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INJURY & REHAB
OVERLOOKED CAUSES
OF LOWER BACK PAIN
Lower back pain may be an incredibly common complaint, but its causes are
not always obvious ones, writes corrective exercise expert Justin Price.
any health and fitness
professionals
take
a
symptomatic approach to
helping their clients alleviate lower back
pain. While this strategy may prove
helpful in the short term, a more
complete and long term solution lies in
understanding and addressing the
underlying causes of this problem. In
this article you will learn about two of the
most overlooked causes of lower back
pain and what you can do within your
scope of practice as a fitness
professional to help your clients so they
can get back to exercising without pain
or movement limitations.
M
1
A forward head
The average weight of a human head is between 4.5 to 5 kilograms,
and its position directly affects the alignment of the entire body.
When the head is forward of the body, all the structures below it,
including the lower back, must adapt to maintain balance and keep
the body upright. For every inch forward of its optimal alignment that
it sits, the weight of the head effectively doubles, placing additional
stress on the lower back (Eriksen 2004; Louw 2007). The lower back is
particularly susceptible to issues caused by a forward head position
because it has a natural lordotic curve that is perfectly designed to
arch backwards and help pull the torso and head upright. However,
when the head is forward of its optimal alignment, the lower back
arches more than normal to help support the weight of the head (see
Figure 1). Over time, this can lead to excessive wear, tear, stress and
strain to the lower back, causing pain and dysfunction.
NETWORK SUMMER 2018 | 23