Tuesday, November 28, 2017

Common Mistakes in Weight Lifting Cause Back Pain


Based in Abilene, Paul W. McDonough, MD, employs minimally invasive techniques in serving the needs of spine surgery patients across Texas’ Big Country. Paul McDonough, MD, engages personally with patients in helping them understand the basics of back pain and what can be done to prevent it occurrence. 

One common place where back issues begin is in the gym, with weightlifters who employ improper techniques ultimately paying the consequences. With deadlifting, lower back pain is relatively common and often begins from not engaging the latissimus dorsi (lats), which represent the largest muscles in the back. 

Offering the upper back and spine stability, the lats should be engaged in a way that generates tension before each lift. The way to ensure proper lateral tension is to pretend that a sponge or an orange is being squeezed in the armpit. Failure to do this can lead to a back that rounds as force is transferred from lower body to upper body. The end result is significant back strain and pain. 

A related mistake involves not bending the knees far enough, which leads to bending at the waist. This can not only impact the back, but also prevent a proper “wedge” position that provides maximum lifting power.