Got back pain?

Lower back pain (LBP) is one of the most common reasons why people seek medical care. Around 84% of people experience LBP in their lifetime, 23% of that is chronic LBP and around 90-95% of those cases are non-mechanical, meaning it's a weakness in the muscle that causes the pain and not a structural problem. 

By avoiding strength training and neglecting exercising the muscles of the lower back you will lose strength and a dangerous cycle will occur. A loss of back strength reduces the stabilisation capacity of your back which leads to more pain. This never ending cycle is called the deconditioning cycle of LBP and it is described below in 4 steps:

1. Decreased Strength: Loss of trunk and lumbar extensor strengthreduces active stabilisation capacity. Weak extensors cannot resist flexion torque therefore shear forces increase at each segmental level of the vertebrae.

2. Poor Cardiovascular Fitness: Deconditioning reduces aerobic capacity, increasing fatigue rate during daily activities. Faster fatigue means earlier degeneration breakdown and increased tissue loading which decreases movement in the spine.

3. Joint Stiffness: Reduced mobilisation decreases synovial fluid circulation and collagen turnover, leading to progressive capsular thickening, reduced mobility, and pain sensitisation accelerating disc degeneration and reducing load-bearing capacity.

4. Strain; Deconditioned tissue has a lower failure threshold. Routine tasks produce microtrauma. Spasm becomes a protective reflex that further restricts movement. And then strength is further reduced. Therefore the cycle begins again and pain worsens.

The majority of people who seek medical or physio advice are often given a passive approach to recovering from LBP via massage, bed rest, acupuncture or manipulation. These approaches fail to meet the needs of physiological adaptation to get the muscles strong and they eventually fall back into the cycle of pain. This passive approach creates dependency on the ‘quick fix’ NOT the long-term independence. 

Here is the plan. You need to be actively loading your trunk through a full range of motion through proper training equipment that specifically targets your lower back.

That is why we train you on our back extension machine as close to muscle failure in good form to achieve 2 main things: 1) Improve your strength and function and 2) Reduce the need for further medical intervention.