I am opening this thread with the question: who has had lower back pain due to an imbalance in their lower back? Anyone who would like to comment or ask a question related to this topic, please comment underneath this thread!
Here are some suggestions based on what I have observed over the years with lower back pain clients that you can implement in the LIVE and on demand classes:
1. Utilize the loosening of your AbRibbon on the soft shh and loud shh to increase activity of your internal oblique during exercises such as single leg balance and leaning back Pilates abs (teaser variations). We want to make sure that you are getting oblique activation (especially lower oblique) on both sides of the pelvis while doing activities where maybe the psoas or QL is overcompensating in certain movements. For example, if you are leaning back in a teaser position, and your back is feeling “off” try pressing the hand of the OFF side into your thigh as you go into your 8 second exhalation pattern. This may increase activity of the oblique on that side of your body.
2. Are you balancing out the work of your inner and outer thigh? It’s easy to become obsessed with the feeling of working your glutes and the outer hip, but without balancing this with inner hip work, you may experience lower back or SI joint pain due to an imbalance in strength of the muscles that connect into the pelvis!
3. Are you able to maintain your neutral spine in a bridge AND in your core work? Finding neutral spine is SO key in your total functional strength routines. The lumbar spine doesn’t appreciate hyper-mobility while it’s under load (resistance aka dumbbells, bands, etc). If you need help finding your neutral spine, upload a video of yourself doing a bridge on the Facebook page for me to analyze (it’s helpful for the community to see this!) OR send me in a private message!
4. Are you getting proper recovery for your muscles groups? Most muscles will replenish their glycogen stores anywhere between 24-48 hours after an intense workout. Because there is so much variety on the website right now, make sure you are giving muscles that are worked intensely minimum 24 hours to rest (maybe more). The lower intensity core sessions are quicker to recover from and can be performed daily for your posture and injury prevention!
5. LOW back strength! Make sure you are strengthening your lower back! One of the purposes of my excessive use of the superman exercise is to get those lower back muscles strong. Remember, the SI joint does not like too much movement! If your glutes are really strong and low back muscles are not, you are predisposed to imbalances in the SI joint. If you are curious, Google an image of all of the muscles that connect into the SI joint…we want all of those muscles to be strong, so that no matter what you are doing, these muscles work in partnership to assist you through life, not against one another!
Comment below with questions on LOW back pain!
AJ