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  • Q&A with Australian Health Practitioners

    What exercise could be causing my lower back pain?

    Related Topics
    Back & Neck Pain Pain Sports Injuries & Prevention
    I feel intense back pain when I stretch upwards, or sleep flat on my back. I figured this may be because of a new gym routine I had followed last week. I'd like to know what caused it and how can I avoid it in future.

    Back/Bicep - Seated row, cable pushdown, shrugs, lat pulldown, hyperextension, abs board. Preacher Curl, Arm Curl, D Curl.

    Legs - Leg extension, Leg Press, Squats, Leg Curl, Calf raise.

    Shoulder/Triceps - decline bench press, D incline bench press, bench press, flue, tricep extension, cable pushdown, ab crunch (cybex vr3), side bending.

    shoulder - front raise, lateral raise, rear head flye, overhead dumbbell press (standing).

    core - plank, side bridge.

    It was the first time I had done abs on the board, and though it felt tight for 3 days, I had recovered, and 2 days after that I started feeling this back pain. I might be overly cautious but I really want to figure out the correct reason behind it. Please help, thanks!
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    Tim Cottman - Fields

    Exercise Physiologist, Physiotherapist

    Tim is considered a movement specialist - using exercise, education and hands on therapy as his main treatments, helping everyone achieve optimal function. His interests … View Profile

    Firstly, there can be multiple reasons for low back pain; given this instance it could be from poor movement patterns, incorrect posture, muscle imbalance etc. Within your program there are common exercises in which individuals usually experience back pain due to poor technique or ineffective motor control (i.e. not tensing the right muscles, overtensing muscles or not breathing)
    The ones that stand out are seated row, hyperextension, squats, machine based abdominal
    exercises, standing press - definitely get your form checked by a quality trainer (most gyms should do this for free)
    Other suggestions for improvement would be finding a balance between lower body and upper body exercises, improving motor control or “core stability” (you made need help with this), completing pilates based exercises and stretching.
    If you haven't got relief after reducing intensity or weight and performing with correct technique go see either a Physiotherapist or Exercise Physiologist

    Hope that helps

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    Kristen Ross

    Counsellor, Kinesiologist

    Kristen Ross is a qualified Kinesiologist, Counsellor and Sports Therapist.Affinity Wellness is her holistic wellness practice offering a holistic wellness experience by focusing on all … View Profile

    As a sports kinesiologist there are a number of exercises in this program that I would advise you change.
    A general rule if thumb you should follow is to not isolate muscles but to work them in conjunction with other muscles.
    Seated exercises disengage your core muscles and your glutes, these two muscle groups are important for spinal stability. 
    It sounds as though you have been given a generic gym style program and I would advise you throw it out and see a personal trainer or exercise specialist which a knowledge of corrective exercise. A CHEK trainer would be a good start.  

    Best wishes,
    Kristen

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    Ben Francis

    Personal Trainer

    Hi, I'm the owner of a health and fitness business called Opportunity Fitness. We are based in coogee and conduct fitness training in parks around … View Profile

    Hi,
    I agree with Tim, there are several causes of lower back pain and without watching you perform each movement it is difficult to tell. Be careful and definitley seek some help from a physiotherapist if pain persists as bulging and slipped discs are a serious issue. 
    From the information you have provided i would suggest you have an issue with overextention, id look at you technique on planks, the ab board and the ab machines. Be careful with back hyper extentions they can be a bad exercise for beginners and military press can also cause trouble. Id remove the side bends if they are the standing variety must people perform, these produce similar lower back compression seen with bent back lifting.
    Once you're pain has subsided work on your core stability and ensure you're technique is ok with other exercises. There is an Exercise Library on opportunity fitness's website. Start with the core exercises in levels 1 and 2 and work your way up to higher levels. Good luck

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  • Sandra McFaul

    Physiotherapist

    Do you suffer from chronic lower back pain or neck pain? Based in SYDNEY, Sandra is 1 of ONLY 15 Physiotherapists in Australia with ADVANCED … View Profile

    Here's the BIG Picture….
    The movement that causes most back pain is flexion. 
    In contrast, extension is the movement that helps most back pain.

    If you are still struggling to get pain relief, Google "the McKenzie Method" - these are physio's who have done post-grad training in the treatment of back pain.

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  • Laura Majewski

    Exercise Scientist

    Laura Majewski is a qualified Sports and Exercise Scientist and an accredited member of ESSA. Laura graduated from Sydney University with a Bachelor of Applied … View Profile

    Hi there,

    All great answers. Just to add, make sure you get someone to show you how to properly execute all these movements. Imbalances, dis-engagement of muscles, tightness/weakness in particular areas can all contribute to poor form. Also make sure you are chosing a weight that is suitable for the body area e.g. tricep extension will have a lower weight than leg press purely due to muscle mass and force produced under tension.

    I would advise you to begin slowly, start with body weight on most if not all of the exercises and if needed a low weight. Make sure you are also getting an adequate warm up and cool down as well. This can help reduce pain the next day.

    Hope all goes well,

    Laura

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