Treat Low Back Pain with More Weight Lifting, Not Less

Lift weights more often if you want to conquer low back pain, the nation's leading non-fatal medical condition. I'm a certified personal trainer, and am not surprised that a study has shown that lifting weights more frequently is much more effective at treating low back pain, than is cutting back on gym workouts.

The study involved 240 women and men with longstanding low back pain. The University of Alberta investigation demonstrated that the subjects who worked out four times per week had less discomfort than the people who exercised only 2-3 times weekly. The more-frequent exercisers had 28 percent less pain.

Intuitively, one might conclude that lifting weights is the last thing someone with low back pain should do. Well, if the weight lifting involves hauling around big heavy bags of garbage or helping someone move, I have to agree, because these tasks involve very non-neutral spinal alignment and a lot of unsupported trunk flexion (leaning over at the waist/hips and picking something heavy up; most people do not know correct lifting mechanics).

Furthermore, household tasks are unilateral (not symmetrical to both sides of the body) in nature, thus causing unequal distribution of forces down the spine and to the lower back muscles. On the other hand, controlled and methodical weight lifting workouts at a gym, particularly with machines that are designed to keep the spine neutral, are very beneficial to people with low back pain.

"While it could be assumed that someone with back pain should not be exercising frequently, our findings show that working with weights four days a week provides the greatest amount of pain relief and quality of life," says Robert Kell, who headed the University of Alberta study, and an assistant professor of exercise physiology.

I've had clients with this kind of pain whose symptoms virtually disappeared after just one training session. There are many causes of pain in the lower vertebral area, but the No. 1 cause is improper movement mechanics, though lack of exercise is also often cited as the No. 1 cause.

If you have low back pain, get to the gym to lift some weights, but don't overdo it or go wild on the equipment. Ease into it with light weight lifting. Use machines, and practice good form. Don't cheat. Keep the lower back in an arched position; don't round out the spine. Do rowing exercises and pull-down exercises, as well as low back extensions on equipment made just for that purpose.

Source: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/06/090602133559.htm