Why your back pain isn’t going away.

DO YOU HAVE BACK PAIN?

According to researchers at UNC, “80 percent of Americans will experience an episode of low back pain at some time in their lives and that total costs of the condition are estimated at greater than $100 billion annually.”

Most likely, you have gluteal amnesia and just didn’t know it, until now…

WAIT… WHAT IS GLUTEAL AMNESIA?

The gluteals are the most powerful extension muscles in the human body. They’re designed to propel you forward. We use them in every day movements like walking up stairs and in every single sport and physical activity. Despite how helpful these muscles are, they are an underdeveloped, under-utilized muscle on the Average American Adult.

Why?

When this muscle is put to rest, it doesn’t get the opportunity to develop and stay strong. Even worse, the gluteals will start to regress and weaken. The most common reason this happens is from chronic sitting. Most people have a lifestyle that forces or encourages them to sit. If you drive to work, sit at a desk, like to watch tv, enjoy a long meal with family then you probably sit more than necessary.

LET’S TALK ANATOMY

To really understand what’s going on, let’s talk anatomy. The body works in oppositions. The muscles on the front of your body are typically “flexors” and will bend you forward. The muscles on your backside are “extensors” and will work to hold you upright (and move you into extension.)

When we sit, our flexors become chronically “stuck” in a shortened position. The extensor muscles will respond by stretching out and getting stuck in a lengthened position. When we want to move a muscle, our brains send signals via the nerves to the muscle. This constant “stretching out” of the extensors, including the gluteals, creates a more challenging pathway for the nerves to send their signals. This weakened neurological signal looks and acts a lot like a weakened muscle, but it’s really just a default in the mechanical pathways!

THE SOLUTION IS SIMPLE

Weak gluteals will cause lower back pain. The solution is simple: start and stay with a regular strength training protocol, like weight lifting and gymnastics. This will counteract all the harm done by sitting and eliminate your back pain. Counterintuitive? Yes. But it works, as I’ve helped eliminate back pain from the thousands of clients I’ve worked with over the past 12 years.

If you’re not sure where to start, at EDX Fitness we make it easy. Just start by booking a free intro call by clicking the button below and we’ve got your back from there.

Ready to achieve great things? Get started with an EDX Coach today!