Core strength exercises for lower back pain

If you’re suffering from back pain, you must have heard that strengthening your core muscles can help provide some pain relief.

But what is the relationship between core muscle strength and back pain?

Is it really that important?

In this week’s blog, we are going to delve a little deeper into this relationship between core strength exercises and back pain. We will also talk about the role of physiotherapy in prescribing these exercises and some self management strategies you can try to manage your lower back pain.

A little BACKground information

With 70 – 90% of the Australian population having experienced lower back pain in some capacity in their lives, there comes many questions regarding the best way to manage pain and the root problem causing the pain.

Back pain is the leading cause of disability world wide, costing the Australian health system alone a whopping 4.8 Billion (with a B) dollars each year, and is the top reason for lost work productivity and early retirement.

How to manage lower back pain

The approach to back pain used to be REST and rest alone..

However, as evidence shows rest can make things a whole lot worse when it is the only treatment method prescribed.

Relative Rest may be an important part of recovery in the earlier stages but many other components are just as crucial to treating back pain!

These include:

-Movement + Exercises

-Education

-Manual therapy

-Medication

-A balanced diet, adequate nutrition + sleep

-Stress avoidance and other complimentary techniques.

What is ‘the core’?

To put it simply, your core muscles are those which support your spine as well as your pelvis and spinal position.

Muscles such as your deep lower back muscles, deep abdominal muscles and pelvic floor muscles can all be found under the umbrella term of “the core” and should all actively work together to provide stability, support and enable functional movement and mobility.

What is the evidence for core stability exercises in lower back pain?

Current evidence has shown that yes, “core” strength exercises are important, but even a more general exercise program including functional movement can lead to natural improvement in core muscle activation and patterns as a means of decreasing pain symptoms.

Having good muscular support of the whole spine helps enable a more functional unit and can therefore offload structures that may be causing or contributing to underlying problems.

Core strength exercises coupled with lower back mobility and exercises that focus on the strength, control and mobility of surrounding joints can be very effective in addressing lower back pain.

Does lower back pain cause problems with the core muscle?

Quite often with lower back pain, movement patterns deteriorate as a result of pain due to the activation of some muscles and inhibition of others.

Individuals experiencing back pain may be sensitive to movements, and whilst avoidance has its place, too much of it can have a cascading effect and lead to more issues down the track.

Core activation and core strength exercises are a great way to help individuals regain comfort with movement and build up a greater movement tolerance.

The aim of core strength exercises isn’t to stiffen up the core and body, but rather act as a means of pain desensitisation.

Should I do core exercises for lower back pain?

The reality is that pain is a complex experience that varies greatly from person to person, even between those with similar injuries or ailments.

Pain is multifaceted and as such, it is difficult to attribute one specific thing to being the root of an individual’s pain.

Instead we must try to alter our thinking and think of pain as a more holistic experience that could have various contributing factors.

In the case of lower back pain, a weak core may not be the ONLY cause of your pain, but it certainly could be a contributing factor. And although core strength exercises alone may not make your back better, it certainly wont make it any worse!

The bottom line is that core strength exercises are not the be all and end all, but when paired with functional movements and mobility exercises, they can sure help a whole lot.

As the old cliche goes, movement is medicine so don’t be afraid to exercise and get moving when a moment of back pain occurs.