Our backs deserve the utmost respect and yet it is probably the most abused part of the body. The most common culprits of back destruction are obesity and lack of exercise. The American Obesity Association and the Canadian Obesity Network agree that musculoskeletal pain, mostly in the form of back pain, is a serious issue with those that are obese.

Every pound of excess body weight is a burden to the spine. As the spine gets stressed more unevenly, more and more spinal health issues are possible: lower back pain, sciatica, pinched nerves, osteoarthritis & piriformis syndrome (otherwise known as pain in the butt syndrome). If the damage from excess weight cannot be resolved through exercise and physiotherapy, back surgery may be required. Problem is, the obese run a greater risk of complications during and post surgery.

I spoke with Justin Pascual, an associate of mine. Justin is a Doctor of Chiropractic intern, kinesiologist, certified strength and conditioning expert, certified in acupuncture and vibromax therapeutics…..in other words I think we should heed his advice! According to Justin “Low back pain is often accompanied by numerous other injuries such as hip and knee pain due to compensation and altered biomechanics. As such it is best to address low back pain and other related issues before it becomes too late. “

Core strength (abdominal tone) is key to back health. I am not saying we all need six pack abs…we need a nice, strong core. Before we go any further, lets get a few things straight. There are 2 distinct aspects to our abdominal area. First: we need to lose the fat on top of the abs……look forward to meeting your abs! Second, strengthen the abdominal muscles.

The first - losing belly fay…hear me clearly…..comes from a good clean diet & cardiovascular exercise. Doing a hundred sit-ups, doing crunches, or any expensive informercial ab machine, will NOT make you lose your abdominal fat.

The second, building abdominal muscles comes from performing correct, back friendly core exercises. According to Justin “doing the wrong exercises can result in more pain and increase the likelihood of developing more severe problems. Performing sit-ups, repetitive back extensions and other biomechanically unsafe exercises can increase the likelihood of developing more severe back problems such as herniated or bulging discs which can be debilitating and greatly affect one’s quality of life. Too many people spend hours and hours performing dangerous exercises like sit-ups in hopes of developing six-pack abs and preventing low back pain. Unfortunately, performing these exercises place a lot of unnecessary stress on the spine and the discs between your vertebrae, which consequently increases the likelihood of disc herniation. Disc herniation can be a very troubling problem with possible symptoms including sharp, shooting pain into the lower extremities, numbness and tingling in the toes and even loss of bowel and bladder control.”

Justin explains that developing core stability is even more important than core strength. ”Improving core stability requires training the core in neutral spine, activating the appropriate muscles and developing muscular balance around the spine and adjacent areas as well as understanding proper biomechanics to help prevent additionally injuries. To help improve your understanding of core stability, take a look at a telephone pole the next time you go for a walk or drive. Telephone poles are surrounded by 4 guy wires which help to keep the telephone pole upright. All 4 guy wires are equal length and tension. If one of those guy wires was to snap, the stability of the telephone pole would decrease and the likelihood of the pole falling over would increase. Alternatively, if the guy wires were loose, the telephone pole is more likely to fall over. Similarly, your core muscles act like guy wires for your spine. Poor balance and control of these muscles, such as when one is overweight or underdeveloped, leads to greater instability and increased likelihood of developing injuries.”

Please think about your kids. We have all heard the obesity stats for children and teens. Check out this Science Daily article on the effects of obesity on a child’s developing spine.

Sit up straight, respect you back and my wish for you as always…….

May you get at least 60 minutes of exercise today!         

Shira Litwack
LWMC, CNS, PT

www.fitfan4fun.com Shira@fitfan4fun.com
Toronto Fitness & Nutrition Consultant

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