Who is more likely to develop lower back pain, the framer who hoists heavy lumber all day or the programmer who has spent twenty years at a desk? Most of us would bet on the framer. Heavy lifting looks dangerous, and desk work looks harmless. However, an underused, deconditioned back can cause as many problems as an overworked one.
Carpenters, framers, and sheet metal workers put a lot of stress on their spines. Lifting stacks of heavy boards loads the vertebrae with compressive forces. Crawling through an HVAC duct all afternoon folds the body into positions that would make a physical therapist cringe. After years of this work, the lower back can accumulate wear and tear that appears as stiffness, soreness, and life-altering spinal injury.
Lower back spinal underuse conditions are commonly overlooked. Consider the person who has spent ten, twenty, or thirty years commuting to work, flying across the country for sales meetings, or writing computer programs at a desk. These occupations involve low levels of physical activity performed in one position. The body adapts to the shape it is used to. Over years of sitting in a desk chair with the thighs and torso at a ninety-degree angle, hour after hour of sitting molds the muscles, tendons, and ligaments of the spine and hips into a position that is challenging to reverse.
When we sit, the hips flex to roughly a ninety-degree angle while the torso stays upright. Held there for hours, the spinal stabilizer muscles that run along the spine from the neck down to the hips have little work to do, and muscles that stop working become deconditioned. The glutes lengthen. The hip flexors, which attach the front of the spine to the pelvis, shorten and decondition as well. The deep core muscles supporting the front of the spine follow suit. The result is a collection of muscles that have become too short in some areas and too long in others, leaving the spine with less support than it needs. Over time, that lack of support can also contribute to more serious issues, such as irritated discs and compressed nerves.
A deconditioned support system for the spine can disrupt everyday life just as much as a lifting injury. Bending over to pick up a grandchild, loading groceries into the trunk, and pulling weeds in the garden require similar groups of muscles for spinal stabilization. Consistently practicing exercises that condition the spine and hips one to three times per week pays far more dividends than an intermittent, random session.
The straight-arm plank is an exercise we use with our personal training clients at every level, from novice to advanced. This exercise uses gravity as the only resistance and recruits the abdominal muscles along the front of the spine, the paraspinal muscles along the back of the spine, the hips, and the arms all at once.
Lie face down on the floor with your hands under your shoulders. Press the body up until the arms are straight and the knees are extended, with your weight resting on the palms and the balls of the feet. Tuck the hips slightly toward the ribs and draw the rib cage toward the belly button to flatten the lower back. Gently flex the quadriceps to keep the hips from sagging. Imagine screwing your hands into the ground to activate your arms and protect your wrists. Hold the position for twenty seconds, then rest. If a floor plank is too demanding at first, do the same position with your hands on a countertop or wall, and progress toward the floor as your strength improves. You should feel muscular activation along the abdomen, lower back, and hips. Work up to two or three holds per day, and advanced exercisers can build toward a minute or more.
Holding a plank is a safe and effective exercise that builds muscular endurance in the muscles that stabilize the spine. Twenty seconds feels longer than it sounds. That brief effort recruits the front of the spine, the back of the spine, and the hips in a single movement, which is a remarkable return for such a small amount of time.
Consistently practicing exercises like the straight arm plank helps produce strong muscles, reinforced joints, and a stable spine, and most importantly, a lower back that stays happy, healthy, and strong for years to come.
Sean McCawley, the founder and owner of Napa Tenacious Fitness in Napa, CA, welcomes questions and comments. Reach him at 707-287-2727, napatenacious@gmail.com, or visit the website napatenaciousfitness.com.