Many people suffer from back pain when they are working on their abs. Usually a deep abdominal muscle named transversus abdominis gets tensed a few seconds before you raise your arm and gives support to the spine. However the muscle doesn’t get tensed instantly in people who are suffering from back pain. Lack of support to the spine thus leads to back pain. One can get rid of the pain if their transverus abdominis is strong enough. This theory was put up by the Australian physiotherapy lab in the 1990s.

Over the years, people have tried various things to strengthen their deep abdominal muscles. Some people tuck in their gut while they are exercising. This helps in building stronger muscles. People try several other things too like pushing their back against the floor while doing sit-ups or sucking in their belly buttons during crunches. However it is such things in the ab workout routine that leads to back pain.

Time has changed and today many doctors and fitness experts are not convinced with the theory. There are doubts over the fact that strong abdominal muscles can erase your back pain. Senior doctors and professors are of the opinion that the theory might not hold true for healthy individuals whose muscles are fine to begin with.

It is commonly believed that if your core (abs) is stable then your spine will be fine too. But for having a strong spine, you need to work on all your muscles and not only the deep abdominal muscles. The spine may go out of alignment if only one group of muscles is strengthened. In fact it was found that the load carrying capacity of the spine decreased after people tried to strengthen the deep muscles by tucking in their belly buttons.

The fitness experts recommend exercises that can strengthen all the muscles that support the spine. Exercises like “bird dog” where one is supposed to lie down and then raise both legs and hands at the same time are recommended. Another exercise which is good for the muscles is side plank; here one is supposed to lie on one side and then lift up their upper body. Sit-ups are no more recommended as they can damage the disks. Never push your back into the floor or tuck in your stomach while doing the exercises.Your ab workout routine will then be free from back pain.

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