lumbar support Archives - CJ Physical Therapy & Pilates

Did you know that eighty percent of the population suffers from what we call “non-specific low back pain” (NSLBP)?

You might have NSLBP if your back pain:

is often chronic
comes out of nowhere
comes and goes (you have good days and bad days)
is not due to a recent or major accident or fall

If you’re reading this right now, odds are very good that YOU are one of the 80% suffering from NSLBP.

Did you also know that research says exercise is the BEST treatment for this type of back pain?

But what do you do if back pain keeps you from doing the one thing that is best for you??

We have an 8-week program designed to tackle this very important problem… but before I get into that, let’s go over some reasons why back pain keeps so many people like you from exercising.

1. FEAR

Back pain is scary! This is the number one reason back pain sufferers don’t exercise. Is the pain you’re feeling good or bad? Should you be feeling any pain at all? Pain is confusing. And when you experience pain during exercise, it can be difficult to know if it’s normal or a warning sign. For many, the safest thing to do is avoid any exercise or movement that causes pain. But doing this can lead to a host of other issues, namely, loss of mobility and in-activity. When you become less mobile and active, your back pain gets worse, and now you’re in a vicious cycle.

2. BULGING DISCS

Most people who suffer from long-standing NSLBP pain eventually find themselves getting an MRI. And 60-70% of the time, it will show one or more bulging discs. If you’ve been following me for a while, you already know that most people over the age of 40 walk around with bulging discs – and that 65% of them feel no pain at all! In other words, if you’ve got a bulging disc, you can’t be certain it’s the cause of your back pain. Research proves this. And being told you’ve got a bulging disc is NOT a reason to avoid exercise. Movement is actually one of the best things you can do for a bulging disc. It may require some customization of your current exercise routine, but a movement specialist can help you with this. Don’t just stop or avoid exercise altogether without talking to one first.

3. YOU WERE TOLD TO REST

Well-meaning doctors and family members who aren’t up to date on the latest back pain research will advise you to rest every time you experience back pain. This might be reasonable advice when you’re dealing with an acute episode of back pain, but it’s terrible advice for chronic back pain sufferers. Rest is one of the worst things someone with chronic back pain can do. Since most people don’t have a thorough understanding of this concept, they find themselves in a yo-yo effect. They rest to “heal” their back pain. When it’s gone they return to exercise. When they hurt their back again they stop and return to rest… I’ve seen so many people fall victim to this perpetuating cycle and it’s a big reason why so many back pain sufferers find themselves with the NEXT problem on this list…

4. YOU’VE GOT A “BAD BACK”

I can’t tell you how many times I’ve heard this one and it makes me want to scream! First off, there is no such thing as a “bad back”. There are backs with problems, and there are backs more sensitive to pain than others, but there is no reason to believe your back is inherently “bad” or that you should stop exercising. Not exercising causes almost all back problems to become worse, but it can also turn a “bad back” into a strong and healthy one! For most people, once you get the right guidance, you can quickly find yourself safely and confidently exercising again.

5. INEFFECTIVE CORE STRENGTHENING

Interestingly enough the research on this topic is quite scattered. Much of the research says that targeted core work doesn’t have any added benefit compared to general exercise when it comes to reducing back pain. What the research doesn’t tell you is that your core strength can make or break how well you exercise. If you don’t exercise with good proper form, you’ll end up with back pain. Learning how to properly strengthen your core has a HUGE impact on your ability to exercise in a way that will not cause your back to hurt. I meet a lot of folks who start doing “core exercises” to get their abs stronger and reduce back pain, but they end up hurting their backs instead. That’s because there is a right and a wrong way to properly strengthen your core, especially if you’re prone to back problems.

On Sunday, September 6th, we’re opening enrollment to our Pilates 101: Get [Your] Back to Health™ program.

You MUST apply to join this program.

Click here to learn more.

Since this program fills up every time we offer it, we typically give the folks on our VIP waiting list an opportunity to sign up first.

Plus… when you sign up early, you can save up to $200 off the program!

If you’re suffering from NSLBP and you’ve stopped exercising, know that you’re not alone.

This is such a confusing topic and there are so many mixed messages out there about what the “right” and “wrong” thing to do is.

Don’t try to go at it alone!

Exercise is GOOD for your back, but you may just need a little help and guidance — and perhaps proper core strengthening — to get you there.

We are about 5 weeks into social distancing and doing our best to flatten the curve. Although we are all coming together as a country to do our moral duty and fight the spread of Covid-19, it doesn’t come without consequences.

More screen time and more couch time are wreaking havoc on our bodies.

Most people I speak with are making a concerted effort to be as active as they can during the day. But even the best efforts are not combatting the extra bending and sitting that is happening. It’s almost impossible to avoid it. Due to social distancing and more people working from home than ever before, our primary way of “gathering,” seeing loved ones, and communicating with co-workers is now totally digital.

Whether we like it or not, we are hunched over and leaning forward more than ever — and it’s becoming a pain in the butt, quite literally.

In our last blog post I talked about the difference between “good pain” and “bad pain.” Since then, I’ve spoken to many of you over the phone about your concerns. One of the most common questions that came across this week was about pain in your butt, and not the figurative kind!

Yes, too much sitting can cause pain in your butt, but not for the reasons you might think…

One person I spoke with thought it might be due to the hard kitchen chair he was sitting on. Makes sense, right? But when he added a cushion, and then tried moving to the recliner to do his work and online social gatherings, the pain in his butt got worse.

So he did what most of us do, and went straight to Google.

He thought that maybe he had “piriformis syndrome” and started doing the recommended stretches. The pain in his butt started to subside a little, but then spread to the back of his thigh. He thought the pain in his thigh might be due to the stretches and that it was a good thing. But after about a week of this, he woke up one morning unable to move his back! That is when he called me.

I explained that the pain in his butt was NOT due to piriformis syndrome like “Dr. Google” told him. It was actually coming from his lower back. All the extra sitting was putting pressure on his disc, which was putting pressure on his nerve, and the result was pain in his butt. Without realizing the true cause of his problem, he accidentally started doing stretches that made his problem worse. It’s very common to have a back problem and not experience any back pain. Back problems can manifest in your butt, thigh, or lower leg, and very often get confused with tight muscles that just need to be stretched. If you do the wrong stretches, you will make your problems worse and you WILL end up with back pain – often severe and seemingly out of nowhere.

Luckily, we were able to hop on a Zoom session and give him the correct stretches to do. Within a few weeks, he no longer had pain in his butt, and he knew what to do to keep it from coming back.

If quarantining is giving you a (literal) pain in your butt right now, don’t rely on Google to figure out your pain — talk to us!

We’ve been opening up extra slots on our schedules just to talk to people and help them figure out anything new or strange that might be going on.

All you have to do is fill out this quick form to request a call with one of our specialists.

Tag Archive for: lumbar support

Why Back Pain Keeps People from Exercising