Fitness

We've Got Your Back

One minute, you're casually lifting a sack of groceries or fighting to open a stubborn window, and the next -- damn! -- you feel a sharp twinge in your lower back.

By: Pete Williams
[ Updated: Jul 14, 2008 - 5:07:34 PM ]

One minute, you're casually lifting a sack of groceries or fighting to open a stubborn window, and the next -- damn! -- you feel a sharp twinge in your lower back. And you know, you just know, you're going to be creaking around the house for the next 10 days like an octogenarian former defensive tackle during a cold snap.

Or the pain may bide its time, perhaps not showing up until days after that slick LeBron James move you've attempted while playing basketball. Either way, you've just joined the estimated 80 percent of Americans who will experience back pain at some point in their lives. It's the second leading cause of lost workdays among adults under 45, trailing only the common cold.

Ironically, the seeds of both ailments germinate at work -- you invite the cold by mingling with sick coworkers, and the back pain by sitting at a computer all day, locking up your hips and hamstrings and making yourself more susceptible to back injury.

"Our lifestyle has become so sedentary that something as simple as housework or raking the yard can produce an overuse injury," says Michele Holland, a physical therapist at Performance Rehab in Nashua, New Hampshire. "A regular workout program is the best way to prevent back pain."

No wonder "core training" has become a popular phenomenon, as athletes of all levels try to restore mobility, flexibility, and stability to their hips, midsections, and shoulders. It's simple body mechanics: When shoulder and hip joints are loose, there's less strain on the back.

"You always want to make sure that you're moving from your hips, not from your back," adds Sue Falsone, a physical therapist at the Athletes' Performance training center in Tempe, Arizona. "People often substitute excessive back motion for their lack of hip motion. Whether this compensation is due to a lack of hip mobility or [a lack of] trunk stability, it's important to be able to dissociate these two body parts [i.e., move them independently]."

Unfortunately, many men can no longer do that because their core regions are just not strong and flexible enough. Every back-pain sufferer wishes he had taken better care of his core.