Could Your Core Training Be Casuing Your Lower Back Pain?

“The biggest misconception in core training is that you need movement to effectively strengthen your core.”  – Dr. Rick Yost, D.C.

You probably know that increasing core strength is an extremely effective way to reduce low back pain and injury risk in the future. But did you know that there are right ways and wrong ways to train your core? The biggest misconception in core training is that you need movement to effectively strengthen your core. In reality, the more movement that occurs the greater the risk of injury.  

Injury risk increases when load and/or shearing force occur in the spine. The movement that increases your risk the most is rounding the lower back. Examples of exercises that encourage rounding of the low back:

  • Sit-ups
  • Crunches
  • Dead-lifts
  • Squats
  • Toes to Bar
  • Rows

For a challenging and efficient core workout, please watch Dr. Ryan DeBell’s video below:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sZT2UwT43ok

Dr. Ryan is one of my favorite resources for patient education on core strength and mobility techniques.  I would encourage you to check out his blog.