**SPONSORED CONTENT BY CLARKSVILLE CHIROPRACTIC**
With the proper plan, the gym can be a wonderful place to prevent injury, but can also be the driving source of your pain. Whether you currently have back pain or have a reoccurring nagging injury, here is a short list of exercises to avoid at all costs!
Leg Press – True, the leg press can make you feel like the hulk, pushing up more plates than you can count with each thrust. But the leg press is basically a squat with zero contribution from the core, and I can promise you that your ability to push lots of weight up a 45 degree incline is not your weakness. The inability of the core to move and control the loads of any squat variation is where most weaknesses lie, and ignoring this fact will keep your injury potential high. Swallow the pride and squat.
Over Head Press – Low Back pain often stems from dysfunction in the thoracic spine, such as lack of thoracic extension. Coupled with lack of proper shoulder range of motion, the military press can easily cause pain and instability in the Lumbar spine. Your time would be better spent on mobility exercises for the Thoracic spine and stability exercises for the scapulae in this case.
Leg Curl – Best case scenario, let’s say you have perfect form and your entire abdomen stays on the bench while you maintain a neutral spine during the exercise. While you may get some killer hamstrings, you again are creating dysfunction in the system. Your time would be better spent perfecting the dead lift, squat, or lunge technique with different variations.
Back Extension Machine – Bottom line, your core (including diaphragm, abdomen, low back, and pelvic musculature) is meant to NOT move while controlling more distal loads. Yes, you need rotation and other ranges of motion from the spine, but the core’s function is to be a rigid platform to swing the arms and leg about. Therefore, trying to isolate the low back for a weakness is like trying to decide which one tire to change on a car that’s hit a spike strip. As you train the system as a whole, you will strengthen the weak links.
Seated Ab Crunch Machine – I’ve contemplated hiring a hit man to eliminate every one of these machines. If I were a money hungry business man, I would get one for my office and convince my patients to use it. However, my love for lumbar spines prevents me from following through with this plan. Please keep this in mind. Repetitive lumbar flexion and extension is terrible for your low back. LOADED repetitive lumbar flexion and extension is asking for injury. LOADED repetitive lumbar flexion and extension WITH rotation is enough to make my back hurt while watching another person perform this. There are many cons to this excise and I’m at a loss for a pro.
Interested in great Chiropractic care to recover from a sports injury? Interested in some personal training? Maybe you just want to pick Dr. Dunaway’s brain about what exercises are good for your specific condition! Just call for an appointment at 931-647-3692, or go www.clarksvillechiropractic.com and fill out a request for a free consultation. Find Clarksville Chiropractic on Facebook here.