Have you been experiencing back pain? Well, the good news is you're not alone; it's the leading cause of doctor visits worldwide!
To put it simply, 'back pain' is an umbrella term used to describe a wide variety of problems related to the back, which can stem from issues within the spine itself to the insufficient use of the group of 'core' muscles within the trunk and hips.
What is the 'Core'?
The 'Core' is a term used for the central group of essential (trunk and hip) stabilizing and mobilizing muscles that help keep our body straight and upright. Think of the core as our body's corset. These muscles wrap all around your trunk and attach to the spine; hence, to improve these structures, we need to work on the strength of our core.
When these muscles work efficiently, they can help us maintain good postural alignment. This reduces the damaging forces in our back and trunk, which can essentially decrease back pain. In addition, it can improve mind-muscle coordination and the balance between our upper and lower bodies.
So, how does this work?
Since all these muscles are linked so closely together, if one group doesn't work correctly, chances are the opposite group will have to work extra to support the body, which is not a good thing.
For example, if we have weak core muscles, our back will have to work extra to stabilize the body and spine, eventually leading to more stress and, hence, more back pain.
Beware of these lifestyle triggers!
Chances are, you might be someone who experiences back pain occasionally when doing certain activities, or maybe you've always had it; this is a short list of possible causes for it, so always keep a watch for these triggers:
Bad posture when standing or sitting
Slouching during work
Lifting heavy objects
Being overweight
Not exercising
Not eating healthy
If there's one thing all these triggers have in common, it can all be related to having a weak group of core muscles.
What should be our treatment goals?
Decrease pain
Strengthen the weak group of muscles
Decrease stress on the spinal structures
Improve posture
Improve flexibility and mobility
Steps to improving your core muscles!
Learn how to engage your core muscles
Correct breathing exercises
General core muscle exercises
Follow up with spinal flexion, extension, and rotation exercises
Active and passive mobility exercises
Ultimately, there are many creative ways to strengthen the core muscles, but it's extremely important to do it correctly. After all, a healthy core is one of the keys to a strong and painless back, so don't wait any longer!
Contact a nearby physiotherapist so that they can evaluate you and curate a specialized plan to help build up your core and fight your plaguing back pain.
Feel free to ask questions in the comment section; we will try our best to answer them. Kindly comment on how this was helpful; this will encourage our team to build more such blogs.
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