In our ongoing series we are discussing some of the most common spondylolisthesis myths and providing a little truth to these common myths.
You can read spondylolisthesis myth #1 HERE.
And spondylolisthesis myth #2 HERE.
For our third myth we are going to discuss the misconception or myth of having a weak back.
One of the first things that naturally comes to mind when you find out you have a spondylolisthesis is the thought that you have a weak back.
You can read spondylolisthesis myth #1 HERE.
And spondylolisthesis myth #2 HERE.
For our third myth we are going to discuss the misconception or myth of having a weak back.
One of the first things that naturally comes to mind when you find out you have a spondylolisthesis is the thought that you have a weak back.
This thought process is totally natural. Your back hurts, you feel weak, and you have pain in or around the back which can give you the feeling of being old and crippled.
You may initially think you have a weak back because of the spondylolisthesis and now you need to strengthen it.
Let me throw out a different scenario that might make this myth a little more clear.
Let’s pretend you are working at a very hands on, labor intensive job. You move heavy objects throughout the day and the success of your company depends heavily on the amount of work that is completed by your team.
Your best friend and co-worker is a very lazy worker. This friend never completes as much work as you and they often take long lunch breaks and often times show up late.
You love your friend and instead of telling your boss on them, you simply pick up their slack to keep up with work demand and maintain your friendship.
After a few weeks of feeling exhausted, sore, and fatigued you decide to take a little vacation to cure the problem. Once you return the same thing happens. You quickly become tired and exhausted and can no longer keep up.
This problem would continue until you either spoke to your friend or spoke to your boss. No matter how much you rested and strengthened your body, the amount of work you were doing for your friend on top of your work would break you down over the long run.
A majority of the time a spondylolisthesis works the same way. Your back is often picking up the slack and working overtime for areas of your body that might be underperforming.
It could be from a previous injury, weak muscles, tight muscles or all of the above.
No matter how much you strengthen your back, the back is still going to help out for weaknesses in other areas which can lead to inflammation and additional pain.
Just like your co-worker and friend who is slacking, these areas often go overlooked while the back (who is doing so much work) actually gets the balme.
No matter how great of a worker you are, until you address the friend who is slacking, your fatigue and pain will continue to grow. And no matter how strong your back is, until you address the surrounding areas the pain and discomfort can continue.
What is important is that you understand to fix the body as a whole and not just focus on getting your back stronger.
In one of my first rehab attempts I was placed on a machine that solely focused on strengthening my back. I performed multiple repetitions on a machine that targeted back muscles. I would walk away from the clinic in pain, discomfort and confused.
Until a few years ago I never understood why.
My spondylolisthesis was due to weak hips, glutes and an unstable core.
NOT a weak back!
Unfortunately this clinic did not address my issues as a whole. They just assumed my back was weak and tried to strengthen it.
The lack of strength and stability in my hips and core were placing extra stress on the spine leading to a fracture. This had nothing to due with a weak back.
It is important to think as the body as a whole. If you have a spondylolisthesis or spondylolysis get a screen to determine the root of the cause and DO NOT just assume your back is weak.
Then adjust and focus your rehab on those weak areas to reduce the stress that is applied to your spine.
Performing multiple back strengthening exercises might lead to additional pain, just like it did for me.
You may initially think you have a weak back because of the spondylolisthesis and now you need to strengthen it.
Let me throw out a different scenario that might make this myth a little more clear.
Let’s pretend you are working at a very hands on, labor intensive job. You move heavy objects throughout the day and the success of your company depends heavily on the amount of work that is completed by your team.
Your best friend and co-worker is a very lazy worker. This friend never completes as much work as you and they often take long lunch breaks and often times show up late.
You love your friend and instead of telling your boss on them, you simply pick up their slack to keep up with work demand and maintain your friendship.
After a few weeks of feeling exhausted, sore, and fatigued you decide to take a little vacation to cure the problem. Once you return the same thing happens. You quickly become tired and exhausted and can no longer keep up.
This problem would continue until you either spoke to your friend or spoke to your boss. No matter how much you rested and strengthened your body, the amount of work you were doing for your friend on top of your work would break you down over the long run.
A majority of the time a spondylolisthesis works the same way. Your back is often picking up the slack and working overtime for areas of your body that might be underperforming.
It could be from a previous injury, weak muscles, tight muscles or all of the above.
No matter how much you strengthen your back, the back is still going to help out for weaknesses in other areas which can lead to inflammation and additional pain.
Just like your co-worker and friend who is slacking, these areas often go overlooked while the back (who is doing so much work) actually gets the balme.
No matter how great of a worker you are, until you address the friend who is slacking, your fatigue and pain will continue to grow. And no matter how strong your back is, until you address the surrounding areas the pain and discomfort can continue.
What is important is that you understand to fix the body as a whole and not just focus on getting your back stronger.
In one of my first rehab attempts I was placed on a machine that solely focused on strengthening my back. I performed multiple repetitions on a machine that targeted back muscles. I would walk away from the clinic in pain, discomfort and confused.
Until a few years ago I never understood why.
My spondylolisthesis was due to weak hips, glutes and an unstable core.
NOT a weak back!
Unfortunately this clinic did not address my issues as a whole. They just assumed my back was weak and tried to strengthen it.
The lack of strength and stability in my hips and core were placing extra stress on the spine leading to a fracture. This had nothing to due with a weak back.
It is important to think as the body as a whole. If you have a spondylolisthesis or spondylolysis get a screen to determine the root of the cause and DO NOT just assume your back is weak.
Then adjust and focus your rehab on those weak areas to reduce the stress that is applied to your spine.
Performing multiple back strengthening exercises might lead to additional pain, just like it did for me.
