💪🏿💪🏻PT CORNER: Low Back Pain 💪🏾💪
By: Reagan Rupard
When chatting with and other coaches in the studio, low back pain comes up as one of the two most common complaints that you might be looking to address. You may be new to Fierce and find that lower body and core exercises feel like they’re working your back more than anything else, or maybe you have taken hundreds of classes and find that twisted oblique exercises cause more back pain than core. We’re going to look at the common causes of back pain in class and what to do to fix them or modify around them.
To frame this discussion, think about neutral alignment. In a very broad sense, low back pain is likely to occur when we move out of neutral alignment - whether that’s 1) back arching with core disengagement or 2) back twisting or 3) asymmetrical hip alignment.
Neutral alignment in squats and planks:
Problem 1: back arching with core disengagement
When getting comfortable on the machine at Fierce45®, I often see clients overusing their back when they should be relying on the abdominal muscles in their core. This is a really common compensation pattern our body uses to just get the work done when we haven’t yet built up the comfort level in moves or the core strength to do moves correctly. This most commonly occurs in lower body moves (light and heavy) and belly-down core moves. This excessive engagement of the low back muscles can cause muscular fatigue in the back extensors or sharper pain from the exertional stress to that area.
The Fix: First, use the mirrors in the room. If you notice that your alignment looks like the pictures below, you have found the cause of your low back pain. Talk to your coach about how to find your Fierce Wrap - our name for the deep abdominal engagement of each layer of your core that, over time as you gain strength there, will cue your body to relax the low back and rely on your abdominal stabilizers to do the hard work. This is not just a short-term solution to low back pain but a lifelong skill your body will thank you for! Lastly, be comfortable making modifications. If doing the full range of motion in a saw ends up killing your low back at the end of a minute, your body is asking you to do less. Find a smaller range of motion that allows you to focus on the target muscle group, without ratcheting up the intensity so much that your low back feels like it has to take over.
Core Disengagement and Low Back overuse - modify to avoid this alignment!
Problem 2: spinal rotation
We said above that low back pain often occurs when we move out of neutral alignment, but Problem 2 and Problem 3 address moments where this loss of neutral alignment is in the nature of the move itself! In many oblique exercises, we are twisting our spine and creating uneven tension between the left and right sides of our body, thereby bringing uneven tension to the left and right sides of our back.
The Fix: A modification in rotated moves may be the best solution to allow you to focus on your core without pain. Opt for side planks or substitute center core moves to remove the tension related to rotation. Be sure to do the same thing for both oblique blocks in class. Hot tip: when you do center core moves, you’re working both obliques, and can focus more on deep transverse abdominis engagement with your fierce wrap to build up the additional strength and stabilization to get back to those rotated moves.
Rotation in twisted saw, option to modify into saw:
Problem 3: asymmetrical hip alignment
In moves like a heavy carriage press, heavy carriage kick back, floor lateral lunge, and front lunge, your hips are forced into an uneven alignment that can bring about the same issues with asymmetrical loading that we might see in rotated core moves.
The Fix: Consider opting for substituting moves that put your feet on the same level and allow you to work from a more neutral position. Instead of heavy carriage press, try skater. Substitute sprinters lunge for heavy carriage kickback. Do a regular lateral lunge instead of a floor lateral lunge. Instead of front lunge (can be a killer for my back!) substitute platform lunge. Again, it’s about modifying so that you feel the work where you’re supposed to feel it, and your body is not feeling so overwhelmed that other muscle groups are strained in an attempt to help.
Asymmetrical (but correct) alignment in heavy carriage press, optional modification to skaters:
An important note: if you have low back pain that spikes during class and lasts over 24 hours, bothers you over night or lingers as a sharp pain, consider consulting a physical therapist. The advice provided in this blog post is meant to provide support for acute discomfort during a workout, but is not a resolution for a back injury or chronic discomfort!