Are you under the impression that working CORE is doing sit-ups?
Do you STILL have low back pain after trying crunches and sit-ups?
Are you sick of having no answers and unsuccessful treatment for your low back pain?
Do you question whether or not the exercises your doing are helping AT ALL??!!
Revealed: 3 Keys to SUCCESSFUL treatment of Low Back Pain
Note: It is a fact of EVIDENCE-BASED practice that If you are not getting ALL three of the forms of treatment below, then you are NOT getting the best possible outcomes. Many people get some light and temporary relief from their low back pain from a singular form of treatment, but I cannot tell you how often a patient tells me ‘but it only lasts for a few hours.’ We, at John Lathrop Physical Therapy, specialize in the treatment of spinal dysfunction to get you back to the level of function that you seek, and utilize the approaches listed below.
Exercise to improve the Timing of Core Contraction
The “core” consists of the muscles which surround the abdominal organs:
Diaphragm, superiorly
Lower Back Muscles, including the multifidus
Transversus abdominis
Pelvic floor muscles, including quadrates lumborum
Research studies show people with LBP do not successfully contract the transversus abdominis and the multifidus prior to moving (poor timing). Asymptomatic individuals reflexively contract the core prior to movement. While most people think of doing abdominal crunches, sit-ups or leg
raises to improve core strength, these exercises do little to address the multifidus and transversus abdominis. A second exercise which has been eliminated is the pelvic tilt.
Do you know the safest, most effective exercise to strengthen the transversus abdominis? …Well, again, its NOT crunches and sit-ups.
Cardiovascular Activity
There are several studies that suggest the singular, most important exercise for Generalized Low Back Pain is brisk walking. This particular exercise stimulates important spinal stabilizers, requires movement of the spine and pelvis, and challenges the muscles of our core which require endurance. It is recommended to do a minimum of 20 minutes of BRISK walking, three times per week. Remember, its not going out for a leisure stroll, or commuting 20 minutes to work. This is a separate 20 minutes that you put aside go really “bust a move” and get your heart rate up.
Manual Physical Therapy
Two recent studies have demonstrated the immediate effects of lumbar manipulation on the subjects’ ability to contract the transversus abdominis.
As the leading Physical Therapy Universities have researched and instructed for years:
Manual therapy improves available movement.
Exercise reeducates the muscle.
Manual therapy can include anything from joint manipulation, soft tissue manipulation/myofascial release, or to movement re-education with manual guidance. This particular portion of the treatment should truly be tailored to the patient’s particular needs.
We at John Lathrop Physical Therapy specialize in spine and sports injuries, and have helped hundreds of athletes and hard-working New Yorkers not only come back after injury, but better enjoy their lives.
Hope this helps you,
Johnny Lathrop
P.S. If you or someone you know suffers from Low Back Pain and would like to put it to an end, call us at (646) 455-1312 to set up an appointment right away.