Bryant Stamford
·5 min read
A few years ago, when several workers at a local plant reported lower back pain, one of the bosses requested I look at the situation to determine the problem and how to improve things.
After studying the situation, I concluded that the jobs were not too heavy or physically demanding, but I witnessed several problems. I saw many overweight workers with limited flexibility when they had to bend or assume an awkward position. In addition, many had sloppy lifting techniques. This combination sets the stage for what I call the "Paper Clip Syndrome."
Let me explain: A person walks into a room and sees a paper clip on the floor. He bends to retrieve it and his back explodes in pain. A paper clip is used to signify that no heavy lifting was involved, and the only event was bending over. Here's what may lead to this issue, and how to correct it.
Does being overweight contribute to lower back pain?
The "Paper Clip Syndrome" starts with a bulging midsection that places considerable and relentless stress on the lower back muscles. This is because the anatomy of the human body creates a natural tendency to lean forward, and it is the job of the lower back muscles to resist the forward lean and keep the body upright. Thus, even under the best conditions, the lower back muscles are constantly challenged.
A bulging midsection adds to the challenge because additional weight in the front of the body acts to pull it further forward. This increases the stress due to leverage.
Here’s how leverage works. Hold a broom by the tip of the handle and straight out in front of you. Now hang a one-pound weight on the far end. It’s only one pound, but it will feel very heavy because of the leverage involved. Similarly, excess belly fat adds extra stress to the lower back muscles due to the combined constant struggle to hold the body upright, plus the effects of leverage to increase the stress imposed.
To make matters worse, when you bend from the waist and pick up a weight with your hands, the leverage involved impacts the lower back region many times more than the weight being lifted. Think of a seesaw with a smaller person on one end and a much larger person on the other. How can they make the seesaw work to go up and down? The smaller person sits farther from the pivot point while the larger person sits closer. The total force each exerts is their weight (favoring the larger person) times the distance from the pivot point (favoring the smaller person).
When bending to lift from the floor, force is exerted by the lower back muscles and the vertebral column is the pivot point. Because the weight being lifted in the hands is quite a distance from the pivot point, bending to lift only 10 pounds can place a demand 10 times that amount of force on the lower back. This is why squatting instead of bending, and using the legs to lift, is so important.
If vertebral alignment problems exist, and these are common, the above situation is worse. Poor alignment can occur due to tight hamstring muscles (on the rear of the upper leg) that attach to the lower pelvis. When they are tightm the hamstrings tug on the pelvis, tilting it, possibly forcing the vertebra into an unfavorable position. This can expose a disc to danger when you do something as simple as bending. And, of course, the risk is many times greater in an industrial setting where workers bend, lift and carry objects, or work in awkward positions.
How to avoid lower back pain
There are multiple ways to avoid lower back pain:
Step 1: Reduce belly fat. The good news is belly fat is lost more easily than fat stored in most other locations on the body because the enzymes that remove fat from storage are more active in the midsection. Therefore, if you alter your diet and engage regularly in exercise, you can see rapid improvement in the waistline. Intermittent fasting is especially effective at reducing belly fat.
Step 2: Improve flexibility, especially in the hamstring muscles. When my hamstrings are tight, I get pain and stiffness in the lower back, especially in the morning. That’s why every morning, I take a few moments to do hamstring stretches to reduce the tightness. Lying on my back, I bend my right leg, wrap my fingers around the leg behind and just above the knee, and pull the knee toward my chest and hold it. Next, after holding and the hamstrings begin to loosen up, I slowly straighten the knee, pointing my toes toward the ceiling. As I straighten the leg it causes an intense stretch, so go easy and only go as far as you can comfortably. Hold a few seconds, then return to the starting position. Repeat 10 times, then switch to the other leg.
Step 3: Learn to lift properly with the legs. Avoiding bending and lifting from the waist is critically important, even when lifting light loads.
Step 4: Strengthen the core muscles. The core muscles wrap around the pelvis, lower back, hips, and stomach. They provide stability which helps sustain an erect posture. They also are key to preventing injury when bending and lifting. There are many ways to increase core strength including organized programs like Pilates and yoga. If you were going to choose just one exercise, I would advise doing planks because they work all the core muscles at one time. Assume the plank position, with body weight on the forearms and toes only, or use the pushup position. Gradually work toward holding the position progressively longer. Forget often-used exercises like sit-ups and leg lifts as they add stress to the lower back, especially if done incorrectly and with momentum.
Reach Bryant Stamford, a professor of kinesiology and integrative physiology at Hanover College, at stamford@hanover.edu.
This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: What causes lower back pain? Here are 4 tips to help you feel better
