WEIGHT TRAINING CAN HELP BACK-PAIN SUFFERERS

BREAK THE CYCLE OF FEAR AND INACTIVITY

Weight training programs are typically avoided by back-pain sufferers for fear of further injury.  However, when done properly, weight training is one of the best ways to improve overall muscle tone and strength which supports the spine and helps a person with back pain break the cycle of fear and inactivity.   

“Back-pain sufferers live with a constant fear of further injuring their backs,” explains Dr. William Madosky of Madosky Chiropractic and Acupuncture Center in St. Louis.  “They tend to limit overall activity – and especially avoid weight training – which leads to a poorly conditioned body that lacks muscle tone and strength, and is subsequently much more prone to low-back injury.”

Typically a person with low-back pain will have poor overall condition as well as weak core muscles which support the low back, adds Madosky.  The core muscles include the small and large muscles that support the back as well as the gluteal, abdominal, quadriceps and hamstring muscles.  Strengthening these muscles enables a person to participate in work, sports activities and everyday household tasks for longer periods of time with less fatigue, less chance of injury, faster recovery and greater ease. 

Primarily, any weight-training program for a person with back pain must be customized to fit the needs and abilities of the individual.  An assessment of overall muscle strength, tone and balance is essential.  A second and equally important component of a weight-training program is proprioceptive conditioning of the small muscles, tendons and ligaments adjacent to the spine.  Proprioception or “position sense” helps the brain communicate with the spinal joints, which promotes coordination of spinal joint and muscle movement during activities.  This can be accomplished with tubing/rehab ball exercises.

A good exercise program can include a combination of weight machines, free weights and tubling/rehab ball exercises.  The key is to understand which system is most helpful during the rehab process.  Weight machines provide a specific movement that exercises a specific muscle group.  This is important when you are trying to achieve muscle balance between two muscle groups that work in opposition to each other (like the hamstrings and quadriceps).  Free weights (those not attached to a machine, such as hand weights and barbells) help improve overall condition and strength because they recruit several muscle groups simultaneously.  Tubing/rehab not only stimulates proprioception, but is also helps to strengthen the core muscles of the back.  Madosky offers the following tips to determine which weight-training program and facility is right for you:

• Know one’s back-health diagnosis and potential limitations.  Knowing one’s diagnosis and the limitations associated with it will provide a personal trainer at the community center or health club with a starting point.  Ask your chiropractic physician or healthcare provider for this information.

·        Find a trainer with the right experience.  Ask trainers to explain in detail what type of educational training and experience they have in working with the same back-health diagnosis.  Ask for examples of how they would approach the problem.  A weight-training program must emphasize not only strengthening these core muscles but also achieving a balance between the muscles on the front and back of the body.  Make sure the program has measurable, easy to understand goals for progress.

• Tour the facility.  Tour the facility with a personal trainer to evaluate the type of equipment they have how familiar the trainer is with the equipment.  Ask how frequently the equipment must be repaired or replaced.

By beginning a good weight-training program, overall muscle tone and strength will be increased, allowing all muscles to “pull their own weight” during a task – pulling the back-pain sufferer out of the cycle of fear and inactivity.

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