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Low Back Pain Fact Sheet

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If you have had lower back pain, you are not alone. Back pain is one of most common reasons people see a doctor or miss days at work. Even school-age children can have back pain. Back pain can range in intensity from a dull, constant ache to a sudden, sharp or shooting pain. It can begin suddenly as a result of an accident or by lifting something heavy, or it can develop over time as we age. Getting too little exercise followed by a strenuous workout also can cause back pain.   There are two types of back pain: Acute , or short-term back pain lasts a few days to a few weeks. Most low back pain is acute. It tends to resolve on its own within a few days with self-care and there is no residual loss of function. In some cases a few months are required for the symptoms to disappear. Chronic back pain  is defined as pain that continues for 12 weeks or longer, even after an initial injury or underlying cause of acute low back pain has been treated. About 20 percent of people affected by acute
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Lower Back-Friendly Leg Workout

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I remember when I was diagnosed with a herniated disc and piriformis syndrome, I felt like my gym days were over. I was in constant pain and couldn’t even go for a walk without pausing every 5 minutes to stretch. Things got worse after my ankylosing spondylitis diagnosis. I was asked to never squat or lift weights again if I wanted to avoid arthritis pain. I love to exercise so that was out of the question. Thankfully, my education in corrective exercise and strength training helped me in slowly introducing weights without triggering symptoms. For the past few years, I’ve bee able to squat, lunge and deadlift with weights pain-free and I always get asked how I structure my workouts without causing a flare-up. So today I’m gonna share with you one of my low-impact, back-friendly leg workouts! (Youtube video below!) You’ll be able to see how I slowly go through my workout and a few key tips to keep in mind if you’re thinking about starting an exercise program. You’ll notice that I don’t
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7 Best Transverse Abdominis Activation Exercises

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In just a few moments, I’m going to share with you 7 powerful deep core exercises that’ll target the transverse abdominis (TVA) – one of your deepest abdominal muscles. I’ll also explain a bit how to properly engage this muscle and signs and symptoms of a weak deep core and inactive transverse abdominis. If you experience lower back pain, there is a good chance this muscle is weak or is failing to engage on time… So make sure you practice daily. The more you do the exercises mindfully, the better your mind-muscle connection will get. So don’t quit after just a day or two. Keep practicing. Activating and strengthening these deep core muscles (and the transverse abdominis in particular) will help you get immediate relief from lower back pain, as well as support and protect your spine from flare-ups. Make sure you perform these exercises on a weekly basis. Before I demonstrate how to do these exercises, I want to take a minute to briefly explain the i nner and outer core units , their fun
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