How to treat a lower back injury

The injury of the lower back occurs when the spine of that part of the body is somehow damaged and the flexibility of the surrounding tissue is pushed above its limits.

It is a common problem which is likely to happen during the some activities that include a lot of stress on that particular area, and it is often the result of the inappropriate posture and position of the spine during some activities at home. But, most commonly, it is the undesirable consequence of some everyday action that gradually damages lower back tissues.

The carefully balanced combination of the work of synergist and agonist muscles has the function to prevent the injury when the area of the lower back is affected. But, the problem happens when the communication between the muscles and the motor control is ruptured, or when the muscles which have the function of the extensors of the trunk are unable to sustain the stress they are under.

Although these kinds of injuries are not so dangerous, they make it very difficult to function normally or even disable the normal daily activities. Because of that, the serious attention must be paid to the ways of preventing the lower back injury.

First of all, it is good to avoid the action that gradually damages the tissues on daily basis and to become aware of the fact that the spine gets most sensitive in the morning. Related to that, it is advisable to introduce some exercises (which are based on stretching and limbering) into the daily routine, and to stick to them, because the endurance of those muscles decreases when they are not in use. And of course, there is also the already well-known advice of lifting up the heavy object from the squat position, and not with the bent back.

However, if the injury happens, the most important part of the treatment is the process of rehabilitation. It consists of doing the stretching exercises of those muscles in order to provide their ability to withstand the hardships, of improving the cooperation of the muscles and the spine, and of increasing the level of the elasticity and flexibility of the peripheral joints (such as hip, ankle and knee).

When it comes to the physical treatment, the most beneficial are the cat/camel exercises, the twists of the abdomen (which mustn’t be sudden), and various exercises for the side muscles of the abdomen. Of course, it is necessary to point out that before every one of these physical routines, the warming up exercises are obligatory.