How I Cured My Low Back Pain?
If you are a regular reader of my blog, then you may have seen that 14 years ago I suffered a disc prolapse and this was the beginning of my low back issues.
I was studying anatomy at Bristol University, and I was playing hockey 6 times per week, going to the gym, and doing HIIT 5 times per week. I had the time, right? So, what else to do apart from stay fit when at university, so much free time (I also did study sometimes).
When doing this much exercise you also need to take time to do rehabilitation on your body, otherwise the micro compensations can build up and cause problems. I had fractured my patella in my second year playing hockey and was out for 3 months. It never properly healed before I went back, and it did cause me some problems but I pushed it a side as you do when you are 20 years old.
It will have caused compensations in my spine and caused the pelvis to put more stress on to my low back.
If you remember at the time, the film ‘300’ had just come out and Gerard Butler was in terrific shape. I remember a friend saying we should do the 300 workout like these guys did, it was 300 reps, 50 reps of a different exercise. One of them was deadlift (you know how I feel about a deadlift). For that many repetitions under fatigue it isn’t an efficient way to build posterior chain strength.
Don’t get me wrong there is a time and a place for a deadlift, and I do feel it is a valuable exercise when done correctly, but 50 reps with a low weight is not the way to do it.
I felt my back tweak and over the course of the day it got stiffer and stiffer until the next morning I could not get out of bed. It was like that for 2 days and I saw the GP and it settled down after a week.
Every 6 months I would do something fairly innocuous, and it would just ‘go’ and the same pattern would happen. It kept happening whilst I was doing my Chiropractic training and even when I have been in practice. But ‘touch wood’ I have been good for around 2 years now. I can recognise when something is not right, and this is when I kick into action and go to this routine which I’m about to tell you about.
It is vital to maintain my back strength and core stability. It keeps my back good even with the training I still do. My routine is usually CrossFit 2-3 times per week and cycling 3-4 hours per week either outdoor or on a turbo trainer.
The best routine to cure your low back pain
- Glute stretching- I do a few stretches and I have included them all here. I start with the perfect stretch which is a CrossFit stretch and helps to stretch the hip flexors (good if you sit at a desk all day) and the glutes. The glutes are vital in low back stability and will help engage the core to support your back. I do a Pigeon stretch as well to help the hip mobility and stretch the glutes and TFL.
- Core engagement- this is key to engage the core to hold on to the vertebra when I’m moving around. I do a plank hold whilst engaging my glutes and rocking back on to my heels. I do a dead bug as well very slowly, as well as a birddog, 10 reps and usually 3 sets.
- Massage gun- I use a massage gun on my low back, it is a knack to be able to do this on your own, but if you hold it at the head, you can angle it on to the muscles either side of your spine and on the glutes to help soften it up. Or if there is someone at home they can help.
- Foam roller- I use a foam roller (you can use a smooth one or spikes) to go up and down my low back, it helps to release the vertebra and gets some flossing between the discs to increase mobility.
- Chiropractic adjustments- I get adjusted regularly at least twice per month. I know that when my body is not in sync then I have slipped off my adjustment schedule. Freeing up my vertebra and nervous system allows my body to perform at it’s best and not let stress build up on the discs and keep them as healthy as possible.
- Caffeine- when I drink lots of caffeine it makes my back more susceptible. Don’t ask me how, I have been tested by lots of kinesiologists, naturopaths and it seems that caffeine does increase inflammation in my body. If I drink a lot of it, I can feel the body adapting and achiness increasing in my joints.
- Type of exercise- maybe it is my age but I’m not in to lifting heavy weights anymore. I like CrossFit and don’t intend on stopping anytime soon. But doing a 1 rep max of a squat or snatch isn’t for me anymore. I like the low weight high repetition, condition style sessions where it is integrated with some rowing or running, and you work at a lower intensity for 30-45 minutes. This helps my back, the purists out there will crucify me for saying that, as they believe that the heavier you lift the back will get stronger. But it just doesn’t work that way for me.
There it is my 7 steps to getting your back in the best spot long term.
You will not be able to do this every day, life is busy, and it happens. But if you can recognise when you are going off course this will dramatically help to get you back on track.
If you do know someone who wants more advice, please send them our details. You can send them this blog and they can request a free copy of our book which has posture related exercises in it as well. Click here for FREE book.
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