Thursday, April 14, 2011

6 Ways To Keep Your Lumbar Spine Healthy

By Katherine Crawford


If there is one thing that can ruin your exercise career, it's lower back pain. You see, lower back pain can be debilitating and de-motivating.

And there are so many methods and solutions for getting rid of back pain that it can be a little daunting.

Thus, here are 6 strategies for getting this area in top shape:

1. Always use a high quality belt when lifting heavy things: A belt will create a high amount of intra abdominal pressure. And this in turn will keep everything in place, thus avoiding issues like hernias or slipped discs.

2. Use lumbar supports as much as possible: This will prevent the delicate discs in your lower back from having to accept abnormally high amounts of pressure. After all, the human back was not made to be in the seated position.

3. Work from the standing position as much as possible: Although this may seem extreme, it's arguably the best thing you can do for your lower back. Again, your back is not made to be in the seated position. So avoid it as much as possible.

4. Be really careful right when you wake up: When you wake up fluid isn't optimally distributed within your discs. And if you bend over or try to lift something heavy right when you wake up, you put yourself at greater risk here.

5. Don't focus too much on the movers: Instead, target your stabilizing muscles when you construct your exercise program. This will help you build up the muscles that will actually make a difference while preventing you from causing additional harm.

6. Use your hands as posts: Whenever you bend over or pick something up, post your hand on something. This will transfer the load from your lower back to your arm. This simple technique can remove a tremendous amount of stress from your back.

Without a healthy lower back it will be very hard for you to get in shape. Even worse, it can limit you from normal every day activities. So take action here if your lower back isn't healthy.




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