Athletic Training Blog Series #9
Low Back Pain
Low Back Pain is one of the most common complaints across society, and the cause of many doctor visits. There are many causes of this issue. Mechanical issues such as:
- Sprains & Strains
- Intervertebral Disc Degeneration
- Herniated or Ruptured Discs
- Sciatica (that’s a blog for a different day)
- Traumatic Injury
- The Spondy family of injuries
- And many more
In addition to these there are additional factors that can increase our risk of developing low back pain. Age, fitness level (or starting a new fitness program/style/intensity), pregnancy, weight gain, backpack overload, occupation, genetics, and mental health all can play a role.
How is Low Back Pain diagnosed? Whether in my AT room, a PT facility or a MD office-most evaluations will begin with visual and manual evaluations. Watching posture, how you walk, sit, and move is very important. The body is one chain and deficiencies in one area can cause issues in another. If myself or the PT feel it is more than a sprain or strain we will refer back to the MD for imaging-which starts with the basic X-Ray, and can lead to MRIs, CT scans, discography and others.
Once a diagnosis is confirmed, treatment can begin. For the most severe diagnoses-surgery may be the only option. But for many folks there are other options. Chiropractors are great at readjusting the vertebrae to get us back in alignment. While I do not personally prescribe to the folks that state they can fix your ear infection or ankle sprain with adjustment-there are many fabulous benefits. I personally can say our Team Chiro at Springfield helped save my senior season-and I still routinely do the maintenance exercises he gave me.
Like many maladies- Ice and Heat can be very helpful in relieving discomfort. Also NSAIDs (ibuprofen, naproxen, etc) can alleviate the symptoms, but as always be careful with medications because they can have long term side effects such as ulcers. Stretching and Strengthening will be very helpful to get you back to the activities in which you want to be participating. Core strength is very important to help support your lumbar spine. Planks, and other abdominal exercises are great. Stretching before any exercise is also crucial. One particular muscle group to focus on is the hamstrings. They attach to the Iliac Crest (top of hip bone) which means they help us move and bend at the waist in addition to many other activities. One of my favorite low back stretches is lying on your back and bringing your knees to your chest. Hold for 20 seconds and repeat as necessary. You can also add slight rotation to either side, as long as you keep the rest of your torso flat on the ground-only your hips should rotate. I have a great stretching plan that I am going to scan and can email if anyone would like it (just email me).
One final thought-Backpack wearing is a huge issue for students. You do not want your backpack to change your posture to either forward leaning, or back leaning. It should sit above your buttocks, not sag below. Wearing both shoulder straps is also important, as well as making sure the bag itself is not too heavy. One recommendation is 15% of your body weight. I am also happy to adjust backpacks-especially when I think it may be contributing to what brought you to my AT room.
Stay Healthy.
