Keys to a Healthy Low Back

If you care about the long-term health of your lower back than there are a few key movements and concepts that you must understand.

1) The first concept is PELVIC TILT. You need to be aware of your resting pelvis tilt, whether it is neutral, anterior or posterior. You need to be able to find neutral pelvis tilt, and maintain this through a variety of movements.

2) The second concept is TRUNK STABILITY. You need the strength and endurance of your core muscles to maintain a stable trunk through every physical task you do, whether at the gym, playing sport or in day-to-day life.

3) The third component is a movement pattern known as HIP HINGE. This is the ability to bend forward at the hips whilst maintaining neutral pelvis tilt and a stable trunk. It is a vital foundational movement that every human should have control over.

4) The last concept is MOBILITY OF HIPS AND THORACIC SPINE. In order to minimise load on the lumbar spine, it should be kept as stable as possible. Thus, a large component of your movement in that area should come from you hips and thoracic spine. This necessitates adequate hip and thoracic mobility.

This is a just quick overview of a few key concepts. In future posts we will go into more detail about each of these, and how you can achieve them yourself.

If you have any questions, we are always ready to help : reach out to one of our physiotherapist at our Chatswood or North Sydney clinic!