How to Strengthen Your Lower Back and Avoid Injury

If you are one of those unlucky people who has “thrown their back out,” you know that sinking feeling that comes after picking something up the wrong way, getting bumped the wrong way during a sporting event, or reaching into a deep drawer or up onto a high shelf and suddenly feeling a twinge of pain surging through the muscles around your lower spine.

To avoid injury, it is crucial to have proper strength in the lower back.

If you take a look at an anatomy chart, you will see that there is a large and complex group of muscles all working together to support your back. These muscles help hold your body upright and allow the trunk of your body to move, twist and bend in many directions.

Specifically, the three back muscles that help your spine function are:

1. The extensor muscles. These are attached to the back of the spine and help us stand and lift things. The extensors include a large pair of muscles in the lower back, called erector spinae, which hold up the spine and gluteal muscles.

2. The flexor muscles. These are attached to the front of the spine and enable flexion of the spine, bending forward, lifting, and arching of the lower back.

3. The oblique muscles. These muscles are attached to the sides of the spine and help rotate the spine and also do most of the work to help you maintain proper posture.

Spine, hip, and shoulder flexibility also play a role in allowing the lower back to move through a proper range of motion. But to avoid injury, it is crucial to have proper strength in the lower back.

The lower back becomes stronger when it is forced to extend against a resistance. There are several movements that allow this extension to happen. But before we get to that, let’s talk about the all too common issue of lower back pain.

What causes lower back pain?

If you want an excellent overview of what causes lower back pain in the general population, I would encourage you to read an article by the Quick and Dirty Tips former House Call Doctor, What Causes Back Pain. Among fit folks, lower back pain most commonly occurs as a result of the following:

• Picking a heavy weight up off the floor or setting one down haphazardly.

• Bending from the back rather than bending at the hips and knees.

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