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Well, it could be. Or it could be age, or it could be a muscular injury that you somehow got.
But that said, to be more precise it's not only abs but your entire core - having a strong and well maintained core helps to combat against back pain but like someone mentioned, even very fit people can have back pain but are less likely to.
I've always heard stronger abs take pressure of your back. If you're getting pain after standing short periods of time, even a change of shoes may help. My pain Dr. chewed me out ounce for wearing flip flops to an appointment...he said it's bad for my back and for me to get a good, comfortable pair of shoes.
Over the past 4 or 5 years, I've gained a lot of weight (about 40 lbs. a year). I've yo-yo'd up and down, but I've always fallen off the bandwagon. Now, I've reached a point where I can't stand for 5 minutes without my back killing me. My favorite form of exercise is walking. I think I once heard that if I strengthen my abdominals, my back won't hurt anymore; therefore, I would be able to go back to walking. So, is it true? Is low back pain caused by weak abdominals?
Winter of 2012 (early 2013) I realized that I weighed 300 lbs, and yes, my back was killing me. I spent the entire winter on a strict diet, struggling and counting calories, ignoring the food in the fridge, etc, and managed to drop about 60 lbs through all of 2013. Yeah, my back doesn't kill me anymore. To me, it was caused by too much hanging off the front end.
It's an over-simplification to say that a particular pain is caused by a particular thing. True, some people suffer unnecessary back pain due to weak core muscles. But others suffer back pain due to an exercise-induced injury, subluxation, or degenerative conditions. In those cases, targeting the muscles around your lower back could exacerbate things, especially if not done gently and properly.
Also, there's a lot more to supporting your spine and lower back tissue (thoracolumbar fascia) than just strengthening the superficial muscles around it. Muscles like transverse abdominis and pelvic floor lie much deeper and are key to supporting your inner organs, skeletal structure and movement of your extremities. Most people have never heard of those muscles, much less how to control and strengthen them. On the other hand, most people have heard of 'Core Strength' by now but assume it consists mainly of things like situps, knee-ups or back extensions. Those are all good exercises, but people tend to do them in a way that targets their hip flexors and extremities rather than isolating and gradually strengthening the muscles beneath. This sort of training often leads to injury and would certainly aggravate existing conditions like chronic back pain.
In your case, it sounds like the most important thing to do is lose enough weight so that you can exercise more freely with less pain. But of course losing the weight will be hard to do if you're having trouble even walking right now. To get started you might try:
1. Learn a little bit about core training and nutrition (could be classes, but it could also be books, videos and, yes, internet research).
2. Begin with some very light exercises to activate your core and lay a good foundation for more intense exercises ahead.
3. Stick to a nutritious, low-calorie diet (avoid supplements and other aids if possible, just eat smaller, healthier portions).
4. Increase your activity level as weight comes off (if walking is too hard at first, you might consider swimming or perhaps stationary cycling instead)
5. Track your progress and adjust your goals as your abilities improve.
So take care of yourself, do what you can to keep it fun, and please let us know how it goes!
Well, it could be. Or it could be age, or it could be a muscular injury that you somehow got.
But that said, to be more precise it's not only abs but your entire core - having a strong and well maintained core helps to combat against back pain but like someone mentioned, even very fit people can have back pain but are less likely to.
Best of luck.
Age? Not likely. It's not normal for 19 year-olds to have back problems.
Quote:
Originally Posted by hensleya1
Winter of 2012 (early 2013) I realized that I weighed 300 lbs, and yes, my back was killing me. I spent the entire winter on a strict diet, struggling and counting calories, ignoring the food in the fridge, etc, and managed to drop about 60 lbs through all of 2013. Yeah, my back doesn't kill me anymore. To me, it was caused by too much hanging off the front end.
Hopefully, I can write the same thing this time next year!
Quote:
Originally Posted by otterprods
It's an over-simplification to say that a particular pain is caused by a particular thing. True, some people suffer unnecessary back pain due to weak core muscles. But others suffer back pain due to an exercise-induced injury, subluxation, or degenerative conditions. In those cases, targeting the muscles around your lower back could exacerbate things, especially if not done gently and properly.
Also, there's a lot more to supporting your spine and lower back tissue (thoracolumbar fascia) than just strengthening the superficial muscles around it. Muscles like transverse abdominis and pelvic floor lie much deeper and are key to supporting your inner organs, skeletal structure and movement of your extremities. Most people have never heard of those muscles, much less how to control and strengthen them. On the other hand, most people have heard of 'Core Strength' by now but assume it consists mainly of things like situps, knee-ups or back extensions. Those are all good exercises, but people tend to do them in a way that targets their hip flexors and extremities rather than isolating and gradually strengthening the muscles beneath. This sort of training often leads to injury and would certainly aggravate existing conditions like chronic back pain.
In your case, it sounds like the most important thing to do is lose enough weight so that you can exercise more freely with less pain. But of course losing the weight will be hard to do if you're having trouble even walking right now. To get started you might try:
1. Learn a little bit about core training and nutrition (could be classes, but it could also be books, videos and, yes, internet research).
2. Begin with some very light exercises to activate your core and lay a good foundation for more intense exercises ahead.
3. Stick to a nutritious, low-calorie diet (avoid supplements and other aids if possible, just eat smaller, healthier portions).
4. Increase your activity level as weight comes off (if walking is too hard at first, you might consider swimming or perhaps stationary cycling instead)
5. Track your progress and adjust your goals as your abilities improve.
So take care of yourself, do what you can to keep it fun, and please let us know how it goes!
Thanks for the detailed response! I will tell you how it goes, and hopefully I can write about how much weight I lost.
My lower back pain is caused by a pinched sciatic nerve from spinal damage from years ago.
As far as exercise and such, swimming is better than walking, and I know you said you have issues with that, but which is worse for you, your fear of yourself in a bathing suit, or continuing to stay the same weight or bigger?
Over the past 4 or 5 years, I've gained a lot of weight (about 40 lbs. a year). I've yo-yo'd up and down, but I've always fallen off the bandwagon. Now, I've reached a point where I can't stand for 5 minutes without my back killing me. My favorite form of exercise is walking. I think I once heard that if I strengthen my abdominals, my back won't hurt anymore; therefore, I would be able to go back to walking. So, is it true? Is low back pain caused by weak abdominals?
Does walking hurt? I know you said that standing hurts, but what about walking? I find that walking makes my back feel better. Also helps with depression. And since you enjoy walking, just start there.
I was 60 pounds overweight a few years ago (at age 45) when I embarked upon a walking regimen. It took about nine months, but I lost 50 pounds without really dieting. Just totally cut out fast food and alcohol. Quickly built up to daily hour-long walks with my dog and stuck with it--no excuses. This kind of lifestyle is totally sustainable and doesn't cost a dime.
Best of luck!
Last edited by AguaDulce; 02-20-2014 at 09:48 AM..
Reason: typo
Age? Not likely. It's not normal for 19 year-olds to have back problems.
Hopefully, I can write the same thing this time next year!
Thanks for the detailed response! I will tell you how it goes, and hopefully I can write about how much weight I lost.
I'm a 3L in law school graduating in May so I can definitely relate as to how time consuming/stressful it can be. If you want any opinions/advice about doing it in that circumstance, send me a PM sometime.
Well - I did my lower back in with repetitive, weight bearing work - done with bad form. I've had to have most of one disk removed and have degeneration at many levels.
Every. extra. pound. hurts. It's not just the weight of the extra weight that's pulling on your back - it's the weight plus the force exerted by gravity pulling down on it. This means the forces pulling against your back are greater than just the actual pounds. Every additional pound compounds the problem. Thus, I have to be very careful of my weight since my back is already in bad shape to begin with. I can feel every pound I gain/lose.
In addition to keeping my weight in check, I have to be pretty careful about impact. I do barre workouts (good posture goes a long way), and mini-circuits that consist of elliptical (sprints) + recumbent bike (hills) + treadmill (cool-down). All of these are pretty minimal in terms of pounding, but get great results. Perhaps some of that might work?
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