This week I have been emailed by a high level Athlete with Lower Back pain who is having difficulty returning to her full training.
Lots of Rehabilitation will talk about activation of Transverse Abdominis.
However, this athlete is an Ex- Dancer who already knows how to perform pre-activation of the TVA.
The question relates to the fact that this strategy is not helping her.
All we need is “stiffness” in the abdominal wall rather than “sucking in.”
For athletic populations I am a big fan of Dr Stuart McGill’s work.
McGill’s Big 3 Exercises are an excellent way to start your back rehabilitation or perform injury prevention.
The Big 3 consist of:
1. Controlled ¼ curl up with one knee flexed (hold at the top)
2. Side Plank (10 seconds with maximum stiffness)
3. Bird Dog (Quadruped)
The Controlled Curl-Up:
This exercise trains the abdominals without moving your lumbar (lower) spine or cervical (upper) spine.
- Lie down on your back with your legs out straight. Bend your right leg and plant that foot on the floor next to your left knee.
- Put your hands under your lower back. They will prop your lower back up, which allows you to keep a natural curve in your spine.
· Curl your head, neck, and shoulders off of the ground. Try to keep your neck as still as possible while you lift your head up. Don’t tuck your chin or let your head fall back.
· Try to hold yourself up at the top for 5 to 10 seconds.
· Lower yourself down. Do half of the repetitions with your right leg bent and half with your left leg bent.
The Side Plank
• Lie on your side, with your elbow underneath your shoulder. Curl your feet back so that your knees are at a 90-degree angle. To make this exercise harder, straighten out your legs instead of bending them.
• Lift your hips off of the ground, putting your weight on your elbow and knees.
• Hold that position for as long as you can. Try to maintain a straight line from your head down to your feet. Make sure that your hips are in line with the rest of your body.
• When you can no longer hold that position, drop and switch to the other side, once again holding for as long as you can.
The Bird Dog
· Get on the floor on your hands and knees in a quadruped position. Make sure that your back is relatively flat.
· Raise your left arm forwards and at the same time extend your right leg straight back.
· Raise your arm and leg until they are in line with your torso. To increase activation of your back muscles even more during this exercise, you can clench a fist of the arm you’re raising.
· Lower your arm and leg. Once you complete the desired amount of repetitions on that side, switch to the other side and repeat.
Also try “stirring the Pot” (in a Plank position) on a Swiss ball.
With the back muscles, what is more important is ENDURANCE rather than strength!
(See yesterday’s blog on the Biering Sorenson Extension Test)
Try integrating McGill’s Big 3 into your training and Bulletproof your Back.
Video: www.youtube.com/user/uwaterloo
