Scoliosis and poor posture have caused me years of back pain. From sciatica to painful flexibility issues, it’s a constant battle. But I don’t think hope is lost.
I have pages and pages of notes on back exercises and rehabilitation techniques.
Some have worked, most have not. The one constant through years of effort was movement. When I sit still for hours in my office chair, I’m plagued with sciatic pain for days.
When I remember to move and stretch and get blood flowing into the lower back and hips, I see consistent improvement.
A second trend I’ve detected in my life is diet. When I eat an inflammatory diet, full of sugar and processed carbs, I seem to experience more pain.
But, I’m not a doctor, and the health claims of anyone on the internet – myself included – are speculative at best, dangerous at worst.
So what do the experts recommend?
Recently I discovered another promising set of exercises, presented by Dr Stuart McGill, spinal researcher with decades of experience fixing bum backs.*
First let’s look at his daily exercise recommendation for improving spinal stability. Without a stable spine, back injuries will get worse, and strength will be bad for training.
The exercises for spinal stability are:
- The birddog – get on your hands and knees, and alternate extending your opposite hand and leg. For example, extend the right hand forward, and the left leg back. Contract and switch.
- Side plank – start on one side, resting body weight on one elbow on the ground, and both legs on the other side. Critical note: you should never be stacking your legs doing a side plank. Use the front leg to help turn forward and transition to the other side for opposite plank.
- Modified curl – lay on back, place hands under the spine, bend one knee, do repetitions raising your head, shoulders and elbows up. Critical note: your head and shoulders aren’t coming up more than an inch. This is not a traditional back-stressing crunch.
Dr McGill also addresses spinal decompression and hanging upside-down. He notes that there is little data showing the health benefits of hanging upside-down. This doesn’t imply that they’re not useful, just to be weary of expensive gadgets and health claims around them.
Instead he offers a spinal decompression alternative that I’ll be using.
How to decompress your spine without hanging upside down:
Lay flat on your stomach, on the floor. Inhale with a belly breath, then slowly relax your back as you let the air out. Imagine your spine melting through your stomach and into the floor as you slowly exhale.
To add another layer of relief, have someone gently pull on and shake your legs as you do the exercise. For more potential relief, turn your head sideways, and gently push your forehead into the ground.
I write this as I’m in an airplane, and can’t wait to give it a try as soon as I land.
According to Dr. McGill, spinal data shows this to be an effective decompression technique, and can potentially help heal bulged disks.**
So get up, move around, build some back muscles and live a long, happy life.
*As interviewed by Ben Greenfield, Ben Greenfield Fitness podcast, January 27, 2018.
**While I won’t make any claims, Dr. McGill’s prolific body of research and training makes him a foremost authority on spinal health.
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