Stop Stretching Your Back!
Trying to increase range of motion at the lumbar spine is DANGEROUS. I haven’t really written in depth on this because I honestly forget that people don’t already know this. It is a subject that has been written about extensively, so I did not want to beat a dead horse. But I continue to see people come to me with low back stretches that their PT or Doctor gave them for their low back pain. So, if so many PT’s, Doctors, etc, don’t know this……….then how would the general public know? Let me be clear, unless you are looking to increase back pain, STOP trying to stretch your low back!!
Physical Therapist, Shirley Sahrmann states in her book, Diagnosis and Treatment of Movement Impairment Syndromes, “Rotation of the lumbar spine is more dangerous than beneficial and rotation of the pelvis and lower extremities to one side while the trunk remains stable or is rotated to the other side is particularly dangerous.” Sahrmann notes that “The overall range of lumbar rotation is approximately 13 degrees. The rotation between each segment from T10 to L5 is 2 degrees. The greatest rotational range is between L5 and S1, which is 5 degrees. The thoracic spine, not the lumbar spine should be the site of greatest amount of rotation of the trunk.”
You must understand that the primary role of the abdominals is to provide isometric stabilization and limit the rotation of the lumbar spine. If you are doing any of the following stretches/exercises, my advice is to stop before you have to chase one of your vertebrae down the street.
DN
Thanks for another great posting. Just to slarify, are you saying to not do any lower back streching or only not do rotational lower back streching. I am wondering if doing backward rolls and standard sitting hamstring streches should be limited or eliminated as well?
Thanks bro,
Chris
My advice is to NOT stretch your low back at all. There is no reason and nothing to support stretching the low back (except for rare cases). It is an area that requires significant amounts of stability. Trying to increase mobility will on lead to less stability (not a good thing).
Im not totally clear what a backward roll is.
Hamstring stretching is fine but most often done wrong. Most people stretch their back instead of their hamstrings. The lumbar spine should not move during hamstring and hip stretches. Visit the media section of http://www.impact-pt.com and see some examples.
The first 2 photos in this re just what mt PT assistand tols me to do this morning! Trying to control Piriformus Syndrome after having back surgery on L4. Any other thoughts beside the stuff in your media section?
Thank for the continuing info Dewey!
Jim
Hate to say it but you may want to get a new pt.
As far as more info. Get Stuart McGills book “Ultimate Back Fitness and Performance”.