Set the Core – Prevent Low Back Pain

We all go to the gym essentially for the same reason – to make changes in our physical lives.  We want exercises that will help us lose weight, build muscle or improve our general health and appearance.  However, as we reach our 40s and 50s, there are physical and functional changes that occur within our bodies that interfere with the improvements we want to make.   These changes are part of the aging process we all have to contend with.

As we grow older, we become more vulnerable to certain types of injury. Our intervertebral discs dry out.  They become brittle and fractured.  The soft nucleus of the disc is forced out of its normal position and sometimes impinges upon spinal nerves.  Spinal ligaments become calcified and lose their elasticity.  Osteoarthritis of spinal joints can constrict spinal nerves and cause sciatic pain.  And even with relatively minor injuries, our recovery time is longer.

These changes occur in all of us – in some, they are mild, in others, severe.  The pain caused by these conditions varies considerably from one individual to the next.  A severe osteoarthritic spinal joint might cause niether pain nor discomfort in one individual while a much less severe condition can cause excruciating, debilitating pain in someone else.  A minor muscle strain, for example, can produce a painful spasm that can immobilize the entire body.

One of the most common injuries experienced by the older exerciser is a strain of the muscles that support the lumbosacral joint. Spasm, pain and disability are the usual consequences. Here’s a technique you can use that will protect your lumbar spine against sprains and dislocations (destabilization) during your normal exercise routine.  It’s called The Valsalva Maneuver.

The Valsalva maneuver is the attempt to force air out through a closed airway (glottis).  Power lifters and body builders use this technique to support the lumbar spine.  They call it “setting the core.” The maneuver increases intra-thoracic and intra-abdominal pressure adding rigidity to the lumbar spine and keeping it in alignment throughout the exercise.  You can master this technique with a little practice. 

First, take a deep breath and hold it for 3 or four seconds.  Now try to exhale  – but keep your airway closed.  You’ll feel your abdominals and paraspinal muscles tighten.  Now, open your airway and exhale normally.  Next, repeat this maneuver but this time release about 50% of the air you inhaled.  After 3 or 4 seconds, exhale normally.  Finally, do the same thing, but release another 20% of the air you took in.  You’re now left with about 30% of intra-abdominal pressure – sufficient to protect your lumbar spine during almost any exercise.  Remember – the stronger your core muscles are, the greater the protection you’ll get.  Don’t worry about the adverse effects of holding your breath.  You’ll find that as you gain more control over your “abdominal corset” you’ll be able to breath

normally – inhaling on exertion and exhaling as you complete the exercise.

Almost all of the exercises used in a strength-training program require a balanced, stable lumbar spine for support.  When you do any of these exercises, do them correctly. But before you do them, think kindly about your back ..... set the core.