3 Strengthening Strategies to Combat Low Back Pain

Your life has gotten to the point that it isn’t a matter of if, but of how much, when it comes to your ongoing low back pain. Some days are fairly manageable, and you can get around, but others aren’t so great. Even sitting or walking short distances can lead to a good deal of discomfort.

The unfortunate reality is that hundreds of millions of people around the globe suffer the same problem. Currently, nearly 620 million people report low back pain, and experts predict this number will rise to 843 million by 2050.

The team of neurosurgery experts at our practice, led by Dr. Ali H. Mesiwala, is not surprised by these numbers. Because of our own experiences as specialists in low back pain, we see our fair share of patients limited by low back pain, and we’re here to help.

Although we offer many innovative spine surgeries, one of the most effective weapons against low back pain is nonsurgical — back strengthening. 

1. Core strengthening exercises

Your core contains powerful muscle groups that help keep your spine stable and power the movements in your upper and lower body, including your:

• Erector spinae — three muscles that help you stand up straight and bend sideways
• Rectus abdominis — abdominal muscles often referred to as the 6-pack
• Obliques — muscles on the sides of your trunk that help you rotate
• Transverse abdominis — stabilizes your pelvis
• Multifidus — muscles that directly support your spine

Research, such as this meta-analysis, has found that strengthening these core muscles is one of the most effective ways to improve back pain and mobility. And this work also benefits you long into the future, as a strong core can prevent low back pain from returning.

We suggest that you work with a physical therapist, at least to start, to target your strengthening efforts based on the underlying issue. We can point you in the right direction and work with your therapist to maximize exercise.

That said, no core work is a waste, so we suggest that you start with some of these great core exercises at home.

2. Movement

Another great step toward breaking free from chronic low back pain is to move around as much as you can. You might notice how stiff your back can become when you first wake up or after working at your desk for long periods.

To offset this stiffness and inflammation, movement is key. You can start with a 30-minute morning walk to loosen your spine. Throughout the day, you can also find ways to get up and move. For example, set an hourly alarm to remind you to move around and stretch.

3. Muscle restorative stimulation

If your back pain isn’t responding as well as you’d like to your at-home efforts, we can try muscle restorative stimulation. This is a neuromodulation technique in which we insert electrodes around your multifidus muscles. These electrodes deliver mild electrical currents into the muscles, causing them to contract and, over time, strengthen.

Since your multifidus muscles are directly responsible for supporting your spine, muscle restorative stimulation is a great approach to better support your back when there are mechanical difficulties.

In many cases, our patients find relief from low back pain by combining these three strategies. 

To design the best approach for strengthening your lower back and core to reduce low back pain, we invite you to contact one of our offices in Newport Beach, Marina del Rey, or Rancho Cucamonga, California, today to schedule a consultation.