay out of pain!